3.4 Understanding the Agency Hierarchy and Structure
Now that you are aware of the hows and whys of an agency, it is time to increase your familiarity with those who are in your agency. Every organization has formal and informal structures, which contribute to the intentional and unintentional culture of that organization. This section will review some of the factors that influence the structures agencies use and inform their culture.
Formal Structures
Organizational charts, job descriptions, employee handbooks, and policy and procedure manuals are the most common ways for an agency to demonstrate their formal and supervisory structure. They are hierarchical by design, even when an agency holds the value of shared leadership or the belief that you can lead from any position. Organizational charts allow monitoring entities to know who in the agency is responsible for specific duties, who reports to whom, and how the work of the agency is organized. These are all critical parts of maintaining licenses and accreditations, which may be connected to funding streams. Knowing the supervisory hierarchy is also important if an employee is having performance issues, is experiencing workplace harassment, or—on a more positive note—is being recognized outside of their unit for exceptional work.
There are basic organizational charts for both public and private agencies. The examples used in this section are a broad overview and generalized for most agencies. Your organization may have variations, but the concepts are generalizable.
Public agencies start with the state governor and state legislature at the top of their charts as funding. The laws that inform the policies and procedures come directly from those two entities. These are followed by the director for each agency, followed by division directors, and so on until all employees are listed within their supervisory units. Figure 3.3 provides a simple chart that shows the basic structure.
Private agencies have a similar structure, with the board of directors at the top of the chart, followed by the top agency executive such as the president, chief executive officer, or executive director. Much like in a public agency, the next level is the program directors, followed by their teams who provide direct services. Figure 3.4 shows a simple representation of a private agency organizational chart.
Organizational charts help you as an intern begin to see how your field experience site has formed itself, who might know the answers to some of your questions, and who the identified leaders are. It can give you a broader understanding of the entire agency, not just the unit where you will be learning and working. It is also a visual representation of how information in the agency is officially communicated. Think of an organizational chart as a map of the agency.
Informal Structures
Formal organizational systems keep an agency moving forward in a predictable and planful way. They are, as the label suggests, written down, documented, and prescribed. However, since human services agencies are filled with humans and not machines, there are several informal systems that you will need to be aware of and pay attention to in your role as an intern.
Informal systems include how information flows, specifically unofficial communication (sometimes referred to as gossip). Gossip has a bad reputation, much of which is deserved. However, informal streams of communication exist in every organization, and they can be toxic to agency culture, or they can be used as a tool to provide information prior to formal distribution. For example, before the budget is released through formal channels, a supervisor could let the most “communicative” member of the team know the overview for their department, whether it is budget cuts, increases, or no changes. The communicator is likely to then share that information with peers and colleagues prior to the budget meeting, alleviating the stress of not knowing. As an intern, it is good to identify the informal channels of communication but not participate in them.
Leadership is also both formal and informal. While there are identified agency supervisors, you will notice that within every team there is an informal hierarchy of leadership. Informal leadership is the ability of a person to influence the behavior of others by means other than formal authority conferred by the organization through its rules and procedures.
Informal leadership is basically any type of leadership that is not based upon formal authority (Grimsley, 2022). This may be based on seniority, expertise, or personality. Watch for who sets the tone of meetings. Is it the supervisor or one of the team members? Who on the team is the first one to set boundaries or confront nonproductive behavior? Who eats lunch with whom? What are the values of the individual teams and units within the agency? How does agency history inform internal conflicts? Informal leadership can have a negative impact on an organization if it is coercive or oppressive. If that occurs, it must be addressed formally using the organizational structure.
The formal and informal structures meld together to form agency culture. Culture is formed intentionally and unintentionally. As an intern, you will have an opportunity to observe and provide feedback about the productive and unproductive aspects of the agency culture, which will be discussed in the next section.
Here are some questions about organizational structure that you as an intern might find helpful:
- Do you have a copy of/access to your agency’s organizational chart?
- What informal structures have you noticed? Is it the norm to bring lunch or go out to lunch?
- Who are the formal and informal leaders in the agency?
- What does your supervisor want your role to be in team and staff meetings?
Understanding both the formal and informal structures of an agency can help you navigate your work more smoothly and efficiently.
Understanding the Agency Hierarchy and Structure Licenses and Attributions
“Understanding the Agency Hierarchy and Structure” by Sally Guyer MSW is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
the shared beliefs, customs and rituals of a group of people
charts that demonstrate who in the agency is responsible for specific duties, who reports to whom, and how the work of the agency is organized
the rules a country, state, or other governing body sets, maintains, and enforces. Violations of laws are illegal and can be punished by fines, probation, or incarceration. In the United States, there is a hierarchical structure for authority: federal, state, county, and local.
the verbal, and non-verbal exchange of information between two or more people.
the ability to determine our own safe zones to our emotions. Keeping separate needs, desires, thoughts, and feelings from those of others. In the human services context, boundaries most often refer to keeping our needs and wants separate from those of our clients.