Fundamentals of Management, 11/e

3 What Are Authority and Responsibility?

Traditional View

To understand authority and responsibility, you also have to be familiar with the chain of command, the line of authority extending from upper organizational levels to lower levels, which clarifies who reports to whom. Managers need to consider it when organizing work because it helps employees with questions such as “Who do I report to?” or “Who do I go to if I have a problem?” So, what are authority and responsibility?

Harley-Davidson uses cross-functional teams from the conception and design of its motorcycles to their production and product launch. Harley’s teams of buyers, suppliers, ...