Delegation

Meaning When a manager is burdened with duties beyond his capacity, he should assign some of his work to some other person. For this managers must have ability to get work done by others. Nobody does anything if he can get anybody else to do it. A manager who insist on doing everything breaks down very soon.

Definition Terry : Delegation means conferring authority from one executive or organization unit to another in order to accomplish a particular task. F.G.Moore : Delegation means assigning work to others & giving them authority to do it.

Elements of Delegation DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY RESPONSIBILITY AUTHORITY ACCOUNTABILITY

1) Responsibility : Initial stage of assigning duty to other person. Follow four rules : Responsibility should be divided clearly. The duties should be assigned according to qualification. Distribution of work should be balance & just. The result which manager expects must be known to the subordinates.

2) Granting of Authority : Power to take decision. If a manager is not given authority to perform the work delegated, he will not be able to fulfill it. Even the decision making will be delayed. Main aim of granting authority is to enable subordinate to perform their job effectively. Authority should be proportionate with the responsibilities assigned. Authority should be stated clearly.

3) Accountability : Third & the last stage. The manager should have some means to ensure that the work is done by the subordinate in the same way he wants. Comparing Standard vs. Actual. The criteria to judge efficiency should be laid down. Subordinates might also be asked to submit a report of their performance.

Principles of Effective Delegation 1) Clarity of Authority & Responsibility. 2) Principle of Unity of command (9). 3) Scalar Principle (4). 4) Parity of Authority & Responsibility (6). 5) Principle of delegation by expected results. 6) Principle of Absoluteness of Responsibility (7). 7) Authority level principle (8). 8) Principle of Standard of performance.