Hierarchy and Management - Essay Example

Most civil societies hierarchism depicted in the formal institutions which are seen as the spheres of politics and democracy. There is the belief that economic liberalization cannot be separated from democratization of the economy. Hierarchy in an organization entails a structure whereby every department apart from one, is a subsidiary of another single entity. It starts with authority from the top up to the lowest level of management in the organization. The ranking depicts the authority and power in each level. For instance the top level has more authority and powers compared to the subordinate rankings. Each level also has a specified number of individuals such that the top most which is the apex, has very few people while the base has thousands of individuals. In a hierarchy the power of command is dictated from top to the bottom with those at the top having higher statuses than their subordinates. Organizational hierarchy ensures equality and equity in the distribution of power and allocation of resources. It is commonly used in many businesses and government structures to replace the traditional monarchy and feudalism mode of social structure. Hierarchy works well when managers are benevolent but when they put their selfish personal interests above those of the organization, hierarchy tends not to work (Wruck, & Jensen 1998). Hierarchy is a chain of command that represents the order in which authority in an organization is organised. It defines each individual’s role in the organization bringing out clearly who is answerable to whom. There is always the head which mostly involves the few top level managers who are the final decision maker. Each arm of the hierarchy must work together with the other departments to ensure organizations’ set goals and objectives are accomplished. Everyone in the organization has a role to play towards the victory of the organization. In the present world, the modern organization is created by socialism, bureaucracy, science and capitalist production. It is dedicated to performing tasks efficiently with the minimum amount of effort. For this to happen there needs to be a chain of command in place. The main purpose of hierarchism according to Miller is to institutionalize and legitimize control. Controls are of three kinds; there’s direct control which is characterised by coercive power, technical control which uses one’s technical expertise to exercise power over others and bureaucratic control which is specifically impersonal and organizational depending on the rules governing it (Dale 2009). Hierarchy is inherent to the modern society mainly because of its idea of specialization and efficiency where each department of the administration specializes in a specific area or function. At the top of the hierarchy is a group of individuals dedicated to the overall coordination of other departments that make up the vast organization. Hierarchy entails coordination. All organizations are based around some functional units. Each unit specializes in a specific area like in business there’s the accounting unit, raw materials unit, production, marketing etc. All these units need to coordinate with one another and this is ensured by the hierarchy of the organization. The hierarchy ensures that each unit performs its functions, all units work together towards the sole aim of the business and that the regulations and rules of the organization are followed in all the units. This requires supervision, discipline and subordination (Benson & Dundis 2003). In every organization there are literally three levels of management which forms the hierarchy. These include the top-level management, middle and first level management. Each of these management levels has its own roles and tasks. They are going to be discussed at length though there are changes that organizations are undertaking like increasing the use of teams, outsourcing and flattening of the organizations. All these tend to interfere with the hierarchal structure in the organization (Dale 2009). Top level managers These are individuals at the top of the hierarchy and hold such title as chief financial officers, president, and chief executive officer, chairman of a board or head of a corporate. They usually represent the top management of the organization. The main responsibility of these managers is to come up with the organisation’s goals and lead the company in attaining them. They have a very evident job of ensuring that the organization is performing to the best of its ability but do not involve themselves in the daily running of the business. Mostly these managers have a great level of experience in management and usually start from the lower rank of management in the organization before rising to the top level. Middle level management These come below the top managers and are mostly involved in the daily running of the business. They often provide important information to the top management to enhance decision making. Their titles include general manager, branch or regional manager and division manager. The goals set by the top level managers are carried out by these managers. After analysing the overall goals they set their own unit goals that will help them achieve the overall sole goal. The middle managers usually assist the lower level of management of first line managers in achieving the business objective. Some middle level managers may have been promoted from the first line management level or hired from other organizations. Their responsibility depends on the size of the firm whereby they can be able to manage a few employees or a large number of employees (Murphy & Jensen 1998). First Level Managers They are also called first level supervisors. Their titles include office manager, departmental manager, crew leader or store manager. Their responsibility is mainly to manage the employees who do the actual production of goods and services and so they are involved in the daily running of the organization. The employees of any organization interact mostly with this level of management and this makes them have a very strong influence on the company although they are not involved in the setting of the organization’s goals. Therefore if they don’t perform the employees may also not be able to perform, they may lack the motivation to work and eventually they may leave the company. The hierarchy in any organization places everyone in a position where his roles are defined. Managers at each level engage themselves s in different functions of management. These functions are planning, leading, organizing and controlling (Murphy & Jensen 1998). Planning involves coming up with