Lack of subordination. What is subordination and what is it regulated by?

Let's talk about what subordination is, why it is needed in business communication, what norms it is regulated by and what happens if it is not observed. The topic will be discussed below in detail. It is worth understanding that the role of communication in business and at work is simply enormous. You can be an excellent professional in your field, but due to your inability to communicate, give up your place to a person who is less capable, but more sociable. One of the most important rules of communication between business people is subordination. The rules of communication concern three levels: between a boss and a subordinate, between a subordinate and a boss, or between employees.

Subordination

First, let's try to answer the question of what subordination is. From Latin this word is literally translated as “submission”. Subordination means a person’s place in the system of relationships. Adhering to subordination means following the rules of communication that are established between people at different levels of the hierarchical ladder.

2Subordination in culture and life situations

If we do not take into account the military chain of command, which is the same in all countries, it will be interesting to consider its role in other aspects. Below are some examples that will help you understand how closely subordination and other aspects of life are connected:

Corporate chain of command

Corporate subordination is a system of subordination within a company. It is based on the fact that an official is obliged to carry out the instructions and tasks of a person who is at the top level of the management system. In simple terms, this can be interpreted as follows: ordinary workers carry out the orders of department managers, department managers are responsible to the department director, who, in turn, carries out the strategic tasks set by top management.

Despite corporate subordination, the role of the lower-level employee in the business process may vary from country to country. For example, in most Asian countries, small workers do not have the initiative. Thus, they are limited only to their work and, in most cases, do not participate in the management of the company. In Asian countries, it is believed that the higher a person’s position in a company, the more valuable his word is when making any decisions. This Asian system of corporate chain of command is radically different from the Western (European and American) system.

The Western system of corporate subordination is softer and involves decision-making not only by a superior person, but also by ordinary employees of the department. People in these countries believe that the success of a corporation depends on the success of every person working in it.

Subordination and plane crashes

You can give a very interesting example that happened in real life. It will reveal the full significance of subordination between officials.

As mentioned above, Asians tend to believe that the decision of a senior official is always infallible. Let's imagine a situation: a passenger plane is controlled by two people - a senior and a junior captain. Of course, the senior captain has more authority, he is more experienced and his position is higher. Thus, the junior captain is obliged to obey him.

Korean airliners at the end of the 20th century were considered the most dangerous due to the huge number of plane crashes. Many of them were due to the fact that junior captains did not dare to object to the opinion of the senior captain. For example, here is the cause of one of the plane crashes: the junior captain noticed an icy wing of the plane and reported it to the senior captain, to which he replied that everything was in order.

In fact, even minor wing icing can lead to a plane crash. Despite this, the junior captain did not insist on his opinion, which led to the accident. Western pilots, on the contrary, are accustomed to freely expressing their thoughts and insisting on their own if they are sure of something. This speaks of the individualism of the people, which is so necessary in this case.

From the above you can draw your own conclusions about subordination. Is it good or bad? If you are the owner of a company, then it is worth considering what type of corporate chain of command is most suitable for you and your employees. All cases are individual and ambiguous.

Boss and subordinate

The attitude of a subordinate to his boss depends on many factors, but the main ones are authority and maintaining the work process. In order for employees to comply with subordination, the manager must correctly set out the rules of official discipline, pay attention to the ethics of communication and establish the limits of what is permitted. This is very important, because when there are no established rules, the team feels insecure and shows little initiative. It is not clear to employees how to treat the boss’s words: as a request or an order. To avoid incidents, every employee must know the norms of communication in a given company.

Key tips for managers:

• If an employee is not doing their job, remind them that you expect results from them. In another case, he may think that you forgot about the order and not complete it. In addition, such comments remind the employee what can happen if he does not follow the instructions of his boss.
• If you criticize an employee, the criticism should concern exclusively work-related issues. It is unacceptable to use humiliation or insults;
• You cannot give your subordinates any personal advice, because you will be responsible for the result.
• Even in the most critical situations, a leader must demonstrate confidence. Employees should not see uncertainty, fear or panic in their boss's words and actions. This threatens the loss of authority.
• It's important to value your best employees. Their reward should correspond to the effort they spent on its implementation.
• Don't forget about praise. Praising in front of other employees can make an employee more motivated.

