Delegation of authority and not accountability – Managers can only delegate work and authority to perform that work to subordinates. 2. 2. Parity of Authority and Responsibility : This principle of delegation suggests that when authority is delegated, it should be commensurate with the responsibility of the subordinate. It can be downward, upward or lateral. Therefore, the superior attitude towards his sub-ordinates and the sub-ordinates attitudes towards the superior are important for delegation. It is an obligation to carry out the task assigned and exercise authority judiciously. Accountability- means giving explanations for any variance in the actual performance from the expectations set. For this, the manager has to follow the following principles of effective delegation. Sometimes, sub-ordinates may refuse to take up delegated tasks as they may lack confidence in themselves. ... grounded in change and thus authority and thus governance and yet neither displays any comprehension of the underlying principles and the consequential implications and insights required for competence. Each managerial position in the organisation is a cluster of rights, roles, responsibilities, relationship and obligations which demand the person occupying that position to function in certain ways. The duty of manager does not end by delegating authority and responsibilities to subordinates. They remain accountable for the tasks assigned to subordinates and are answerable to their superiors for its performance. (7) For Proper Delegation Motivation through Positive Incentives be Given to Subordinate: This will be helpful in accepting the responsibility happily and can show excellent performances. A superior may not delegate adequate authority fearing that his managerial shortcomings would be exposed if he does. If delegation leads to too much concentration of work then it should be withdrawn as soon as possible to avoid the futility of delegation Limitation. (iii) Certain decisions are apt to create an uncomfortable precedent-being off the track or running counter to recognized enterprise policy. (5) Sub-Ordinate Must Work Within the Delegated Authority: Once a sub-ordinate is assigned work and delegated authority, he should be allowed to take decision relating to matter within his jurisdiction. 10. Delegation Limitations A delegation of authority does not imply the complete surrender of power. It entails the division of workload and sharing responsibility. When the enterprise is organized on the basis of functional organisation, the delegation of authority is also done on the functional basis. A manager may not delegate authority effectively when he has a love for authority, fear of sub-ordinates advancement, fear of his shortcomings being exposes and a negative attitude towards employees. In such an atmosphere the subordinate is unsure of himself and does not like to have a ‘head on collision’ with delegation. Factors Affecting 9. It is the division of authority and powers downwards to the subordinate; the act of using the power of other people's help. The delegation of authority principles are explained below; 1. Certain activities are rather complex and need expertise for doing these. Fearing that he might lose power 2. Delegation of authority refers to the subdivision and sub-allocation of powers to the subordinates in order to achieve effective results. add this page. It may also be used as a device to motivate the subordinate. Even after delegating, … Management may have a history of doling out verbal criticisms, negative performance evaluations, even termination notices for those who make mistakes. This is also a barrier to effective delegation. They use financial and non-financial (participative decision-making, recognition etc.) This helps them to know their bosses and subordinates to whom they can issue instructions. The resources at their disposal may be grossly insufficient to do a good job. In the process of delegation, three actions are involved. In fact, the authority and responsibility should be made clear to the subordinate so that he will know what he is expected to do within the powers assigned to them. i. Barriers to delegation can be overcome through the following measures: When superiors are reluctant to delegate because they want to do things themselves rather than allowing subordinates to do, they should realise the need for delegation. The degree of delegation defines the limit within which a sub­ordinate manager has to decide the things. The authority of line managers to increase the working hours may be resented by the workers. Delegation is a technique and in order to perfect it, managers need some practice. Peer groups in this case come together and carry out the task as a team. It also induces a sense of security among both the executives and their subordinates. Also, a certain authority is delegated to the subordinate to the extent, which is sufficient to accomplish the assigned responsibility. When instructions are vague and resources are scarce, sub-ordinates are unlikely to do a good job and their enthusiasm for delegated work dwindles. Even an initial move (not so large in itself) can trigger off the wide commitment chain. The process of delegation enables a person to assign