appropriate goals, and the most possible means of achieving these goals. Leading is motivating employees to cooperate towards achieving the set goals. Organizing deals with deciding on the tasks and the best relationships that enhances working together of the employees to ensure the achievement of the set goals. Controlling on the other hand involves the managers weighing to what extent the goals have been achieved. In the organizations hierarchy the top management does less leading but more of planning, controlling and organizing. Leading is mostly done by the first level management. Hierarchy entails rising from one level of management to another. This means that promotion of employees tends to take place until a point they cannot work competently. An employee will be promoted as long as he works competently. A hierarchal structure is an institutionalized structure that ensures cooperation of different managerial roles for the betterment of the organization. Managers at different levels perform different roles. The roles include; decisional, informational and interpersonal roles. Decisional roles are characterized by managers planning a strategy and utilization of resources. Most of decisional roles are executed by top level management although middle management level can exercise decision making sometimes. Correction of problems facing the organization from both external and the internal environment involves decisions by all levels of management. Top managers make overall decisions of the organization like budget allocation, mergers and acquisition or labour contracts. Middle managers are involved in decisions like setting prices for distributors and suppliers while first level of management make decisions regarding employees like salary issues or overtime hours. Informational role involves transmission of information from one level of management to another and also obtaining outside information. Technology has played a major role in this in that the monitor is being used to evaluate managers’ performance and also detect outside threats. Managers need to communicate to the employees of any decisions or changes in the organization (Paauwe & Biswas2007). Mostly information is communicated from top to bottom level of management. There has to be an agent who communicates information to the outside world. This may be in form of a press conference by a manager or a supervisor giving information about the organization to the community. This is seen in governments where the spokesperson communicates to the citizens about issues in their country and how the government is working on them. Interpersonal roles lastly deal with directions and supervisory roles. This is mostly the role of middle manager who communicates organizational decisions, goals or guidelines to employees during organization’s meeting. This requires leadership skills for others to emulate the leader. Middle managers need to coordinate the works of other managers in different units, competing for resources and at the same time maintain sustainable working relations throughout their working life in the organization (Paauwe & Biswas 2007). Managers need to understand their employees’ most important needs. Abraham Maslow argued that low level needs like psychological and safety needs must be fulfilled first before high level needs like self actualization are pursued (Koontz 2006). When a need is satisfied it doesn’t motivate any longer and thirst of satisfying the next higher need arises. Abraham Maslow categorised the needs in the following order; Self actualization Esteem needs Social needs Safety needs Psychological needs If the Maslow hierarchy of needs is to hold, it means that managers need to motivate their employees through some incentives such as promotions, compensation packages, job design and the style of management (Henrie & Souza-Poza 2005). Psychological needs are important for life sustainment. Managers can give incentives like rest, breaks and salaries adequate to sustain an essential life. After one’s psychological needs are met, he needs to feel secure physically and emotionally. Managers can ensure this by providing a good working environment, job security and retirement’s benefits. Social needs are important for anyone wants to have a sense of belonging. Managers should involve their employees in making certain decisions in the company. They can organise a team building, attending social events as an organization or even involving them in team based projects (Henrie & Souza-Poza 2005). Once an employee feels the sense of belonging, he develops the need to be appreciated. He quest to fell important and be recognized in what he does. This can be achieved by recognizing the effort of the employee in the organization, making them feel appreciated and valued. Managers can also come up with rewards for say the most hardworking employee, offering them job titles and appreciating the importance of their positions. Self actualization refers to the quest to reach one’s maximum or full potential. This need can never be satisfied fully as new opportunities arise each and every day. Managers can motivate their employees by challenging them to utilize their full potential career wise. The hierarchy of needs however does not consider that people are different and got different needs at different times in their lives. People therefore are motivated differently. Managers therefore need to first understand the needs of their employees and the level at which they are operating (Koontz 2006). Conclusion Hierarchism as discussed above shows clearly that to work together successfully there needs to be a hierarchy of command depicted from the top level management to the first level class of managers. A centralized control plays an important role in that one component is assigned to be the controller of certain decisions and roles. Each unit in the organization has its tasks and responsibilities while the top management assumes overall control (Edwin 1993). Institutionalization is important for the coordination of each unit in the organization. The units are required to abide by the organization’s regulations and together cooperate towards the attainment of the organization’s overall goal and objectives. Despite hierarchism being a good means of governing organizations, it’s constantly changing because of the emergence of some issues like flattening of the organizations structures and outsourcing and increasing team usage (Murphy & Jensen1998). Moreover hierarchy needs managers with excellent managerial skills. All managers need to have five essential skills; conceptual, diagnostic, technical, political and interpersonal skills Read More