Jerry, I think your example of Dickson’s chain of command is very similar to my department. Both departments use the chain of command structure discussed by Cronkhite (2013). The unity of command principle seems to be practiced by both departments and ensures that an employee only receives order from a single supervisor and is only responsible to that supervisor. The importance of this principle was discussed by Cronkhite (2013). If an employee is subject to obeying orders from more than a single supervisor will only result in confusion on the part of the employee on whose orders to follow. This will result in poor communication within the organization and leave employees disorganized and confused about what is expected of them Pathak,
There are a lot of reasons for the rank structure and the chain of command. Every reason that I am going to explain in this essay is very important. I am going to separate them into two paragraphs. The first paragraph will be about the importance of the rank structure and why the rank structure is in place. The second paragraph will be about the importance of the chain of command and why the chain of command is set into place.
When we talk about someone being in a position of authority we usually mean that they hold a certain rank or status within society or within an organisation such as the public services. There are several ways in which a person could find himself or herself in a position of authority. For example, a priest has the authority of the church while a mother or father has parental authority over children. In the uniformed public services, positions of authority come with promotion. An officer may be promoted because of certain achievements and special attributes, such as experience in the service, good character, knowledge of the job, dedication, self-discipline and the respect of one’s colleagues. If you join the uniformed public services and are placed in a position of authority, you may lawfully command team members, who recognise your authority and their duty to obey those legitimate commands. When authority is legitimate, there is no need to influence or use power. Indeed, if a senior officer were unable to gain the respect of a team member by command alone, then there would be no recognisable authority.
With my current job working for Missouri Department of corrections we have a ranking system similar to the military. A correction we start out with a custody and non-custody supervisory system. Warden directs the entire correctional facility and has a deputy warden oversees the non-custody employees and a major who oversees custody/officers. These would be considered middle level management according to business management principles. The non-custody consists of office staff, personnel, human resources and secretarial staff. The major oversees all officers for example captains, lieutenants, sergeants and corrections officers. Captains lieutenants and sergeants are considered first level management and corrections officers are at the bottom
The traditional model of employee supervision emphasizes overseeing tight controls within the departmental. “The traditional model of employee supervision stresses centralized authority, clear-cut rules and regulations, well-developed policies and procedures, and discernable lines of authority operationally through a chain of command—in short, high degrees of centralization, formalization, and complexity” (Stojkovic, Kalinich & Klofas 2012). The effectiveness and appropriateness of the traditional model of employee supervision, contemporary critics say is changing society’s expectations of the criminal justice system. The traditional model of employee supervision is used in most criminal justice organizations. “The traditional model is made
Second higher leadership must ensure they have placed the right officers, in the right positions. What I mean by this is making sure that the lesser experienced officers have a front line supervisor, as well as middle management which is not only experienced, but is able to guide them through and help them make the correct decisions when these violations come
Command and Control in such a way is a very self-controlled discipline system in organisation. In the London riot case, I in my view could not think that it could work anyway better, then it is working at the moment. I in my view think it actually is very well despite the escalation and a lot of damage that was done. Several of the services had to go through challenging situations and even though they went through a lot of challenging situations, they somehow still managed to uphold developments and be organised. Due to all the squads had strategic commanders which literally obtain authority over the lower ranks officers and this can potentially lead, giver instructions, instruct, guide or finally coach them where essential.
Nevertheless, modern police departments are bureaucratic organization because it is the most efficient way to develop organizational structure and directing different activities in complex organizations because they must perform many different tasks to purse a common goal. The organizational structure is hierarchical to make communication efficient as it flows up and down the chain of command between lines of operational services, authority figures, and administration. Tasks are usually separated into divisions and responsibilities are delegated to lower ranking officers so there is a clear chain of command to indicate who is responsible for supervising employees and the task at
Within my organisation there are is a hierarchy of staff. With the organisation being a school the person to lead the school would the head teacher. Even though it is the head teacher that encourages all staff and students at the school, the board of governors would ensure that the school strive to achieve the goals and objectives that are set. The person next in authority would be the assistant head teacher. Even though the position of the assistant head teacher would be below in seniority it would be fair to say that these two positions would jointly make decisions within my organisation.
Chain of command can be defined as a line of authority that extends from the top level of the organization to its lowest level. Chain of demand clearly defines that who is accountable to whom and what tasks are to be performed by all the employees. In addition to that, it also clarifies that who should be contacted when any critical situation or problem occurs. Managers usually use the chain of command while assigning jobs to the employees as it helps the employees in understanding who should they report to and who should they contact in case of a problem. There are three basic components of the chain of command (Mahida). The components are listed below:
Why my chain of command have accountability it is easier for them to track down other soldiers in case they were needed for anything. Being accountable means being dependable, showing up to formation at the appointed time, being at the right place and at the right time and doing the right thing at the right time. It is also to see if everyone shows up to formation and or where they are supposed to be. Accountability is not
self. We follow our commands from higher because we know that whatever decision it is it overall is good for the Army, U.S or individual soldiers. When an order is given we should aknowledge the order, think about what needs to be done and execute using the least amount of resources or time to accomplish the mission at hand to standard and the commanders or NCO's specific commands. This is the crucial key in performing the mission, soldiers should not question the reasoning behind the command but execute promptly knowing that their leadership is looking out for him/her.
There is thus little chance for participation among the subordinates in the military, in the establishment of the standards of general orders. These can include anything from restrictions on alcohol during wartime to the requirement of avoiding tattoos as a soldier. The military is a fairly formal and strict hierarchical institution and orders are channeled gradually down. Difficulties in the military are generally attributed to the breakdown of this structure by lack of efficiency resulting from the inability of an individual or group of individuals to follow the chain of command. Following orders instills discipline and ensures that everyone in the military is in alignment with others' by providing a cohesive plan of instructions that ties the military together as one unit.
The chain of command serves several purposes in the accomplishment of the Navy’s mission. It defines responsibilities and identifies accountability. Properly used, it provides direction and smooth communications and ensures efficiency.
In contrast to the proposition of matrix structure that every subordinates should report to multiple managers, Fayol's principle of unity of command proclaims that each of the subordinates should be assign to only one boss, thus avoid any occurring conflicts and mistakes which might take place in dual-authority structure.
In a line organization a person receives orders and instructions only from his boss. Similarly a person is authorised to instruct and direct only the persons reporting directly to him or her. Compliance of decisions and directives of a person is dependent on the formal authority enjoyed by the person as a supervisor. A person can exercise no authority over an employee not reporting directly to him or her.