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Line Organisation – The Military Style! 🎖️

Also called: Military Organisation, Scalar Organisation. The Oldest & Simplest Form.

Imagine an Army:

  • General orders Colonel.
  • Colonel orders Captain.
  • Captain orders Soldier.
  • Soldier shoots.

Flow of Authority: Straight Line from Top to Bottom. Responsibility: Straight Line from Bottom to Top.

Structure of Line Organisation

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Key Feature: No "Advisors" or "Experts" on the side. The Manager does EVERYTHING (Planning, Hiring, Quality Check).

Advantages (Why it works) ✅

1. Simplicity 🧩

  • Easiest to understand. Everyone knows who is the Boss.

2. Quick Decisions ⚡

  • No need to consult experts or committees. The Boss decides. Done.

3. Unified Control ✊

  • Strong discipline. "Unity of Command" is followed perfectly.

4. Fixed Responsibility 📍

  • If work is not done, you know EXACTLY who to blame. No passing the buck.

Disadvantages (Why it fails) ❌

1. Overloading of Key Men 🥵

  • The Manager has to be an expert in EVERYTHING (Tech, HR, Finance).
  • Result: Burnout. "Jack of all trades, master of none."

2. Lack of Specialization 📉

  • No experts. A production manager might be bad at hiring people, but he has to do it anyway.

3. Autocratic (Dictatorial) 🤴

  • "My way or the highway." Subordinates have zero voice.
  • Result: Low morale.

4. Instability 🏚️

  • If the "Key Man" (Manager) leaves or dies, the department collapses because nobody else knows what to do.

Where is it used today? 🌍

  • Small Businesses: A shop owner with 2 assistants.
  • Automated Industries: Where work is routine.
  • Army: Obviously!

Not suitable for: Large MNCs like Google or Tata. Too complex for one person to handle.

Quiz Time! 🎯

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💡 Final Wisdom: "Line Organisation is like a bicycle. Simple, cheap, easy to ride. But you can't carry 100 people on it (Large Company). For that, you need a Bus (Functional/Line & Staff)!" 🚲🚌

Next up: Staff Organisation - Enter the Experts! 🤓

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