Chain of Command

Description of Chain of Command. Explanation.

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Definition Chain of Command. Description.

The Chain of Command is a metaphor for the way power is passed down through a business organization. The term is supposed to have a military background.

Military personnel give orders to only those directly below them in the chain of command and receive orders from only those directly above. A soldier who has difficulty carrying out an order is likely to be disciplined for not observing the chain of command if he skips the officer who is in direct command of him and directly appeals to a higher-ranked officer in his chain of command.

The concept of chain of command implies that higher rank alone does not entitle a person to give commands. If an officer needs something from a common soldier of another unit, he is generally expected to approach him via his officer, who then contacts the soldier along his own chain of command.

Henri Fayol in his 14 Principles of Management, said that managers in a company normally exist in a chain of command that is hierarchical. Authority and responsibility are delegated down the chain of command and become less the lower one goes in the organization. Lower level managers have the responsibility of informing those senior in the Chain of Command of current information regarding task accomplishment.

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Recent User Comments

    			 
  			   Mirza Faizan Baig - Pakistan
  	       
  		     Define Chain of Command
  	  		 "The continuous line of authority that extents from upper level of an organization to the lower levels of the organization and clarifies that who reports to who. According to Henry Fayol, the more clear cut this chain is, the more effective the decision making process and greater the efficiency will be. Military is an example of a straight chain of command which extends in an unbroken line from the top brass to the lowest ranks. This is also called a line of command."
  			   
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End of description Chain of Command. An explanation.