LINE AND STAFF ASPECTS OF HRM

A.  Line and Staff Aspects

LESSON OVERVIEW
After reading this chapter student should know the basic concept of authority, different types of the authority
and difference between the line and staff managers. Although most firms have a human resource department
with its own manager, all other managers tend to get involved in activities like recruiting, interviewing, selecting,
and training.

A. Line and staff aspects of HRM

I.  Authority

Authority is the right to make decisions, to direct the work of others, and to give orders.
Authority refers to the rights inherent in a managerial position to give orders and expect the orders to be
obeyed. Authority was a major tenet of the early management writers, the glue that held the organization
together. It was to be delegated downward to lower-level managers. Each management position has specific
inherent rights that incumbents acquire from the position's rank or title. 
Authority is related to one's position and ignores personal characteristics. When a position of authority is
vacated, the authority remains with the position.
The early management writers distinguished between two forms of authority.

a.  Line Authority
b.  Staff Authority
c.  Functional Authority

Let’s have brief view about the different types of authorities.

a.  Line Authority
Line authority entitles a manager to direct the work of an employee. It is the employer-employee authority
relationship that extends from top to bottom. A line manager directs the work of employees and makes certain decisions without consulting anyone. Sometimes the term  line is used to differentiate line managers from staff managers. Line emphasizes managers whose organizational function contributes directly to the achievement of organizational objectives. 

b.  Staff Mangers and Staff Authority
Staff managers have staff authority. A manager's function is classified as line or staff based on the organization's objectives. As organizations get larger and more complex, line managers find that they do not have the time, expertise, or resources to get their jobs done effectively. They create staff authority functions to support, assist, advice, and generally reduce some of the informational burdens they have. 

c.  Functional control
The authority exerted by a personnel manager as a coordinator of personnel activities.  Here the manager acts as “the right arm of the top executive.”