When we draw the line it is always straight the only point is it can be either be drawn vertically or horizontally and in the case of the company that follows the line organization structure same thing applies. Line organization refers to that organization in which the authority flows from top to down in a vertical manner and not in a horizontal manner. In order to understand more about line, organization let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of line organization-
Advantages of Line Organization
Simple to Understand
The first and foremost advantage of line organization is that it is very simple to understand and implement in the organization and hence there is no need to give extensive training to employees about the structure of the organization as all employees will know that flow of authority will be in a line and that too from top to bottom so there is no ambiguity and confusion. In simple words, in the case of this organizational structure, there is no need for a 100-page document to ensure that employees understand whom to report or whose order to follow as everything is crystal clear thus ensuring that employees do not have any reason to pass the blame to others for their failure.
Fixing Accountability and Responsibility
Another benefit of line organization is that it is easier to make someone accountable and responsible for the task assigned to him or her so if any mistake happens one can easily pinpoint the person due to whom the mistake has happened and there is no scope for him or her putting blame on other persons of the company.
Quick Response Time of Line Organization
Since decisions are taken by the person at the top only the response time to any situation is quick and short besides there is a lot of flexibility due to the presence of a single authority which makes it easier to respond to any situations which may arise from time to time. In simple words when you are driving a car and the brake of the car is not working then you know that it is you who has to handle this situation as you are in the driver seat a and you cannot escape the situation in the same way in case of line organization the top management has to face and solve the problems as they cannot rely on others for solving the problem.
Disadvantages of Line Organization
Line Organization Lacks Specialization
The biggest disadvantage of line organization is that since it is one man show the lack of specialization is clearly visible in such type of organization as each job requires different skills to complete the job effectively and efficiently and one man cannot learn all the skills alone so there will be always that lack of knowledge or specialization in case of line organization. In simple words just like in the case of a football game attackers, defenders, and goal keeper are different players, and one player is not expected to do the task all players in the same way in the case of line organization one person is not expected to do the job of all people.
No scope for Two Way Communication
Another limitation under this structure is there is no scope of two-way communication so things are always communicated from top to bottom and not the other way round so even if the subordinates have something good to say they will hesitate and keep mum leading to suppressing of good ideas and methods to complete the work efficiently and effectively.
Favoritism
Another disadvantage of line organization is that due to the presence of a single authority the scope of favoritism and biased towards some employees increases leading to dissatisfaction among other employees and a hostile working atmosphere within the company which in long run can be a disaster for the company.
As one can see from the above that line organization has both advantages, as well as disadvantages, and any company thinking of applying this form of organization structure should carefully analyze both the aspects and then take the decision.