Chain of Command

The chain of command relates to the flow of authority within an organization. According to Henry Fayol, the manager's role includes five functions: planning, organizing, controlling, coordinating, and commanding within the organization. Fayol also set forth 14 principles of management, which include the concepts of authority and responsibility and unity of command. Authority and responsibility deal with who in the organization has the “right to give orders” and to whom, and “unity of command” limits the receipt of orders to an employee to only one source. In 1930, James D. Mooney wrote of the “scalar principle,” noting that in some organizations, this is called “hierarchical design.” Scalar refers to the ranking or grading of duties in relationship to the amount of authority and responsibility each step of the scale holds. Many public schools have chosen to govern using a hierarchical design whereby a clearly defined chain of command outlines duties and expectations at each level of the organization, and while many persons may be higher in the organization's hierarchy, persons within any given level of the hierarchy report to only one person (i.e., the person directly above them in the chain of command). On occasion, specialized functions within educational organizations contradict this principle of reporting to only one person. For example, in schools, individual teachers who work with special needs students may be responsible to the building principal but may also be required to report to a central office supervisor. Such a division of command can cause confusion and conflict when differing expectations are issued to the same individual.

In the educational model, the first level of hierarchy is that of the teachers, counselors, activity advisors, or coaches. These persons are deemed to be the persons closest to the situation and most able to answer questions and/or address the problem. If discussions with persons at the first level fail to resolve the issue, the situation becomes a matter for the building [Page 112]principal, who has a greater level of discretionary power than do persons at the first level. Should the issue remain unresolved at the principal level, the matter should be forwarded to the district superintendent, who, except for the treasurer, is the supervisor for all district personnel. Finally, the Board of Education is the last level of appeal within the district. Dependent upon content matter, situations that remain unresolved may be appealed to the state superintendent or the state's commissioner of education. Additional redress is available through the federal and state court systems. Persons are required to “exhaust administrative remedy,” that is, follow the chain of command and move upward one progression at a time, in order to preserve legal standing. Circumventing the chain of command may legally negate entitlements.