One of the modern trends in management is the organization of management according to the type of horizontal connections. Such a structure is characterized by a reduction in the number of decisions that are made at the highest level, and the provision of broader powers to lower-level employees. As a result, responsiveness to new questions and situations is increased. However, such a system also has disadvantages. A certain difficulty is the selection of initiative personnel capable of independently setting and solving problems.
General concept
Any organization should coordinate the activities of employees and departments. The interaction between them and the leadership determines a set of stable relationships that ensure a well-coordinated mechanism, coordination of roles and functions. The set of links that are at the same level of the hierarchy, is the stage of management.
The main types of relationships are as follows:
- Horizontal communication controls. This concept characterizes the relationship between the same level of management units or members of the enterprise.
- Vertical ties. They connect different hierarchical levels and form the distribution of powers. Their main purpose is the transfer of administrative (top to bottom) and reporting (bottom to top) information. This type of relationship is characteristic of large organizations. An example of an idealized option is the state system of government in Soviet times, built on the basis of federalism and unitarianism.
Horizontal and vertical management communications interact in a single corporate environment. The former help strengthen the latter and help the organization as a whole become more stable with external and internal changes. The tasks of vertical relations are the systematization of various forms of horizontal, the transfer of administrative and reporting information, ensuring stability.
Functional and linear relationships
Vertical and horizontal relationships in an organization can be linear and functional. The first type is characterized by the fact that the head of the unit or organization carries out direct management of subordinates (vertical hierarchy). The advantages of a linear control circuit are as follows:
- clarity and simplicity of setting tasks and monitoring their implementation;
- quick decision making;
- the coherence of the work of performers.
The disadvantages include:
- managerial and information overload of the manager;
- the need for a highly qualified manager;
- insufficient managerial flexibility under changing environmental conditions.
When constructing functional vertical and horizontal ties in an organization, management decisions are made at the advisory level. The simplest scheme reflecting this type of management is a two-level separation. It can be used only in small enterprises. Each structural unit (marketing department, engineering and technical service, production, finance and accounting, personnel management) has its own specific range of tasks and functions, and its specialists are responsible for a narrow part of the work.
Linear Functional Management
There is also a combined linear-functional management scheme that combines the features of linear and functional relationships. Information and decisions from departments are communicated both through line managers and at the level of individual executors and services. Its advantages are:
- stimulation of professional growth within the framework of the management structure;
- high level of competence of functional managers due to their specialization;
- improving the coordination of work in the management of personnel, resources, quality, production and in other areas;
- reduction in the number of repetitive functions among performers of different departments.
The disadvantages of such a scheme include:
- lack of high-quality horizontal connections between the structures of the organization;
- the risk of disagreement in interests and goals between units;
- the need to introduce additional managerial middle managers;
- low flexibility of interaction between employees of the management apparatus due to the presence of formal procedures and rules;
- low interest in innovation.
The application of such a scheme is rational in the framework of small and medium-sized organizations.
Division Management Scheme
In large companies, a divisional approach is increasingly being used - a product management structure in which each of the divisions produces goods or services oriented to different markets. Functional services and a horizontal communications system exist within each division.
Divisional structures are managed using additional intermediate levels. The growth of vertical hierarchy, on the one hand, helps company management concentrate on strategic activities, and, on the other hand, helps to contrast common goals with the goals of individual divisions. If material, financial, labor resources are distributed among them centrally, a conflict of interest may arise.
Main features
Horizontal communications are in the nature of coordination, which contributes to the productive interaction of enterprise structures to solve problems between them. They help develop employee independence and initiative. However, not all people are ready to show these qualities, therefore, there is a certain problem in the selection of personnel for the implementation of such a management scheme.
Horizontal ties in the organization reflect the level of specialization of employees and are aimed at differentiating functions. The more varieties of work that require special knowledge and skills, the more complex the communication system becomes.
When describing such a management structure, the following concepts are also used:
- Coverage - the number of subordinates who must report to the same leader.
- Functionalization - the interaction between managers of higher, middle and lower levels.
- Geographical division of labor. If the organization has regional units, then this greatly complicates the structure of vertical and horizontal ties. The coordination and control of actions is also difficult.
