Definition of 'Scalar Chain'

Definition: Communication is a crucial aspect of any organisation and the principle of scalar chain revolves around the flow of communication from management to the lowest rank in the company. Scalar chain is a chain of all supervisors from the top management to the person working in the lowest rank. 

Description: A clear line of communication is very important for any organisation to achieve its objectives. The communication has to flow in an order for it to be effective. Scale chain identifies that path. According to the principle, any information should follow a pre-defined path, which is from the supervisor to the one in lowest position, to avoid any ambiguity. 

This chain pattern should be followed at every department of the organisation to be effective and the process should not be tinkered with for it to remain effective. Let's understand it with the help of an example. Suppose your company has 10 employees. 

Now, if employee 4 has to communicate with employee 8, he/she has to follow the scalar chain, wherein the flow of information will take place from employee 4, 5, 6, 7, and then 8. The process is simple and avoids any ambiguity. 

It is not a complicated process but it does take time because for information to reach employee 8, it has to go through a four-step structure. In case of emergencies, this system might not be effective. 

There are various advantages of scalar chain. One is that it is very important for any organisation to have a chain of command to avoid chaos. Every employee knows whom to approach when faced with a problem. 

It also allows the top management to communicate their message to the entire organisation and supervisors at each level become responsible to execute that order. A proper chain of command allows business to run smoothly but it also makes it inflexible at times.

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