Human Resource Management - Essay Example

Thus, under management, there exists difference between staff authority and line authority. Line authority offers managers the privilege or power to issue commands or orders to other employees or managers. Line authority establishes subordinate-superior relationship. Thus, managers connect line managers with administering various functions like production or sales which are very important for the survival of a business or industry. Line authority ushers a relationship which is advisory in nature.

Line managers have line authority whereas staff managers normally have staff authority. However, staff managers do not have authority down the chain of command. Staff managers always have supportive or advisory functions. However, line managers who give the busiess the biggest headache are the ones who normally meet the business goals but make life traumatic for the business with their idiosyncratic demeanour. These are the persons who are usually blamed for showing an attitude issue: a poor, a bad, a negative attitude.

Such idiosyncratic demeanour may result in either diminishing or low productivity, increasing or high error rate thereby resulting in the deteroiration of quality, frequent infringmetn of procedures and rules, lack of cooperationf from subordinate employees or lack of team spirit, poor overall performance of the business, large employee turnover and acute resistance to change in the organisation (McConnell 2010:314). As Boxall and Purcell (2003) rightly said that "here is no such thing as the single HR practice of the firm.

It is more accurate to imagine the HR practices of the firm as norms around which there is variation due to the idiosyncratic behaviour of line managers” (as cited in Redman and Wilkinson, 2009), this research essay will make an earnest attempt whether there exists a single HR practice of the business as this will be influenced due to idiosyncratic behaviour of line managers in a major way. “Line Manager – Definition” The front line managers are one who can be accountable for the success or failure of a company and to whom much authority has been delegated for decision making and with whom the CEO is likely to spend less time.

Thus , the front line managers may be general managers of sales or R&D department , floor- shop supervisors , general managers of call centres or restaurant chains. Line managers occupy a pivotal position in any organisation as they boost and motivate the morale of the employees who design, manufacture and market the company’s services or products to end consumers. Line managers are like backbone of a company as it is they who administer its execution. CEO of a company is briefed with the current happenings in the company due to the feedback loop given by the line managers .

Thus , the line managers are a vital part of CEO team and comprises of senior functional heads , executive team or major investors or customers of the business. CEO should see that the line managers are being given much significance as they comprise a vital group in the management cluster , sharing much of his time by lisentening to them and employing the feedback of their interaction with the line managers to mobilise the whole organisation and