chain of command
nounUK /tʃeɪn əv kəˈmɑːnd/
US /tʃeɪn əv kəˈmænd/
The order of who is in charge and who they tell what to do.
In the army, soldiers follow the chain of command.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The system that shows who reports to whom in a company or group.
Please ask your manager first; that's how the chain of command works.
3. A series of leaders through which orders pass from top to bottom.
The message went down the chain of command to every team.
4. The official path for passing information or requests upward.
Complaints should go up the chain of command.