ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with two main problems: How our distinction between "unitary organizations" and "overhead units" is related to the distinction commonly made in writings on administration between "line" and "staff"; and How centralization gives rise to still another kind of unit—the "counterpart unit". In addition to line and auxiliary functions, an integrated organization requires the performance of "staff" functions—over-all planning, direction, control, and coordination. The commonly accepted distinction between line and overhead is more than a convenient way to classify governmental organization units. The chapter presents a brief discussion of the myth aspect of the concepts of auxiliary and staff units. The principal function of the myth is to conceal the fact that centralization of auxiliary activities does reduce the self-containment and the authority of line departments. The chapter describes the principal types of organizational units that are almost always found in large-scale organizations. There are unitary organizations, each of which has its own socially meaningful goal.
