The lines of supervision, like a chain of command, seem in theory to be very straightforward; one person is supervised by another with more responsibility, who is in turn supervised by someone else higher up in the organization. In fact, it is rarely that simple.
The diagram below illustrated the lines of supervision for a District Public Health Nurse who works for the Ministry of Health in Lesotho. She has not just one supervisor, but five. Her most direct supervisor is the District Medical Officer, but as shown in the right hand column, she is also responsible to the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, the Health Services Area Medical Officer, the Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning (Family Health Division of the MOH), and the Coordinator of the Extended Program on Immunization. Her real supervisor, the Senior Nursing Officer, who is informally responsible for transfers and promotions, isn't even shown in the official diagram.
The District Public Health Nurse's job is complex not only because of all the people who are supervising her, but also because of her many roles and the many people she supervises. The District Public Health Nurse acts as a trainer, supervisor, administrator, technical advisor, and consultant. She directly supervises eleven health clinics and her own office staff of three. She supports the training of 60 health workers in the Health Service area or district offices. She also consults and interacts with a number of other organizations and entities in Lesotho, as shown in the column on the left.