We already know what subordination is, but the main advice in business relations between a boss and a subordinate is that tasks should be given based on the specific situation and character of the employee. You need to understand that some people need constant monitoring, because without it they cannot work.

How is it regulated?

If there are no established rules at the enterprise, this introduces confusion into the work process.
Each employee should know which colleagues he can turn to for advice, who can demand subordination, and who is obliged to carry out his orders. Large structures usually indicate which units are subordinate to others. Subordination is regulated by certain orders, instructions, and the organization’s charter . The following documents are also used to define the service hierarchy:

• job descriptions;
• internal labor regulations;
• collective agreement;
• labor agreement between employee and employer.

In some structures, for example, in the army, wearing insignia (uniform, shoulder straps) is implied. However, in small companies, subordination is most often based only on the authority of the manager.

A new team member should be introduced to corporate ethics immediately upon hiring, when his job responsibilities and powers are specified.

You can learn about the basic rules of business relationships from the following video:

Orders, requests and advice

When communicating, it is very important to establish what form of instructions will be - an order, a request, a recommendation. Most often, managers use requests, which expresses their friendly attitude. However, when dealing with unscrupulous employees, an order should be used. It differs from a request in the sternness of its voice and its special emotional delivery. Failure to comply with subordination at work must be noted by management. This fact cannot be ignored. It is necessary to tell the employee about the rules of communication. A reprimand for insubordination must be in a strict form so that the employee learns the lesson.

Relationships with the team

The manager must understand that non-compliance with subordination may be caused by his behavior. Familiar relations are unacceptable.

The boss must communicate with employees through recommendations. Advice should be given to help the employee find a solution to the problem. Relations with the team should be built on mutually beneficial principles. Financial stimulation, as well as moral, plays an important role in this matter.

Subordinate and boss

An employee who does not adhere to the norms of business communication may be dismissed for insubordination. A person who plans to stay at work and move up the career ladder is simply obliged to adhere to the chain of command, because his future largely depends on his boss. At the same time, you shouldn’t rush to extremes and show coldness in relationships, but you also shouldn’t curry favor with your superiors.

In order to build a good relationship with your manager, you should remember some rules:

• the manager will like it if the employee unites the team;
• your ideas about work must be expressed in a tactful and polite manner, since impudent remarks towards the leader can lead to trouble;
• You should not speak with your boss in a categorical tone or answer in monosyllables; most often, employees who are laid off are those who talk little and are constantly dissatisfied with everything;
• there is no need to try to get a promotion by jumping over the head of your immediate superior.

The last piece of advice is that even in the best of relationships, you shouldn’t show disrespect: enter your boss’s office without knocking, interrupt him when he’s talking to someone.

What are the mistakes in this approach?

1. If the director of an entire enterprise gives orders to the entire department without the knowledge of the manager, then he undermines his authority. Under no circumstances should you do this. After all, people still have to work under his leadership. How do you follow the orders of someone you don’t respect?
2. A person specially authorized to do so must supervise the progress of the work. A random person from the team cannot take on such a responsibility.
3. Only his immediate junior manager can punish his employee. Of course, higher authorities have the right to do this, but only in the presence and consent of their immediate superiors.
4. The employer must voice his orders as clearly as possible: what work, in what time frame, what task is a priority.
5. The boss goes beyond the boundaries of official and business relations. It is not the amount of work completed that is criticized, but the personal qualities of the employee. This is completely unacceptable. The employee needs to be encouraged to work, and not vice versa.

We recommend that you read: Flexible work schedule, its pros and cons

Business communication between managers

Business relationships can be built horizontally, that is, between two bosses. Failure to comply with subordination in this case can also lead to a number of negative consequences. To avoid them, you should remember the following rules:

• You should speak clearly and to the point with your partner, without wasting time showing interest. Many business people are annoyed by empty dialogue because they value their time.
• In order to attract the attention of a colleague, offer him facts and figures.
• If your interlocutor is aggressive, demonstrate calmness to calm him down. Never react angrily.
• Offer pre-thought-out solutions to show your initiative and competence in business.

