Delegation of Authority - Meaning, Importance and its PrinciplesA manager alone cannot perform all the tasks assigned to him. In order to meet the targets, the manager should delegate authority. Show
Delegation of Authority means division of authority and powers downwards to the subordinate. Delegation is about entrusting someone else to do parts of your job. Delegation of authority can be defined as subdivision and sub-allocation of powers to the subordinates in order to achieve effective results. Elements of Delegation
Authority must be well-defined. All people who have the authority should know what is the scope of their authority is and they shouldn’t misutilize it. Authority is the right to give commands, orders and get the things done. The top level management has greatest authority. Authority always flows from top to bottom. It explains how a superior gets work done from his subordinate by clearly explaining what is expected of him and how he should go about it. Authority should be accompanied with an equal amount of responsibility. Delegating the authority to someone else doesn’t imply escaping from accountability. Accountability still rest with the person having the utmost authority. Responsibility flows from bottom to top. The middle level and lower level management holds more responsibility. The person held responsible for a job is answerable for it. If he performs the tasks assigned as expected, he is bound for praises. While if he doesn’t accomplish tasks assigned as expected, then also he is answerable for that. Accountability can not be delegated. For example, if ’A’ is given a task with sufficient authority, and ’A’ delegates this task to B and asks him to ensure that task is done well, responsibility rest with ’B’, but accountability still rest with ’A’. The top level management is most accountable. Being accountable means being innovative as the person will think beyond his scope of job. Accountability, in short, means being answerable for the end result. Accountability can’t be escaped. It arises from responsibility. For achieving delegation, a manager has to work in a system and has to perform following steps : -
Delegation of authority is the base of superior-subordinate relationship, it involves following steps:-
Responsibility is said to be the factor or obligation of an individual to carry out his duties in best of his ability as per the directions of superior. Responsibility is very important. Therefore, it is that which gives effectiveness to authority. At the same time, responsibility is absolute and cannot be shifted. Accountability, on the others hand, is the obligation of the individual to carry out his duties as per the standards of performance. Therefore, it is said that authority is delegated, responsibility is created and accountability is imposed. Accountability arises out of responsibility and responsibility arises out of authority. Therefore, it becomes important that with every authority position an equal and opposite responsibility should be attached. Therefore every manager,i.e.,the delegator has to follow a system to finish up the delegation process. Equally important is the delegatee’s role which means his responsibility and accountability is attached with the authority over to here. Relationship between Authority and ResponsibilityAuthority is the legal right of person or superior to command his subordinates while accountability is the obligation of individual to carry out his duties as per standards of performance Authority flows from the superiors to subordinates, in which orders and instructions are given to subordinates to complete the task. It is only through authority, a manager exercises control. In a way through exercising the control the superior is demanding accountability from subordinates. If the marketing manager directs the sales supervisor for 50 units of sale to be undertaken in a month. If the above standards are not accomplished, it is the marketing manager who will be accountable to the chief executive officer. Therefore, we can say that authority flows from top to bottom and responsibility flows from bottom to top. Accountability is a result of responsibility and responsibility is result of authority. Therefore, for every authority an equal accountability is attached. Differences between Authority and Responsibility
Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)The article is Written By “Prachi Juneja” and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url. Is the ability of one person or department in an organization to influence other people to bring about desired outcomes?Power is defined as the ability of one person or department within an organization to influence other people to bring about desired outcomes. Thus, an dividual or a group of people can exercise power to impact lives. There are five types of power, today, we will explore: legitimate power.
Which of the following best defines delegation of authority?Which of the following best defines delegation of authority? It is the assignment of direct responsibility to a subordinate to complete tasks for which a manager is normally responsible.
Which type of power does a manager enjoy because of his right to promote subordinates?d. referent power. John is a manager at Trespach Inc. His subordinates respect him, and several of them have made comments such as, "I want to be as good a manager as he is one day." He is highly respected and admired.
Which term in goal setting theory refers to the need to make goals highly ambitious but achievable?Which term, in goal-setting theory, refers to the need to make goals highly ambitious but achievable? Goal difficulty.
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