The linear-functional structure of an enterprise is a special management system. In this system, the functions of managers can be mandatory and recommendatory in nature. Such a management scheme is based on several principles and has a number of features.
Principles of linear functional structure
In the structure of the enterprise there is always a general manager, under whose supervision the heads of departments work. They affect employees in accordance with the goals set. Senior management has only a linear impact on employees. Functional bosses have a technological impact. Any performer can delegate some of their work to a subordinate employee. Thus, the relationship "boss - subordinate" is built.
Advantages and disadvantages
There are quite a few advantages of this enterprise management scheme. First, the system makes it possible to make managers from specialists competent in their field. Secondly, in the event of a non-standard incident, a decision is made and implemented promptly. Thirdly, functional managers quickly gain experience, and their professionalism grows accordingly. Fourthly, there is no problem of "finding the extreme", since each employee bears personal responsibility for the results of his activities.
There are not so many disadvantages of the linear-functional structure of the enterprise, but they are very significant. A known problem is that the manager and his immediate assistants are overloaded with work, moreover, it is rather difficult to coordinate the actions of all departments. The linear-functional management structure works effectively at large industrial enterprises, where many homogeneous products are constantly being produced. In this case, there are significant economies of scale in production.
However, there are situations for which such a system can almost destroy the company. If there is tough competition on the sales market, the size of the enterprise grows, some technical innovations are introduced, the range of products is expanding, external and internal connections become more complicated - the linear-functional structure will work as a brake. Due to the great disunity of the subdivisions, the difficulty in coordinating their functions and responsibilities, such a management scheme becomes inert and loses the ability to adapt to new conditions. Efficiency in making managerial decisions can come to naught due to disputes over priorities. As a result, the interaction between the divisions of the enterprise deteriorates, and communications are lengthened.
