# Line management > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Line_management > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Line_management.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_management > Source revision: 1326291005 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Management of directly involved employees}} {{More citations needed|date=December 2019}} '''Line management''' refers to the [management](/source/management) of [employees](/source/employees) who are directly involved in the production or delivery of [products](/source/Product_(business)), [goods](/source/Good_(economics)) and/or [services](/source/Service_(economics)) and may be referred to as the [supervisor](/source/supervisor). As the interface between an [organisation](/source/Organization) and its front-line [workforce](/source/workforce), line management represents the lowest level of management within an organisational [hierarchy](/source/Hierarchical_organization) (as distinct from [top/executive/senior management](/source/Senior_management) and [middle management](/source/middle_management)).{{Cite book |last=Ferrell |first=O. C. |title=Business |last2=Hirt |first2=Geoffrey A. |last3=Ferrell |first3=Linda |date=2019 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=978-1-259-92945-8 |edition=6e |location=New York, NY}} A '''line manager''' is an employee who directly manages other employees and day-to-day operations while reporting to a higher-ranking manager. In some retail businesses, they may have titles such as '''head cashier''' or '''department supervisor'''.{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OT1KAQAAMAAJ&dq=head+cashier+line+manager&pg=PA236 | title=Cassell's New Popular Educator: A Cyclopaedia of Knowledge and General Information | date=1920 }}{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rim2QvQPa0EC&dq=head+cashier+line+manager&pg=PA70 | title=Classified Index of Decisions of the Regional Directors of the National Labor Relations Board in Representation Proceedings | date=December 1979 }}{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fmk7FA8G_ZkC&dq=head+cashier+line+manager&pg=PA796 | title=Administration of the Labor-management Relations Act by the NLRB: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on National Labor Relations Board of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Eighty-seventh Congress, First Session, on General Study into the Procedures of the NLRB and Its Administration of the Labor-management Relations Act of 1947, as Amended | date=1961 }}[https://www.thebalance.com/role-and-challenges-of-a-line-manager-2275752 Role and Challenges of a Line Manager]{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}. F. John Reh, February 4, 2017 Related job titles are [supervisor](/source/supervisor), [section leader](/source/section_leader), [foreperson](/source/Shop_foreman), [office manager](/source/Office_Manager) and [team leader](/source/team_leader). They are charged with directing employees and controlling that the corporate objectives in a specific functional area or [line of business](/source/line_of_business) are met. Despite the name, line managers are usually considered as part of the organization's workforce and not part of its management class. == Responsibilities == Line managers are tasked with implementing organizational policies through direct supervision of staff and ensuring alignment with business objectives and core values. Key responsibilities include: * [Recruitment](/source/Recruitment) and selection * [Training](/source/Training), [mentoring](/source/mentoring), [coaching](/source/coaching) and [staff development](/source/staff_development) * [Performance management](/source/Performance_management) and [appraisal](/source/Performance_appraisal) * [Employee motivation](/source/Employee_motivation) and [well-being](/source/Happiness_at_work) * [Team building](/source/Team_building) and achievement of departmental goals Typical duties may involve: * Setting and communicating objectives and priorities * Allocating and managing resources (e.g., staff time, budgets) * Ensuring compliance with internal policies and legal requirements * Providing leadership and operational direction * Conducting regular meetings with team members Line management also plays a role in facilitating organizational change, often in collaboration with senior management.{{Cite web |date=2010-02-11 |title=The Scope of Change |url=https://info.microkeeper.com.au/products/hr-software |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908032105/http://www.pmhut.com/the-scope-of-change |archive-date=2012-09-08 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=PMHut |language=en-US}} Additionally, line managers are increasingly involved in functions traditionally managed by specialized departments, such as [human resources](/source/human_resources), [finance](/source/finance), and [risk management](/source/risk_management). In many organizations, line managers are directly responsible for operational risk and the implementation of HR policies.{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Hilary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s3WpPyiz3IIC&q=%22line+management%22&pg=PA74 |title=International Human Resource Management |last2=Brewster |first2=Chris |last3=Sparrow |first3=Paul |date=2003 |publisher=CIPD Publishing |isbn=978-0-85292-983-4 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Barton |first=Thomas L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m0-OPs2OnYUC&q=%22line%20management%22&pg=PA100 |title=Making Enterprise Risk Management Pay Off |last2=Shenkir |first2=William G. |last3=Walker |first3=Paul L. |date=2002 |publisher=FT Press |isbn=978-0-13-008754-6 |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last=Hewett |first=Rebecca |date=2024 |title=Answerable for what? The role of accountability focus in line manager HR implementation |journal=HR Management |language=en |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=165–185 |doi=10.1002/hrm.22189 |issn=1099-050X|doi-access=free }} ==See also== * [Staff management](/source/Staff_management) * [Project management](/source/Project_management) * [Performance management](/source/Performance_management) * [Staff and line](/source/Staff_and_line) * [Employee engagement](/source/Employee_engagement) * [Management by objectives](/source/Management_by_objectives) * [Operations management](/source/Operations_management) ==References== {{reflist}} {{Management}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Line Management}} Category:Business management {{Business-term-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Line management](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_management) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_management?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.