DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY

Delegation:-Delegation is the process a manager shares some of his routine work with his subordinates so that he can concentrate on an important issue which requires his active role.

  • Note: -The manager still is accountable for the performance of the assigned tasks.
  • The authority granted can be taken back and re-delegated to another person.

Elements of Delegation

Authority:

  1. Right of an individual to command his subordinates and to take action within his powers
  2. Flows from top to bottom, i.e., the superior has authority over the subordinate.
  3. Maintain order in the organization by giving the managers the right to give directions.
  4. Determines the superior-subordinate relationship wherein the superior communicates his decision to the subordinate, expecting fulfillment from him.

Responsibility:

  1. The obligation of a subordinate to properly perform the assigned duty.
  2. Arises from a superior-subordinate relationship because the subordinate is bound to perform the duty assigned to him by his superior.
  3. Flows upwards i.e., a subordinate will always be responsible to his superior.
  4. Delegation the authority must be equal to the assigned responsibility. If authority granted is more than responsibility, it may lead to misuse of authority, and if responsibility assigned is more than authority it may make a person ineffective.

Accountability (answerability):

  1. Means being answerable for the final outcome. Once authority has been delegated and responsibility accepted, one cannot refuse accountability.
  2. Cannot be delegated and flows upwards i.e., a subordinate will be accountable to a superior for satisfactory performance of work.
  3. Generally forced through regular feedback on the amount of work done.

Differences in the elements of delegation

“Authority can be delegated but responsibility cannot”. Explain the statement in brief–

According to the principle of absolute responsibility, authority can be delegated but responsibility and accountability cannot be delegated by a manager. The manager is responsible or accountable to his own superior for both, the tasks that he has assigned his subordinates and the acts of his subordinates. In other words, only authority can be delegated but responsibility and accountability are absolute.

For example: if a foreman fails to get 100 units produced by the workers on any day, he is responsible to his superior. He cannot escape by saying that the workers were at fault. Similarly, the factory manager remains responsible to his superior for the work he entrusted to this foreman. He cannot escape from the responsibility by passing on the blame to his foreman.

Importance of delegation

  1. Basis of management hierarchy:
    • Establishes superior-subordinate relationships, which are the basis of the hierarchy of management which in long run facilitates decentralization
  2. Effective management:
    • By delegating routine tasks managers can concentrate on important tasks and concentrate in new areas.
  3. Coordination:
    • Help to define the powers, duties and answerability related to the various positions in an organization
    • Which reduces duplication of effort
  4. Assist In growth:
    • Subordinate gets to experience new areas for the work assigned to them
    • When new products and new departments are created they can be appointed.
  5. Motivation of employees:
    • Trust on the part of the superior and commitment on the part of the subordinate motivate the subordinate to perform better and improve his confidence
  6. Employee development:
    • Employees get opportunities to  gain experience and develop them for higher positions