Delegation Of Authority

Delegation of authority The action by which a commander assigns part of his or her authority commensurate with the assigned task to a subordinate commander. While ultimate responsibility cannot be relinquished, delegation of authority carries with it the imposition of a measure of responsibility. The extent of the authority delegated must be clearly stated.

Delegating It is impractical for the supervisor to handle all of the work of the department directly. In order to meet the organization's goals, focus on objectives, and ensure that all work is accomplished, supervisors must delegate authority. Authority is the legitimate power of a supervisor to direct subordinates to take action within the scope of the supervisor's position. By extension, this power, or a part thereof, is delegated and used in the name of a supervisor. Delegation is the downward transfer of formal authority from superior to subordinate. The employee is empowered to act for the supervisor, while the supervisor remains accountable for the outcome. Delegation of authority is a person-to-person relationship requiring trust, commitment, and contracting between the supervisor and the employee. The supervisor assists in developing employees in order to strengthen the organization. He or she gives up the authority to make decisions that are best made by subordinates. This means that the supervisor allows subordinates the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. He or she does not supervise subordinates' decision-making, but allows them the opportunity to develop their own skills. The supervisor lets subordinates know that he or she is willing to help, but not willing to do their jobs for them. The supervisor is not convinced that the best way for employees to learn is by telling them how to solve a problem. This results in those subordinates becoming dependent on the supervisor. The supervisor allows employees the opportunity to achieve and be credited for it. An organization's most valuable resource is its people. By empowering employees who perform delegated jobs with the authority to manage those jobs, supervisors free themselves to manage more effectively. Successfully training future supervisors means delegating authority. This gives employees the concrete skills, experience, and the resulting confidence to develop themselves for higher positions. Delegation provides better managers and a higher degree of efficiency. Thus, collective effort, resulting in the organization's growth, is dependent on delegation of authority.

Responsibility and Accountability Equally important to authority is the idea that when an employee is given responsibility for a job, he or she must also be given the degree of authority necessary to carry it out. Thus, for effective delegation, the authority granted to an employee must equal the assigned responsibility. Upon accepting the delegated task, the employee has incurred an obligation to perform the assigned work and to properly utilize the granted authority. Responsibility is the obligation to do assigned tasks. The individual employee is

responsible for being proficient at his or her job. The supervisor is responsible for what employees do or fail to do, as well as for the resources under their control. Thus, responsibility is an integral part of a supervisor's authority. Responsibilities fall into two categories: individual and organizational. Employees have individual responsibilities to be proficient in their job. They are responsible for their actions. Nobody gives or delegates individual responsibilities. Employees assume them when they accept a position in the organization. Organizational responsibilities refer to collective organizational accountability and include how well departments perform their work. For example, the supervisor is responsible for all the tasks assigned to his or her department, as directed by the manager. When someone is responsible for something, he or she is liable, or accountable to a superior, for the outcome. Thus, accountability flows upward in the organization. All are held accountable for their personal, individual conduct. Accountability is answering for the result of one's actions or omissions. It is the reckoning, wherein one answers for his or her actions and accepts the consequences, good or bad. Accountability establishes reasons, motives and importance for actions in the eyes of managers and employees alike. Accountability is the final act in the establishment of one's credibility. It is important to remember that accountability results in rewards for good performance, as well as discipline for poor performance.

The Delegation Process The delegation process has five phases: (1) preparing, (2) planning, (3) discussing, (4) auditing, and (5) appreciating. The first step in delegating is to identify what should and should not be delegated. The supervisor should delegate any task that a subordinate performs better. Tasks least critical to the performance of the supervisor's job can be delegated. Any task that provides valuable experience for subordinates should be delegated. Also, the supervisor can delegate the tasks that he or she dislikes the most. But, the supervisor should not delegate any task that would violate a confidence. · Preparing includes establishing the objectives of the delegation, specifying the task that needs to be accomplished, and deciding who should accomplish it. · Planning is meeting with the chosen subordinate to describe the task and to ask the subordinate to devise a plan of action. As Andrew Carnegie once said, "The secret of success is not in doing your own work but in recognizing the right man to do it." Trust between the supervisor and employee - that both will fulfill the commitment - is most important. · Discussing includes reviewing the objectives of the task as well as the subordinate's plan of action, any potential obstacles, and ways to avoid or deal with these obstacles. The supervisor should clarify and solicit feedback as to the employee's understanding. Clarifications needed for delegation include the desired results (what not how), guidelines, resources available, and consequences (good and bad). Delegation is similar

