Brandon, a branch manager for a large car rental company, reports to an area manager who oversees Brandon's store as well as five other stores. The area manager then reports to a regional rental manager who oversees a total of six area managers. Brandon may feel frustrated that he lacks the resources he needs to properly manage his branch, given that his company has which type of organizational structure?
A) matrix
B) line
C) line-and-staff
D) matrix.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Brandon's company has a line organizational structure, which is a traditional hierarchy with clear lines of authority and communication. In this structure, each employee reports to a single supervisor, and decisions flow from the top down. Brandon reports to an area manager who oversees his store and five others, and the area manager reports to a regional rental manager. This suggests that the company has a narrow span of control, which can lead to limited resources and autonomy for branch managers like Brandon. A matrix organizational structure would involve employees working on projects with multiple supervisors, while a line-and-staff structure would involve both line positions (directly involved in producing goods or services) and staff positions (indirectly involved in supporting line positions).

Brandon, a Branch Manager for a Large Car Rental Company