Police Administration and Management Practice Test

Unity of Command ensures that an employee reports to and receives orders from only one supervisor. This focused line of authority eliminates conflicting directions, reduces confusion, and makes accountability clear because there is a single source of command and feedback. In contrast, chain of command describes the overall authority structure from top to bottom, span of control deals with how many subordinates a supervisor can effectively manage, and centralization indicates where decision-making authority resides. The one-boss principle directly addresses the requirement of receiving orders from a single supervisor.