CHAIN OF COMMAND

 

A system in a military or civil organization by which instructions are passed from one person to another.

The definition of Chain of Command is an official hierarchy of authority that dictates who is in charge of whom and whom permission must be asked.

An example of Chain of Command is when an Employee reports to a manager who reports to a Senior Manager who reports to the Vice president who reports to the CEO.

LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT.

There are three general levels of Management: TOP; MIDDLE and FRONT-LINE Managers.

TOP MANAGERS: Top Managers are in charge of the overall performance and health of the company by controlling and overseeing the entire organization. They are the ones who set the goals, objectives, and mission for the company .Top- level executives spend the majority of their time Planning and decision-making and consistently scan the business environment for opportunities and threats. Some of their duties include;

*Set Company goals and objectives

*Scan external environment

*plan strategically and make decisions.

Some examples of top managers include the following,

Board of directors, chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), Chief operating officer (COO), President and vice president.

MIDDLE MANAGERS: Middle Managers are responsible for achieving the objectives set by the Top Managers by developing and implementing activities. They oversee the first line managers and make sure they are properly executing the activities they set out. Some of their duties include;

*Report to top management

*Oversee first –line managers

*Allocate resources

*Design, develop and implement activities.                          

Some examples of middle managers include the following:

General managers, department managers, operations manager, division manager, branch manager and division manager.

FIRST-LINE MANAGERS: First line managers are in charge of supervising employees and coordinating their day-to-day activities. They need to make sure that the work done by the employees is consistent with the plans that the upper management set out for the company.

Some of the duties include;

*Report to middle managers

*Supervise employees

*Organize activities

*Involved in day-to-day business operations.

Some examples of a first-line manager include the following;

Department head, foreman, office manager, section head, shift boss and supervisor.

ADVANTAGES OF A GOOD CHAIN OF COMMAND

There are numerous advantages that can come from having a good chain of command, they are;

*RESPONSIBILITY: Having different areas of the business can improve accountability by giving everyone a different responsibility. Everyone has their own supervisor to keep them accountable.

EFFICIENCY: A functional chain of command helps improve efficiency when communicating with workers. As a result, this helps them improve workflow and adjusting their management methods.

CLARITY: Having a good company structure makes the chain of command very clear. Furthermore, this lets everyone know which decisions they are allowed to make and which ones to present to their supervisors.

EMPLOYEE MORALE: Companies that have a clear chain of command create an environment without uncertainty and chaos. It improves the morale of workers leading to high productivity and low employee turnover.

CAREER PATH: It makes it easier to create paths for employees and track their progress toward their goals outlined in their respective areas.

SPECIALIZATION: Making employees focus on narrow functional areas can create groups of specialists that heavily impact the functions of the company.