Module I

CONCEPT OF ORGANIZATION

A. Module Description:

This module will introduce the students to the concepts of the Organization. The
different types of organization will also be tackled. This module will orient the students on
the classifications of line, staff and auxiliary functions specifically of the Philippine
National Police which is the main law enforcement body or agency in the Country. In
addition, this will highlight the elements of organization which is being adopted by every
law enforcement agency.

B. Learning Outcome:
At the end of the discussion, the students should be able to:
- Discuss the concept of organization.
- Explain the different elements and types of an organization.

Introduction

The basic rationale for the existence of organizations is that they do those things
that people are unwilling or unable to do alone. Parsons notes that organizations are
distinguished from other human groupings or social units in that to a much greater
degree they are constructed and reconstructed to achieved specific goals; corporations,
armies, hospitals and police departments are including within this meaning, whereas
families and friendship groups are not.
Schein defines an organization as: The rational coordination or the activities of a
number of people for the achievement of some common explicit purpose or goal,
through division of labor and functions, and through a hierarchy of authority and
responsibility.

Organization defined:

• It is a form of human association for the attainment of a goal or objective. It is

the process of identifying and grouping the work to be performed, defining and
delegating responsibility and authority establishing relationships for the
purpose of enabling people work effectively.
• In police management, it is the arrangement of people with common purpose
and objective in a manner to enable the performance of related tasks by
individuals grouped for the purpose. This organization can be functional, line,
line and staff, etc. depending on the objectives and functions of the
organization.

Types of Organizational Design

• An organizational structure is a mechanical means of depicting by an

arrangement of symbols; the relationships which exists between individuals,
groups and function within the organization.
• Four basic structural types of design may be found within organizations such
as police. They are line, line and staff, functional and matrix. These types exist
separately or in combination. The PNP is a line and staff organization. It is so
because its structure is the combination of a line, individual, or departmental
organization, and the functional organization.

 Line Structure:
• It is the oldest, simplest, and clearest form of organizational design.
• The term “line” originated with the military and was used to refer to those units
which are to be used to engage the enemy in combat.
• It also refers to those elements of a police organization which perform the work
which the agency was created to handle.
• Line units contribute directly to the accomplishment of the police. Thus, the
primary line elements of a police department are uniformed patrol,
investigation, and traffic. Within police agencies the line function may also be
referred to as “operations,” “field services.”
• Its greatest disadvantage is that it is utterly simple. It involves a division of
work into units with a person in charge who has complete control and can be
held directly accountable for results or lack of them.
• Quick decision can be made in the line organization because of the direct lines
authority. Because of these direct lines, each member in the chain of command
knows to whom he is clearly fixed. Discipline is easily administered in this types
of organization. Responsibility in making decisions is well identified.

Figure 1. Line Structure

Chief
ChiefExecutive
Executive

Line Executive Line Executive Line Executive

Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker

Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker

 Functional Structure:

• In this type of organization, the performance of certain duties, at all levels, is

controlled and directed by a separate organizational authority.
• It divides authority and responsibility between several specialists.
• The responsibility of each “functional manager” is restricted to the particular
activity over which he has control, regardless of who performs the function.
• Discipline is hard to administer because of this multi-headed leadership.
• Lines of author and responsibility are fragmented into many functional
channels.
Advantages:
• Divides responsibility and authority between several specialist
• Functional responsibility is limited to the particular activity over which he has
control regardless of who performs the functions.

Disadvantages:
• Coordination of effort becomes difficult;
• Discipline is difficult to administer;
• Conflict among the functional administrators

Figure 2. Functional Structure

Functional Functional Functional

Worker Worker Worker Worker Worker

 Line and Staff Structure:

• In the scalar chain of authority, the line is the backbone of the organization.
The line is supplemented by the staff, which gives advice and assistance to the
line in carrying out its objectives.
• Both line and staff personnel are responsible jointly for the performance. Line
officers take direct action while staff personnel furnish technical information,
advice and expertise without having direct authority over line personnel.
• It combines staff specialist such as the criminalists, the training officers, the
research and development specialists, etc.
• The advantage of this kind would be- it combines staff specialist or units with
line organization so that service of knowledge can be provided line personnel by
specialist.

Figure 3. Line and Staff Structure

Chief Executive

Staff Executive

Workers

Line executive Line executive Line executive

Supervisors Supervisors Supervisors

Workers Workers Workers

 Matrix or grid Structure:

• In some cases, the style has been inclusively part of “project” or “product”
management. The essence of matrix structure is in the assignment of members
of functional areas (e.g. patrol, detective, and support services) to specific
projects (e.g. taskforce and crime specific programs).
• The most typical situation in which the matrix approach is used in where a
community has had a series of sensationalized crimes and the local police
department announces it has formed a “task force” to apprehend the violator.

Classification of Line, Staff and Auxiliary function

 Line Functions- these are the backbone of the police department; they include
such operations as patrol, criminal investigation, and traffic control, as well as
supervision of the personnel performing those operations.
• Line functions are carried out by “line members”, including the patrol officer,
the detective, the sergeant, the lieutenant, the captain, and the chief of police.
Line members are responsible for:
a. Carrying out the major purposes of the police department.
b. Delivering the services provided by the department.
c. Dealing directly with the department’s clientele.
d. Making final decisions with respect to the activities they perform.