Dictionary to help

Modern youth prefer to find information on the Internet; paper dictionaries are giving way to electronic ones. Let’s find the meaning of the word “subordination” in the explanatory dictionary edited by Ozhegov.

The meaning of the word is as follows: subordination is the observance of strict subordination by juniors in relation to seniors.

It sounds complicated and unclear, let's translate it into simpler language.

Telephone communication

Telephone communication is an integral part of business communication. Some successful people ruin their business because they do not know how to communicate properly on the phone with a business partner.

To begin with, it is worth noting that when communicating with a business person, you should not answer the phone. This is only permissible in very rare and important cases. When calling someone on business, you should first clarify whether it is convenient for the person to talk at the moment. Do not use swear words under any circumstances, as this may alienate your business partner.

Phonetic analysis

In other words, it is an analysis of letters, sounds and syllables. It's worth starting with syllables. Be careful, syllables and word hyphens are completely different things.

Our “subordination” consists of six syllables: sub - or - di - na - qi - ya.

• “s” - heard as “s”, a voiceless consonant;
• “u” - heard as “u”, an unstressed vowel;
• “b” - heard as “b”, a voiced consonant;
• “o” - is heard as “a”, an unstressed vowel;
• “r” - is heard as “r”, the consonant is voiced;
• “d” - heard as “d'”, a soft voiced consonant;
• “and” - is heard as “and”, an unstressed vowel;
• “n” - is heard as “n”, the consonant is voiced;
• “a” - heard as “a”, stressed vowel;
• “ts” - heard as “ts”, the consonant is unvoiced;
• “and” - is heard as “and”, an unstressed vowel;
• “I” is heard as “th” and “a”.

The word being analyzed has 12 letters, 6 consonants and 6 vowels.

Colleagues

It is just as important for an employee to find a common language with his colleagues as with his boss. Communication needs to be done correctly from the very beginning so that common problems do not arise. Some, using a good attitude towards themselves, shift professional responsibilities to others. Others show their comrades in a negative light in front of the boss. To avoid this, you should follow some rules:

• when the boss gives a task, the work should be equally divided among all team members so that there are no slackers;
• it is necessary to avoid conflicts of interest and pulling over clients: a couple of clients will not help you get a promotion, but will spoil the atmosphere in the team, which is why you will have to work in a tense environment;
• if you can't help, don't promise it;
• You shouldn’t start intimate conversations at work, as this can lead to a deterioration in your relationship with your boss and colleague in the future.

The last piece of advice concerns the fact that you should not realize yourself at the expense of your colleagues.

Insubordination

Is it possible to punish an employee legally? For failure to comply with subordination at work, the Labor Code of the Russian Federation provides for three types of consequences: reprimand, reprimand and dismissal as a last resort. A remark is used for a one-time violation of the rules. A reprimand for insubordination, a sample of which is in the article, can be oral or entered into a personal file. It all depends on the degree of violation. Typically, the reason for a reprimand is isolated or persistent disciplinary violations. Dismissal for failure to comply with subordination is used in the event of a violation that falls under an article of the administrative or Criminal Code (assault).

In this case, what kind of communication we are talking about plays an important role. An employee, for example, only risks losing his job, while a manager may lose his reputation and respect in business circles. All successful companies build internal relationships on the principles of subordination.

Basic rules of interaction between company representatives

The norms of subordination depend on the type of hierarchy:

• Vertical. Assumes that the higher level gives instructions to the lower one. For example, a manager gives tasks to his subordinate. The latter is obliged to fulfill them.
• Horizontal. Involves interaction between employees of equal status.

Relationships that involve submission are traditionally considered difficult. Hidden conflicts often arise between the manager and subordinates, which complicate work. Subordination helps prevent problems. Its features depend on what kind of relationships are regulated.