Horizontal connections serve as a kind of motivational resource. It is impossible to provide all employees of the organization with a vertical career growth. The task of horizontal connections in the modern management system is to encourage the employee to perform more duties within the unit and do it at the highest level. As a result, he can move up the career ladder to the next step in the hierarchy.
The difference between horizontal relationships is that it is impossible to accurately formalize, that is, to describe the rules of relationships, the distribution of functions and roles, as they arise between departments and employees who are not directly subordinate. In most cases, informal processes are used to establish such ties that improve the activity of the general, formally constructed structure.
Main forms
The most common forms of horizontal connections in the organization’s management structure are:
- direct contacts between heads of units;
- horizontal movement of employees;
- the formation of temporary groups to solve a specific problem or implement a project;
- the creation of permanent groups to eliminate recurring issues;
- the formation of additional structures for the integration and management of horizontal processes;
- the introduction of a dual system of responsibility in the functional management structure. The project manager works with specialists who are not directly subordinate to him. Responsibility extends to critical moments that must be executed under a specific program.
Direct contact of executives
The following situation can be an example of direct contact between managers. The procurement department exceeded the plan. Another workshop, mechanical assembly, at the moment can not cope with such a volume of blanks due to the large load. Through direct contact, the leaders of these two structures solve this problem among themselves without involving the director of the enterprise (creating a warehouse in the procurement workshop or in an intermediate warehouse).
This form of horizontal ties in the organization’s management structure is the simplest and least costly. Thanks to this approach, senior management can focus on solving more complex, strategic problems. However, there may also be cases where the decision of two managers may not correspond to the general interests of the company. For example, in the situation considered above, this is a violation of the rhythm of output. Therefore, it is important that a clear information connection is established.
Employee transition
Horizontal transitions of employees between departments are more "exotic" form than the one discussed above. This scheme is usually implemented as part of employee development.
Such transitions not only contribute to the accumulation of professional experience and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, but also to the development of informal communication of personnel, which helps to strengthen horizontal ties in the organization. Issues that have arisen are more often resolved through oral contact, rather than using a written form of communication (official memos and other types of official letters). It is recommended to carry out such transitions more often, since the information received by employees becomes outdated over time.
Target groups
Target groups are created when it is necessary to ensure horizontal connections in the organizational structure between a large number of units. In this case, direct contacts are practically not applicable. Such problems usually require solving at a higher level and the integration of the efforts of specialists from different departments and even divisions.
The form of participation in the target group can be different: employment during the whole working day, part of it, or only in the form of consulting assistance. After solving the task and disbanding the group, its members return to their previous work responsibilities. To coordinate their work, a regulation and a work execution plan are being developed.
Standing teams
If the previous forms of interaction are ineffective, then permanent groups are created whose purpose is to solve frequently arising issues. Their discussion can be carried out with different intervals - every day or once a week.
Teams can be organized at various management levels. Its members can be both leading experts and heads of departments. The greater the heterogeneity of the tasks, the more authority the team has and the more management levels involved in it. The structure of a permanent group may have a formalized description in the project.
Conditions for the effectiveness of groups and relationships
The following conditions for the effectiveness of temporary and permanent groups are distinguished in the management of organizations:
- Employee motivation. Solving the tasks assigned to the group is usually perceived by employees as an additional burden. Therefore, it is required either to free them from their previous functions, or to develop a reward system. Experience shows that the partial removal of routine duties has a greater effect, since this does not lose contact with the unit in which the employee works.
- Identify line managers who should be responsible for solving problems.
- Information Support. All interested departments should take part in the implementation of tasks.
- Empowering members of the group with the necessary powers to enable other specialists to work.
- Rational selection of team members by hierarchical status in the management of the organization. If between them there will be a barrier associated with a large difference in official position, then the work of the group will become ineffective.
- The combination of horizontal and vertical ties. Horizontal processes are most often used to solve daily problems, and vertical ones are strategic ones.
- Experience in resolving conflict cases. When making a decision in a group, situations often arise when the interests of different departments clash. In this case, there must be a productive exchange of information to obtain an alternative.