Chain of Command

Definition: the Chain of Command is the continuous line of authority that extents from the upper level of an organization to the lower levels of the organization which clarifies who reports to who.
Fayol in his 14 Principles of Management, said that managers in a company normally exist in a chain of command that is hierarchical. Authority and responsibility are delegated down the chain of command and become less the lower one goes in the organization. Lower level managers have the responsibility of informing those senior in the CoC of current information regarding task accomplishment.
Also called: line of command, unity of command.

More on the chain of command. More on decision making: Centralization, Decentralization, Delegation, Employee Empowerment, Employee Participation, more...