 Staff Functions- these are those operations designed to support the line
functions, staff members are necessarily advisors who are typically assigned to
planning, research, legal advice, budgeting, and educational services.
• Staff members are often civilians with specialized training who serve within the
department but do not deal with daily operation on the street.
• Their main function is to study police policies and practices and to offer
proposals to the chief executive of the department.
• Staff personnel tend to be:
a. Highly specialized.
b. Involved in an advisory capacity.
c. Detached from the public.
d. Not directly responsible for the decisions made by department executive.

 Auxiliary Functions- this involve the logistical operations of the department.

These include training communications, jailing, maintenance, record keeping,
motor vehicles, and similar operations.

Elements of Organization:

1. Specialization
 It is the assignment of particular workers to particular tasks. Thus, it can be
thought of in terms of either jobs or people.
• Specialization of jobs (areas of specialization) is the designation of certain
activities as ones that must be performed in a highly technological, scientific, or
precise manner.
• Specialization of people (specialists) is the designation of particular persons as
having expertise in a specific area or work. Here, specialization signifies the
adaptation of an individual to the requirements of some technical tasks through
training, conditioning or extensive on-the-job experience.

Advantages of specialization:

a. It helps streamline the flow of work by removing or minimizing bottle necks and
work delays.
b. It enhances the quality of performance within the department, since jobs are
performed by those competent to handle them.
c. It helps get jobs faster.
d. It tends to reduce the cost of police services.
e. It motivates workers, improves their expertise, and creates greater job
satisfaction of department personnel.

Disadvantages of specialization:

a. Specialist may develop a “status consciousness”- that is, they may become aloof
or snobbish in dealing with generalists within or outside the department.
b. Specialist may find it difficult to communicate with generalist due to a lack of
common terminology.
c. Specialist may become too isolates in their work, thereby losing sight of the
department’s overall goal and the work of other specialists with the
organization.
d. Specialization may invite undue competitiveness, nurture secretiveness, and
even lead to corruption inside the department.
e. Specialist may tend to resent strict discipline or close supervision, especially by
generalists who are their superior in the department.

2. Hierarchy of Authority

 A hierarchy represents the formal relationship among superiors and

subordinates in any given organization. It can be visualized as a ladder with
each rung (or rank) representing a higher or lower level of authority.

 An Authority is the right to command and control the behavior of employees in

lower positions within an organizational hierarchy.
Figure 4. Hierarchy of Authority

Chief, PNP

A
U Regional Director
T C
H O
M
O
P
R L
I Provincial Director
A
T I
Chief of Police

3. Span of Control

 It is the maximum number of subordinates at a given position that superior

can supervise effectively.

Determining the span of control:

• Effective organization requires that only a manageable number of subordinates
be supervised by one person at any given time. This number will, of course,
vary- not only from one organization to another (depending on each
organization’s definition of “effective supervision”) but also within each
organization depending on the number of task and the size of personnel
available at a given time.

4. Delegation of Authority

 The principle of delegation of work is related to the process committing an

activity to another’s care.
 The division of the tasks of command among the officers of the various units is
referred to as the delegation of authority.

Divisions in delegation of authority:

a. Policy Formulation- Involve what are to be done in the form of orders or broad
statement of action.
b. Direction- deals with the procedures what is to be done, who is to do it, when,
where, and how it is to be done.
c. Supervision- deals with the assistance and guidance given to subordinates to
ensure successful performance.
d. Execution- deals with the performance of tasks to be done with commensurate
authority to fulfill the responsibility.

5. Command Responsibility

 An officer of the police force who is directly or immediately in command shall be

answerable under the doctrine of command responsibility for any of the
following:
a. Misfeasance- It is the improper performance of some act which might be
lawfully done. In the police service this is equivalent to irregularities in the
performance of duties.
b. Malfeasance- Also known as misconduct, it is the performance of some act
which ought not to be done.
c. Nonfeasance- It is the omission of some act which ought to be performed. It
is also referred to as neglect of duty.

Exemptions to the doctrine of “Command Responsibility”

• When the commanding officer was not properly informed of the acts or omission
of the subordinates.
• When the commander was properly informed and he conducted an immediate
investigation of such act or omission.
• When he acted upon lawful orders from higher authorities.

6. Unity of Command

- Traditional theories of organization insisted that each employee should have

only one supervisor of “boss”, and considered this principle of “Unity of
Command” the backbone of any organizational structure.
- Thus a patrol officer, for example, would always receive orders from one
sergeant and would always report to that same sergeant. If the officer was
instructed or advised by any other administrator (with the possible exception of
the chief), the officer is expected to check with his or her sergeant before taking
any action.

7. Chain of command

- This refers to the line or chain of supervisors from top to bottom. It is the
system which purpose is to ensure that orders, directives, and other
information are channeled downward and upward through an organizational
structure in a timely and uniformed fashion.
- It is also the manner through which the supervisors establish and maintain the
necessary control over subordinates.

8. Formal Communication

- Basically, communication is the process of sharing understanding, and

information on common subjects. More precisely, it is an intercourse between,
through or more people by means of words, letter symbols, or gestures for the
purpose of exchanging information.
- While the elements previously discussed are crucial to any police organization,
they would remain fragmented without some means of integrating them into a
meaningful and practical whole. The integrating element is communication.