Authority

The ability to take action and to delegate all organizational resources in order to accomplish desired goals and outcomes is known as authority. A person in a position of power has an impact on the actions or behaviors of another person or group. Numerous people participate in the organization's operations as it gets bigger. To complete the task, they require the power.

Positions hold the power rather than individuals. As a result, the marketing manager's position has control over that division. When the marketing manager switches jobs or leaves that position, they forfeit that authority. In many businesses, papers like organizational manuals, job descriptions, and role analyses provide information about managerial power. There may be no formal descriptions of authority in some organizations. Tradition and custom in these organizations serve as indicators of the level of power a position will hold within the executive structure. The following three prerequisites must be met for authority to be properly and effectively exercised:

• Anyone holding the same organizational position has the same authority, which is based on position.
• The subordinates in the organization must agree to accept the authority that has been so granted. Because they believe that managers have a legal authority to give orders, subordinates obey.
• The vertical hierarchy allows the authority to move from top to bottom. The highest roles in an organization have more formal authority than the lower ranks.

Organizational structure is based on authority connections. Authorities fall into one of two kinds. Which are:

Line Authority:

This authority alludes to the direct control that a superior has over his or her employees. This authority is never used upward, i.e., from superior to subordinate. A manager is referred to as a "line manager" when they have line authority. Orders can be given by line supervisors to subordinates lower in the hierarchy.

Line structures are created with the idea of line authority in mind. This type of structure is straightforward. It is also referred to as a military-style or scalar structure. In each organization, there must be a succession of superior-subordinate relationships that extend from the top to every position in the hierarchy, according to the scalar principle. Each manager in this type of organization is given full control over the tasks that have been delegated to them. He or she alone answers to their boss. Only those subordinates who directly report to him or her receive instructions and directives from him or her. In a line organization, power generally moves in a straight line from the highest-ranking executive to the lowest-level subordinate. It is known as a "line organization" because of this.

Following are line authority's benefits and drawbacks:

Advantages:

• It is quite easy to set up and is simple enough for staff members to comprehend. All of the accountability, responsibility, and authority are distinct, assignable, and traceable. Every person is aware of their obligations.
• There is a single chain of command, and each CEO has total authority over his staff.
• It facilitates quick decisions and, if feasible, quick action. Each person is responsible for their own actions and cannot delegate his or her accountability to others.
• Due to the tiny scale of the structure, everyone's discipline can be simply maintained, and effective control can be quickly applied.
• It is possible to adapt the structure to accommodate shifting environmental circumstances.
• Communication is quick and simple, and responses to comments may be made more quickly. Since line-type organizations typically have smaller staff sizes, employees have more opportunities to get to know one another and develop a sense of community.

Disadvantages:

• Autocratic conduct may result from the centralization of power at the top. Dictators might take power. It might lead to autocratic rule.
• Lack of specialization is present. Specialists, which are necessary for growth and optimization, are not provided for.
• Administrative work is overburdened on key leaders. Purely line-based organizational structures become less successful as the company gets bigger and the leaders are overworked or burdened with too many responsibilities.
• Typically, communication is one-way from top to bottom. As a result, subordinates at the bottom of the organizational hierarchy are unable to provide adequate feedback regarding the implementation of various plans and choices.
• Favoritism and nepotism are a problem. It could perhaps promote nepotism (favoritism is showed on the basis of personal and family relationships, like in business and politics).

Staff Authority:

Giving line managers guidance and advise to carry out their duties is part of this form of power. "Staff manager" refers to a manager with staff authority. The scope of a staff manager's authority is only within that function. Depending on how much counsel is needed, this authority may flow in any direction. Personnel managers, quality control technicians, accountants, and assistants to general managers are a few examples of staff specialists.

The experience of line managers alone might not be sufficient in larger, more complicated organizations to perform the duties of the position. For operations to be effective and cost-effective, staff support is needed. As a result, a few staff specialists are hired to help the line managers. As a result, a straightforward line authority becomes a line-staff organization. The diagram below illustrates a line-staff organization as an example:

Figure: Line-Staff Authority

(source: http://image.slidesharecdn.com/organizational-structure-1225109997261588-9/95/organizational-structure-and-roles-6-728.jpg?cb=1225084840)

A common organizational structure is one that combines line employees with staff. It has become the best sort of building overall over time. The most remarkable aspect of this type of organization is that each employee reports to a single, all-encompassing superior while still receiving specialized assistance from other members of the team. These professionals are available for hire. However, line managers are not required to use or follow their advise. Direct directives from staff supervisors to line managers are not permitted.

Below are the benefits and drawbacks of line-staff authority:

Merits:

• Expert guidance and adequate information are provided by staff specialists. Line executives can make wiser judgments as a result.
• Staff experts do not interfere with the scalar chain of command or the unity of command in such an organization. This helps the company maintain stability and discipline.
• By conducting various necessary investigations, staff professionals offer line executives with the necessary information. As a result, line executives have less work to do. As a result, the burden of the line member is balanced.
• Undivided accountability and power are made feasible by this organizing idea. This organizational structure also enables staff and subordinates to specialize. Line managers who seek professional guidance from staff specialists can enhance their effectiveness. Line employees will have opportunities for development and progress as a result.
• Greater flexibility is ensured by line-staff organization because the addition and removal of additional specialized activities have no impact on the line procedure as it currently stands.

Demerits:

• Line managers believe that staff specialists do not always provide the appropriate type of advice and suggestion, and staff officials typically complain that their type of advice and suggestion is not properly attended to, which leads to conflict between the line and staff executives in this type of organization.
• The inability to clearly identify the authority connections between line and staff officials is considered as a difficulty in this sort of organization when it comes to coordination.
• Line workers may rely too heavily on staff members for decision-making, which could result in a loss of initiative on their part.
• Results are not the responsibility of the staff. They might not therefore take their duties seriously. They might not have the necessary skills. This can promote offering advise carelessly.
• Compared to line organizations, this style of organization requires a lot more skilled human resources, which drives up the cost of the system.

Reference

(Shrestha, P. (2014). Principles of Management, Kathmandu: Samjhana Publication Pvt. Ltd.)