The Association of Medical Personnel (AMP) is a membership/educational organization that serves a wide range of individuals

Question:

The Association of Medical Personnel (AMP) is a membership/educational organization that serves a wide range of individuals who work for medical institutions including hospitals, clinics, and medical practices. The membership is composed of doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and professional administrators. The purpose of the organization is to provide individuals in the medical field with a professional organization that offers educational and training opportunities through local chapters, a monthly magazine (AMP Review), continuing education programs, seminars, self-study courses, and research publications. AMP is governed by a board of directors who are members elected to these positions by the membership. The chairperson of the board is the highest ranking volunteer member and presides over the board; the board establishes policy for the organization. The policies are administered and carried out by AMP€™s paid professional staff. The president€™s chief responsibility is to manage the operations of the professional staff. Like any organization, the professional staff of AMP is composed of line and staff positions. A partial organization chart of the AMP professional staff is shown in Exhibit A.

Jere Feldon, Staff Liaison to the Chairperson
Feldon is assigned to work with the chairperson of AMP by serving as an intermediary between the chairperson and the professional staff. All correspondence to the chairperson is funneled through Feldon. Feldon also works very closely with the president of AMP, especially on any matters that have to be brought to the attention of the chairperson and the board.
Lana Dickson, Director of Self-Study Programs
Dickson is responsible for developing and marketing the self-study programs offered by AMP. Selfstudy courses consist of cassette tapes and a workbook. Most of the courses are developed by outside contractors who work under her direction. Dickson relies on the director of membership marketing to assist her in marketing these courses.
Jesse Paige, Editor of Special Publications
Paige is primarily responsible for the publication and sale of any research monographs that are generated by the research department. In addition, he coordinates the publication of any special projects that may be prepared by any other AMP committees or departments. Paige also works with AMP€™s Publication Committee which sets policy on the types of publications that AMP should publish.
George Ackers, Manager of Personnel
Ackers works with all of the departments of AMP in hiring professional and clerical staff. The individual departments screen and interview prospective employees for professional positions, but Ackers is responsible for advertising open positions. Ackers plays a more active role in the hiring of clerical personnel by screening individuals before they are sent to the departments for interviews. In addition, Ackers coordinates the employee performance evaluation program and administers AMP€™s salary schedule and fringe benefit program.

Required:
1. Distinguish between line positions and staff positions in an organization by defining each. Include in your discussion the role, purpose, and importance of each.
2. Many times, conflicts will arise between line and staff managers in organizations. Discuss the characteristics of line and staff managers that may cause conflicts between the two.
3. For each of the four individuals identified by name in the text,
a. Identify whether the individual€™s position is a line or staff position and explain why.
b. Identify potential problems that could arise in each individual€™s position, either due to the type of position (i.e., line or staff) or to the location of the individual€™s position within the organization.
(CMA,adapted)