Introduction
Line management is a type of management mainly used in corporate and refers to a management’s line or a chain structure. Each link in the line or chain is liable for working towards the top management of the organization such as the CEO, Board of Directors, and Managing Director.
The administration of employees comes under this management style and includes activities such as performance reviews of employees and disciplinary issues. Providing direction to employees in their work or daily tasks doesn’t come under the preview of line management.
So, we can say that a line management system is related to the management of the workforce of an organization that has direct involvement in the manufacturing or delivery of products or services. Also, it is concerned with procedures and structures that an organization opt for providing guidance to its line managers.
The advantage of line management systems to managers is to have access to procedures and tools that may facilitate them in fulfilling their responsibilities. With the help of these systems, the motivation and satisfaction level of employees can be boosted. In addition, the line management system acts as an interface between the business and its workforce at the front-line, and thus, the lowest level of management is represented by this system within the hierarchy of the organization.
-Line Management as a Chain of Command
Line management includes a proper chain of command in the organizational structure. The highest level of command is generally the CEO and as it can be a difficult and time-consuming task to transfer information to him/her from employees working at the lowest level in the organization due to the information flow is generally limited to the CEO.
Information is usually shared by the CEO to top management such as the managing director, chairman, board of directors, or other authorized stakeholders. Lower-level employees and workers who have direct dealing with customers, get required information over the line of command.
-Line Manager
Line management is generally done by line managers who have a direct responsibility to manage other staff members. They oversee both operations and other employees of the organization and at the same time directly report to officials within higher-ranking. They act as a liaison between top management and employees by managing and supervising the workforce and handling business operations.
For example, the HR manager of an organization is also considered a line manager as he/she performs various operational activities and manages other employees as well. The activities performed by the HR manager may include talent acquisition, induction, employee engagement and motivation activities, evaluation of the performance of employees, etc. As a line manager, he/she aligns with managers of other departments to ensure proper functioning in the whole organization.
Importance of Line Management and Line Managers
- Line management has great importance in all types of organizations as it aligns the organizational goals with different functional strategies.
- In Line management, line managers accumulate and allot complete resources for the organization.
- Through line management, employees’ performance metrics are prepared by line managers which are considered compulsory to assess the productivity levels and development of an organization. Line managers constantly interact with employees and other line managers so that the working of all the functional departments can be monitored.
- Line management and line managers play a crucial role in an organization for teamwork activities and imparting team management skills.
- Line management supports in gaining customer satisfaction by the implementation of actions once required.