Silver Line’s organisational structure

Question

Evaluate the Silver Line’s organisational structure

Answer

Organisational structure effectively forms the basis of a firm’s communication line, both inward and outward communication. Research conducted by Wilcox (2014) states that organisational structure essentially provides a firm to function in a market or any industry. The Silver Line Organisation is a charity that operates a free, confidential telephone helpline for the elderly in the UK (Silver Line, 2015). Regardless of the operational process, the firm needs an organisational structure that allows it to operate effectively. Due to the nature of the organisation type (Charity) the firm operates with a board of trustees at the top, individuals who define long term strategic goals of the organisation (The Centre for Social Justice, 2013). The firm further operates with a finance committee to oversee the overall financial aspects of the charity and the governance team to ensure key aspects of risk, volunteer and complaints are handled effectively. Silver Line (2015) highlights that Silver Line operates with a small cohesive team, one that relies on support from the community. The day to day operations of the organisation are run by volunteers with team leaders overseeing various efforts. Wilcox (2014) indicates that the Silver Line organisation is an example of a well-run charity, one that achieves its goals with a minimal cost footprint and has scaled over the past few years with ease.

References

Silver Line (2015) Annual Report, Available from: https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Silver-Line-Final-Accounts-2015.pdf (Accessed on 25th October 2016)

Silver Line (2016) https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/who-we-are/ (Accessed on 25th October 2016)

The Center for Social Justice (2013) Evaluation of the Silver Line Helpline Pilots, Available from: http://www.thesilverline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Evaluation-of-The-Silver-Line-Helpline-pilot-_When-I-get-off-the-phone-I-feel-like-I-belong-to-the-human-race_.pdf (Accessed on 25th October 2016)

Wilcox, M. (2014) The Silver Line Helpline: a “ChildLine” for older people, Working with Older People, Vol. 18 Iss: 4, pp.197 – 204