to contracting between the supervisor and employee regarding how and when the work will be completed. The standards and time frames are discussed and agreed upon. The employee should know exactly what is expected and how the task will be evaluated. · Auditing is monitoring the progress of the delegation and making adjustments in response to unforeseen problems. · Appreciating is accepting the completed task and acknowledging the subordinate's efforts. Delegation is an essential element of any manager's job. Delegation can range form a major appointment, such as the leadership of a team developing a new product, to one of any number of smaller tasks in everyday life of any organization - from arranging an annual outing to interviewing a job candidate. If used effectively Delegation provides real benefits to every one involved. Major indicator of justified use of power is delegation of authority by the management. It is the process through which a manager gives authority to their subordinates in order to accomplish certain assignments. The work culture, which utilizes the delegation of authority, improves the job satisfaction motivation and morale of employees. Further it is helpful in satisfying the employee's need for recognition, responsibility freedom and autonomy. Delegation is the manager's key to efficiency, and benefits all. Delegation of authority is a challenging effort for all managers to master because it involves effective communication, motivation, goal setting and behavioral modification.

Problems of Effective Delegation The steps taken for effective delegation of authority by the senior managers play an important role in determining subordinates efficient performance of duties. It has observed by many authors that effective delegation of authority is not observed by the Indian managers, towards their subordinates because of their love for authority, desire to influence the subordinates, personality factors of the senior mangers, fear of incompetence, low level trust on their subordinates skill, knowledge and efforts etc. Where the organisation has high power distance there the delegation of authority will be at lower level.

Studies related to Delegation of Authority It has been reported by many authors that Public and Private sector organisation in India have high power, authority and responsibility variations. Thompson, (1967) studies indicate that Organizations in high power distance cultures also tend to maintain tight control mechanisms and implement hierarchical, bureaucratic structures. Individuals in high power distance cultures will have less freedom and autonomy to make bold decisions, since high levels of control tend to encourage conservatism within organizations. Many studies have further observed that in Indian public and private sector organizations, the delegation of authority is varied considerably. Moddie, (1972) found that, in both private and public sectors the Indian managers favor delegation of authority

