Joey orients his staff on the patterns of reporting relationships throughout the organization. Which of the following principles refer to this?
A. Span of control
B. Hierarchy
C. Esprit de’ corps
D. Unity of direction
Correct Answer: B. Hierarchy
Hierarchy refers to the pattern of reporting or the formal line of authority in an organizational structure. More bureaucratic and structured in nature, a hierarchical organization generally follows a chain and command style of authority with employees reporting to a manager above them. Slow to change, and the most traditional form of org design, this structure is commonly found supporting growth through direct reporting to a manager with formal policies and procedures.
Option A: Span of control refers to the number of subordinates under a manager’s direct control. As an example, a manager with five direct reports has a span of control of five. The span of control is a good metric to assess the efficiency of an organization, as long as it looked at in the context of the company’s organizational structure.
Option C: Esprit de corps means managers should create and foster among their employees the morale, common spirit, sense of identification, feeling of pride, loyalty, devotion, honor, solidarity, unity, and cohesiveness with respect to their organization or organizational department.
Option D: In the unity of direction, whoever is engaged in the same activity should have a unified goal. This means all the people working in a company should have one goal and motive which will make the work easier and achieve the set goal easily.