NR 534 Week 4 Discussion: Organizational Structure Power and
Lines of Authority – Part 1 Individual, Part 2 With Your Group,
Responses
Describe the organizational structure and the lines of authority within the healthcare system where
you work. Identify the relationship between the type of power observed and the authority line.
The purpose of formal structure is to allow a diverse set of roles, occupied by people with possibly
different interests, to achieve organizational goals (Sandhu & Kulik, 2019). The organizational chart of the
institution I work within follows the line structure. This is the simplest and oldest form of an
organizational structure. The line of authority follows from the most executive person at the top to the
most subordinate at the bottom. In this structure, managers have direct supervision and direction over
their employees in individual departments. Within each department, it is clearly defined who the
individual of authority is and who to report directly to when needed.
In this type of structure, there are two types of authority relationships; staff and line authority.
Specifically, in the organization I work for, the organizational chart follows a chain of command that goes
as such: CEO > CNO > Associate CNO > Clinical Director > Nurse Manager > Assistant Nurse Manager.
Staff authority for example would be a charge nurse. One who is of authority to give support, advice and
reports to line managers. Managerial roles are considered line authority and oversee specific staff in a
department/unit. Within this structure, managers’ then report to the executives and so on.
Sandhu, S., & Kulik, C. T. (2019). Shaping and Being Shaped: How Organizational Structure and
Managerial Discretion Co-evolve in New Managerial Roles. Administrative Science Quarterly, 64(3), 619–
658. https://doi-org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0001839218778018
In this type of organization structure two type of authority relationship exists. They are staff and line
authority. Staff authorities’ means authority to advice, support and serve the line managers. All
managerial functions are practiced by line authority with the help of specialized skill of staff authority. It
is modification of line organization and is more complex than it. Staff managers and line managers are
distinguished on the basis of their role. There is more specialization and division of work. However
conflict may arise between line and staff authority.
A line structure, the one on your left is a bureaucratic design and therefore it's the most hierarchical of
the three structures. It maintains maximum control at the top, a well defined chain of command, lines of
authority and communication. Since it's the most common of the structures most people are familiar
with its designs, which makes orientation to the organization, to working there much easier.
Lines of Authority – Part 1 Individual, Part 2 With Your Group,
Responses
Describe the organizational structure and the lines of authority within the healthcare system where
you work. Identify the relationship between the type of power observed and the authority line.
The purpose of formal structure is to allow a diverse set of roles, occupied by people with possibly
different interests, to achieve organizational goals (Sandhu & Kulik, 2019). The organizational chart of the
institution I work within follows the line structure. This is the simplest and oldest form of an
organizational structure. The line of authority follows from the most executive person at the top to the
most subordinate at the bottom. In this structure, managers have direct supervision and direction over
their employees in individual departments. Within each department, it is clearly defined who the
individual of authority is and who to report directly to when needed.
In this type of structure, there are two types of authority relationships; staff and line authority.
Specifically, in the organization I work for, the organizational chart follows a chain of command that goes
as such: CEO > CNO > Associate CNO > Clinical Director > Nurse Manager > Assistant Nurse Manager.
Staff authority for example would be a charge nurse. One who is of authority to give support, advice and
reports to line managers. Managerial roles are considered line authority and oversee specific staff in a
department/unit. Within this structure, managers’ then report to the executives and so on.
Sandhu, S., & Kulik, C. T. (2019). Shaping and Being Shaped: How Organizational Structure and
Managerial Discretion Co-evolve in New Managerial Roles. Administrative Science Quarterly, 64(3), 619–
658. https://doi-org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0001839218778018
In this type of organization structure two type of authority relationship exists. They are staff and line
authority. Staff authorities’ means authority to advice, support and serve the line managers. All
managerial functions are practiced by line authority with the help of specialized skill of staff authority. It
is modification of line organization and is more complex than it. Staff managers and line managers are
distinguished on the basis of their role. There is more specialization and division of work. However
conflict may arise between line and staff authority.
A line structure, the one on your left is a bureaucratic design and therefore it's the most hierarchical of
the three structures. It maintains maximum control at the top, a well defined chain of command, lines of
authority and communication. Since it's the most common of the structures most people are familiar
with its designs, which makes orientation to the organization, to working there much easier.
