I am looking for information about the concept of "dotted-line
management"  in the context of business management.

My understanding is that it means something like occasional
management for supervision of professionals,  interrupting the normal
chain of command of day-to-day management, but is that exactly right? 
 When did this expression start to be used?  Is it an expression in
common use in the UK  or   in the US?

Hi, 

The "dotted-line" refers to the line someone signs his signature on.
Sign on the dotted-line, as it were. This is sign-off or sometimes
called indirect management. I first heard the term in 1999, and it was
just becoming popular then. The idea is that you have a supervisor
directly responsible for what you are doing, but aspects of your job
are also checked and signed off by other supervisors, who indirectly
are checking your work.

For example, you are making a section of your companies website. Your
direct supervisor is responsible for keeping you on task and making
sure you finish on time. Indirect supervisors may be responsible for
the legal aspects of your content, the colors you are using and the
graphics you are using. These "dotted-line" supervisors will check
their area only and sign it off, letting your supervisor know that it
has passed whatever criteria it was they were responsible for
over-seeing. Normally these dotted-line supervisors have very little
responsibility over your position and little to say about you.

This style of management has had some popularity in the US as well as
the UK over the years, in fact a popular US movie "Office Space" makes
fun of this by having the main character in the story have 8 bosses.

This style of management becomes a popular idea with companies facing
the problems of Quality control in a business that relies on fast
changes in policy and product. Higher management tends to start losing
touch with all the changes happening at ground zero and forces a pause
in the flow by having to 'sign-off' on different aspects of the
working process. It is not popular most of the time with those working
on the ground zero level. It slows them down, but the argument for the
style is that upper management is able to keep a closer eye on the
proceedings. In setting up "specialist" supervisors that check only
one or two aspects of the deal/process, this keeps the work flowing as
fast as possible, in theroy.



A dotted line is a line of dots, or a line of very small holes on
paper which make it easy to tear.
Footpaths are shown on the map as dotted red lines.
INFORMAL The car is ready for you, if you'll just sign on the dotted
line (=formally agree to something, esp. by signing the legal
agreement).
Tear along the dotted line. 
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=dot*1%200


thanks, 

webadept-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by funnyfellah-ga on 19 Jan 2003 10:47 PST

Hi

That's a really helpful answer!  And amazingly fast too!   Could you
give some authoritative source for this usage?    I couldn't find it
in any on-line dictionaries.

thanks

funnyfellah-ga

A good answer but the researcher has not been able to quote me an
authoritative source for use of this expression.

I agree with webadept that the meaning has to do with secondary or
indirect supervision, but I believe the term comes from dotted lines
on organization charts showing these relationships, not dotted lines
where people sign off.  I haven't been able to find any authoritative
source either way on this point.

I found one web page that supports this interpretation, but it's just
an interview, not a scholarly analysis.
http://www.wispolitics.com/freeser/features/f0207/f02072503i.html

--efn