Final answer:
It is false that human resources must always support the positions of line departments as HR maintains a level of independence vital for managing human capital and eliminating hiring bias. In modern business, the relationship between staff and line functions is cooperative, and organizational structures are increasingly flat, encouraging feedback across levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that human resources must always support the positions of the line departments is false. Human resources is a staff function that, although it often works in support of line departments, maintains a degree of independence. This independence is necessary to ensure that the organization can effectively manage its human capital, providing unbiased support, training, and development. In a modern business environment, the relationship between line and staff functions is cooperative, with both sides working together to meet the organization's goals.
Human resources departments also endeavor to eliminate bias in the hiring process, and this is made more effective with professional HR strategies and experiences with diverse staff. Larger organizations, which often have more resources devoted to recruitment, may have more professional human resource strategies and can therefore potentially offer a less biased evaluation of candidates.
In the context of dynamic business environments, the traditional hierarchies are shifting towards flatter organizational structures. It's not uncommon for junior employees to provide feedback to higher-level management. Moreover, roles may require a level of adaptability, questioning the efficacy of rigid divisions of labor as in the case of the hostess and the kitchen backlog in a restaurant. In summation, human resources functions should not be seen as solely supportive of line departments but rather as a professional and independent division that cooperates with the rest of the organization to achieve overall success.