Line Managers vs Staff Specialists

In the human resource world the need to establish "who is in charge?" or "who makes that decision?" is critical to the health and fluidity of the organization.  Some some schools and school related organizations do not have adequate human resource infrastructure in place to effectively produce the desired fluency.  For this reason, it is imperative that all organizations, and school based institutions specifically, establish the difference in roles of line managers and staff specialists.  Although the lines can be easily blurred, the parameters are simple and can be effectively conveyed to employees with minimal confusion and maximum results.

The role of the line manager is encapsulated within the "subordinate - supervisor" relationship.  The supervisor is the line manager and therefore is in charge of the day to day operations within an institution.  As such, it is the line manager that can expect to get most of the blame when things go badly.  However, it is important for effective line managers to quickly transfer any praise when things go well to subordinates.  Quite simply the line manager serves as an insulator from public ridicule and a messenger of public praise.  This only describes half of the line manager's function, however.

The line manager is also ultimately responsible for the effectiveness of his or her organization as a whole.  They must establish an clear and concise mission statement, they must define the roles of the subordinates under them and they must be able to coordinate employees in an manner that puts them in the best position possible to achieve self success and organizational efficiency.  Accomplished line mangers will also offer professional development to all employees, constructive criticism and solutions to troubled employees and will not hesitate to dispose of ineffective and incorrigible employees.

The role of the staff specialist differs from the line manger considerably.  Staff mangers are expected to act as supporting agents of the line managers.  They may have the responsibility of managing specific entities within the organization, but the onus of responsibility and subsequently all administrative level decision making falls onto the line manager.  Staff managers are expected to be the policy makers and enforcers within their specialization area.  As long as the policy is effective and in conjunction with the organizational procedures it is expected that the line manger adhere to the prescribed standards established by the staff specialists.  The reasoning behind this "blurr" in authority is that the staff specialist is the resident expert in the area that he or she is in charge of, and therefore sould be responsible for establishing the most effective standard operating procedure in that specialty area.  The relationship between Line managers and staff mangers can easily be understood by examining the Presidential line vs staff authority chart below.

Chart Credit:  referenceforbusiness.com

Woloshuck, Constance (2010). What's the Difference Between Line and Staff Management? Suite 101, Business Management.  https://blackboard.cmich.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_42205_1%26url%3D