STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 2
Chain of Command
Bloom Charter School has a well-defined hierarchy and a transparent chain of command. The chain
of command extends from one level of the organization to the next and clarifies who reports to whom.
The chain of command traces from the C.E.O. down to the teachers and the students they teach.
Bloom Fine Arts Charter School System (B.F.A.C.S.S.) is in Buckingham, Mississippi, and the home
of 5 Fine Arts Charter Schools in West Mississippi. These schools are rural-urban areas focusing on
Music and art cross-curriculum STEAM education. Those 5 Schools are Daisy Fine Arts Pre-School,
Rose Fine Arts Academy Elementary, Tulip Fine Arts Academy Middle School, Sunflower Fine Arts
Academy Middle School, and Lillie's Fine Arts Academy High School. Sunflower Middle School is a
part of the Bloom Fine Arts Academic Charter School in Bloomingdale, Mississippi. The organization
is formally authorized through Terracotta Planter County Schools under the Department of
International Rural Teachers. The Bloom Fine Art organization functions similarly to flowers and
plants, with students being the seed planted in the dirt and blooming at each school into a beautiful
flower. The student works from the ground up at the top of the chain and the top level.
This organization works like a flower, with Terracotta Planter County serving as the pot that
authorizes the charter school to function. With economic authority from the Department of
International Rural Teachers, governed by the Worldwide Department of Education, they act as the
"D.I.R.T." in a pot before planting these seeds. It also has legal authority over the organization. With
the D.I.R.T., something can begin to grow. Once a location is selected, "The Farmers," which is the
Bloom Fine Art C.E.O. and staff who also hold contractual authority within the organization, plant
seeds in the DIRT, and the organization will begin to Grow those flowers. The flowers are the schools
and students. Principals and teachers hold the collegial authority for this organization. The
superintendents, board members, and stakeholders are all a part of t h e collegial authority of the
organization. They all work together to ensure the student’s blossom.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 3
Authority
Bloom Fine Arts Academic Charter School has three levels: top, middle, and supervisory
management. In this hierarchy, each organizational unit is controlled and supervised by a manager in
a higher division. The C.E.O. of B.F.A.'s most formal authority is at the top of the hierarchy.
Individuals in the chain of command control other persons in the organization. "Authority is
legitimate power, granted by the organization and acknowledged by employees, that allows an
individual to request action and expect compliance." (Ahmady, 2016) Each department has a different
job focus for the company.
Exercising authority means making decisions and seeing that they are carried out.
Most managers delegate or assign some degree of control and responsibility to others below them in
the chain of command. The delegation of power makes the employees accountable to their supervisor.
Accountability means responsibility for outcomes. “Typically, authority and responsibility move
downward through the organization as managers assign activities to, and share decision-making with,
their subordinates.” (Bolman, 2017) Accountability moves upward in the organization as managers at
each successively higher level are held accountable for the actions of their subsidiaries.
The span of control is the number of employees the manager directly supervises. Within this
organization, each school's direct span of control lies with the principal. Sunflower Middle School has
a chain of command comprising four levels of management. There is a "pattern of precisely defined
jobs organized hierarchically through precisely defined lines of command or communication"
(Ahmady, 2016, p. 85).
The Terracotta Department of Education, Planter County School board members, BFA CEO, and the
various department directors at the school district office are responsible for ensuring the district
"Blooms." All contractual, financial, and legal decisions are made for the entire organization. These
individuals utilize unique creative strategies to organize the school district's long-term goal.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 4
Middle-level management consists of the Principals, Deans, and administration staff.
Top-level management comprises the Terracotta Department of Education, Blooms' Fine
Arts.
The Charter School board members, the superintendent, the assistant superintendent, and the
directors of various departments at the school district office are considered to be top-level
managers. These top-level managers are responsible for the entire school district's legal, financial,
and contractual decisions. They plan, organize, and develop long-term goals for the school
district. Middle-level management comprises the high school's principal, assistant principals, and
department chairs. These individuals are responsible for creating plans and training to implement
the tasks assigned by top-level management. The first level of control consists of teachers.
Teachers implement the functions created by top-level management and instructed by middle-
level management. First-level management reports to middle-level management. Middle-level
management reports to top-level management.
Departmentalization
After a company divides the work it needs to do into specific jobs, managers group the
jobs to coordinate similar or associated tasks and activities. This grouping of people, lessons,
and resources into organizational units is called departmentalization. The chart breaks down the
formal way things flow in the organization. Ultimately, the C.E.O. has the ultimate authority
and decides what the schools do. The C.E.O. has four managing officers that oversee significant
components of the organization. Academics Offices. Chief Academic Officer, Chief Operations
Officer, Chief Finance Officer, and Bilingual Executive Assistant. This officer controls the
organization; everyone reports directly to these managers before they report to the C.E.O. On
each level, Operations has five people: Chief Financial and
H.R. Officer has six people, and Academic has 16 people, making it the most prominent
department. There are a total of 4 levels of management at Bloom's Fine Art Charter School.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 5
Centralized and Decentralized
In a 2021 article on Centralization or Decentralization , the author states,
"Centralization means concentration of power of decision-making. Concentration is the
systematic and consistent reservation of authority in the central hands of the organization.
Decentralization, on the other hand, means the delegation of business decisions by the owners to
their subordinates and then the others further down in the management hierarchy." If decision-
making power is centralized in the hands of a single individual, the organization is fully
centralized. However, when the power of decision-making is widely scattered throughout the
organization, it is a decentralized set-up." (Account Learning, 2021). In hindsight, it appears that
The B.F.A. organization falls under a "decentralization" format. However, most charter
organization works as Centralized organization. The C.E.O. is very visible and makes immediate
decisions.
The staff/line distinctions are being maintained in the B.F.A. organization.
Differentiating line and staff functions is straightforward in that it involves identifying the
beneficiaries of the activity, product, or service. If the beneficiaries are employees, then it is a
staff function. Otherwise, the activity is related to the line organization. B.F.A. line-staff
organization establishes goals and directives that are fulfilled by principals, teachers, and other
school workers. This line-staff organizational structure renders its large and complex enterprise
more flexible without sacrificing managerial authority. The organizations constantly meet and
communicate with staff and ask for our input regarding important decisions.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS 6
REFERENCES
Ahmady, G., Mehrpour, M., & Nikkoravesh, A. (2016, May 2). Organizational structure.
Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. 230, 455–462.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308736877_Organizational_Structure
Bolman, L.G., & Deal, T.E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(6th ed.). Wiley &Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119281856
Centralization or Decentralization. Money and management-related articles on finance, business
management, office management, investment, marketing, planning, accounting, and
Auditing (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2021, from
https://accountlearning.com/centralization- and-decentralization-of-
organization/#:~:text=Centralization%20and%20decentralization%20are%20the%20oppos
ite%20ends%20of,staff%20and%20enable%20closer%20control%20over%20operating%2
0units
