Organizations function at many levels but five different general levels can be considered:
- Executive
- Senior Management
- Middle management
- Line Management
- Non-managerial
Not all levels need to be present in the organization and in fact in some companies there is an active effort to keep the management pyramid as low as possible so that no single employee is more than one or two levels away from the top leaders, fewer degrees of separation.
In the model described above, the executive board members and possibly owners typically form the executive level of management. This may include representatives of top management particularly of the C level executive, so the CIO, CFO, COO etc – this is sometimes referred to as the ‘C Suite’
Top managers are classically business function leaders, so the head of finance, the head of logistics, the head of sales etc – these may also include C level executives depending on the depth of the organization and the degree of hierarchy.
Middle managers are at the division level – work centre, shop supervisors, shift supervisors, line or first-level managers. Workers make up the
Workers make up the non-managerial level of the organization.
Managers comprise two basic classes,
- Operational
- Administrative
Lower levels of management often focus on operational matters, motivating and directing their reports in the form of line managers and workers directly to achieve operational goals.
Progressing up the management ladder roles shift their focus to administrative management activities.
Goals and objectives broaden in scope and the viewpoint of the organization’s mission changes from tactical to strategic in nature.