ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · Business organisational structure
Fenwick Co has a long scalar chain with eight levels between the board and operational staff. Which problem is most directly associated with this feature?
A long scalar chain most directly causes slow and possibly distorted communication, because messages must pass through many levels of management. Overloaded managers point to wide spans, and having two bosses is a feature of matrix structures, so neither describes this problem.
- AManagers become overloaded by too many direct reports
- BCommunication becomes slow and may be distorted as it passes through levelsCorrect
- CEmployees receive instructions from two bosses
- DDecision-making becomes too decentralised
Explanation
A long scalar chain means information passes through many levels, causing delay and distortion and slowing decisions. Overloaded managers relate to wide spans, and two bosses relate to matrix structures. Long chains tend toward centralisation, not decentralisation.
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