to him not so much from him to a subordinate. Indian decision-making is a process of much consultative ness in which decisions ultimately emerge at the top, seldom in the middle and almost never at the bottom of private and public managements beyond the routine. Kakar, (1971) in public sector organizations, the inadequate delegation of authority starts from the government. In fact, the policy decision in regards the various pubic sector organizations rest with the government and not with the functional heads of these organizations. Coupled with this, appointment of non professionals-bureaucrats and in many cases, politicians also work against the adequate delegation of authority. More over, in many public sector organizations, there is always a lack of job clarity, which affects the delegation adversely. Further in such organizations, delegates lack of confidence in the subordinates to use the authority properly and effectively and his own reluctance to use the authority in the discharge of his responsibility for fear of criticisms for mistakes are also factors in inadequate delegation of authority. Elhance and Agarwal, (1975) in their studies indicate that there is an inherent desire for with holding of authority on the part of superiors because of the love for authority. Though there is a universal phenomenon, this is operative more strongly in Indian organizations because they have to work in authoritarian culture. Thus inadequate delegation starts right from the top and flows through the various levels of the organizations. Delegant's love for authority has been identified as a major source for inadequate delegation in Indian organizations. They further that there is moderate degree of delegation of authority both in private and public sector, and the degree of delegation is higher in the later. Further, in both sectors, there is high degree of technical delegation and lowest degree of financial delegation. Lotia, (1967) indicates that in Indian business organizations, there is lack of adequate delegation authority to various managerial levels. In public sector enterprises delegation of authority is not always for the whole job. In most of the enterprises, due to its bureaucratic or semi governmental nature delegation is not enough to enable the manager to execute his duties with confidence and convenience. Weber used the term bureaucracy to describe an organization ordered by rules, laws, and regulations, and indicated that bureaucracies possess hierarchies with systems of super- and subordination. The management of the modern bureaucracy is based on written documents, such as standard operating procedures, which are more or less stable, exhaustive, and which can be learned. (See Mintzberg, 1979). The prototypical bureaucracy is the machine bureaucracy (Mintzberg, 1979), and the primary coordinating mechanism in such an organization is the standardization of work processes. Behavior in such an organization is relatively formal and employee tasks are specialized. Employees contract to receive wages in exchange for submitting to rules, regulations, and supervision, which in turn help employees handle the uncertain future from day to day. However, such a system is ineffective when employees are widely dispersed and direct supervision is not possible. It is also less effective in controlling behavior variability in organizations with a high percentage of tasks with substantial complexity (Wilkins & Ouchi, 1983). These findings clearly indicates that a paradigm shift from the present authoritarian style of leadership

and managerial approaches to democratic and supportive style of approach to be practiced in order to develop a culture of employee cooperation and contribution at work. While looking upon the negative consequence of ineffective delegation of authority and there by to develop a culture of high performance, following steps to be recommended for Indian Managers.

Steps for Effective Delegation of Authority Effective delegation is an essential managerial skill. Practical advice on how to develop and motivate staff, build loyalty, and give and receive feedback will increase your confidence and help you to become a skilled delegate. To develop a culture of high delegation, management should practice following steps; 1. Understand the nature of task 2. Review the task the manager is responsible for. 3. Differentiate the tasks that should be done by others 4. Analyze the skill and capabilities of the subordinates 5. Inform the subordinates the task to be performed 6. Determine what you will delegate 7. Clarify the results you want 8. Be sure to delegate the authority 9. Delegate to the right person. 10. Proper assignment of duties, 11. Be sure the employee understands his authority 12. Encourage and motivate them to take up the assignments willfully. 13. Detail the authority related to job performance. 14. Granting authority to perform. 15. Sharing power. 16. Being flexible. 17. Cross check the subordinates skill to follow the instruction 18. Give freedom and autonomy in task and performance. 19. Exchanges ideas, feelings and values. 20. Develop confidence and will to work as independent 21. Concurrent job monitoring and evaluation of subordinates 22. Clarification and removal of obstacles in functional level 23. Maintain open communication 24. Trust people to do well 25. Never give final responsibility 26. Create a climate of responsibility. 27. Establish a time limit 28. Obtain feedback from employees 29. Solicits feedback. 30. Establish a follow-up schedule

Benefits of Delegation Delegation has a number of benefits. Good delegation saves you time, develops you people, grooms a successor, and motivates. When managers streamline their workload, they increase the amount of time available for essential managerial tasks. The staff feels motivated and more confident, and stress level decrease across the workforce. Effective delegation can save you hundreds of hours of unnecessary work, increase productivity and provide invaluable training to your associates and employees. Effective delegation involves the stimulus of increased responsibility and can provide a delegate with an enriched level of satisfaction as well as greater sense of worth. Delegation is empowerment, and that is the main spring of better work. Your staff will not develop unless they are given tasks that build their abilities, experience, and confidence. They will perform best in a structured environment in which every one is aware of delegated duties and responsibilities and each has the necessary skills and resources to carry out tasks efficiently. Successful leaders build high performing and profitable organizations through effective delegation of authority and purposive use of their knowledge, experience and insight towards the ultimate goal of business surplus generation