work task to his subordinate and give them necessary authority to accomplish it successfully. They keep authority with them and told subordinate to follow them mechanically without intellectual input. Accountability is the liability created for the use of authority. Provide sufficient authority to subordinates for accomplishing goal assignments. The fear of criticism arising out of failure may be a strong deterrent preventing him from becoming a candidate for delegatee roles. Delegation of Authority means division of authority and powers downwards to the subordinate. The subordinate will be accountable to his boss who is over him in hierarchy of organisation. Principles of Effective Delegation of Authority ↓ Knowledge of Objectives : Before delegating authority, the subordinates should be made to understand their duties and responsibilities. (viii) Policy decisions are usually retrained at higher management levels. 3. There should be proper matching of the job and the persons performing those jobs. Delegation is an important managerial skill requiring a manager to: (i) Size up his total workload in operational terms. Thus it means an obligation to carry out certain activities with accountability for performance. Once a man’s job grows beyond his personal capacity, his success lies in his ability to multiply himself through other people. A manager may also not delegate authority to his sub-ordinates if he likes to maintain a tight control over his activities. For some subordinates, recognition and praise may be important incentive, while monetary incentive like reward for better performance may be important for others. Limits of authority allow the sub-ordinate to take initiative and freedom of action within the limits. No manager would like to go this way. (ii) Divide his total workload into sub-tasks. Necessary organisational activity – Managers cannot avoid delegation. Responsibility or accountability cannot be delegated. The force of attraction of group members is so strong that if they have to obey the superior or group members, they may choose the latter. It may be due to boss-subordinate relationship or uncertain system response. The fear of criticism also makes a sub-ordinate reluctant to accept authority. Accountability moves upward because a person is always accountable to the executive who delegated authority to him. Managers, therefore, organise training programmes to enhance their knowledge on the tasks assigned. This becomes more serious for superior when they get more talented subordinates. Authority is derived from responsibility. Change Number/Effective Date: DFARS Change 11/30/2020 / 11-30-2020- Download Entire DFARS - HTML PDF. Unity of Command 6. Managers should praise the work of subordinates when they perform well. Delegation of authority requires a certain amount of trust between the superior and his sub-ordinate. This is a form of lateral delegation. 4. There must be a balance between responsibility and authority for organisational efficiency and economy. Whatever the nature and extent of delegation, managers continuously monitor the activities of subordinates to review their progress and provide guidance, whenever necessary. Responsibility without sufficient authority will made the sub-ordinate ineffective because he cannot have proper control over the operation of activities and he cannot perform his duties well. If he is to report to two bosses for the same job, it will give rise to confusion and conflict and in such cases his loyalty may be divided. The following are the principles of delegation: 1. LIMITATIONS OF DELEGATION Gives senior managers more time to focus on important, strategic roles If the task is not well-defined or if inadequate training is given, then delegation will be unlikely to succeed Shows trust in subordinates which can challenge and motivate them No Delegation of Total Authority – A manager cannot delegate his/her total authority to the subordinates.He/she can delegate only a portion of it.A supervisor’s status would be affected if he/she delegates total authority to the subordinates. (3) Dual Sub-Ordination be Avoided as far as Possible: The sub-ordinate should be accountable to their seniors. They have to master the art of delegation that is, how to delegate and what to delegate. In some cases, the manager fails in establishing proper channel of delegation. This is so, regardless of the size of the commitment which may be large, medium or even small. They feel that it is better to do it them-self rather than wasting energy in correcting the mistakes of subordinate. They are discussed below: The delegation gives an opportunity to learn to get things done through and with people. A safe reply would be- I am already over-burdened. Subordinate may Get Credit- I’ll lose importance if I let others do the job: Managers often show great reluctance to delegate portions of their work to subordinates because such an act would dilute their authority and importance in the organisation. Manager must seek such a balance for himself and also for his subordinates. Delegation is, thus, not a science. In between if any help is needed by the delegate he should be provided with such help either directly through someone who knows the work and is willing to help. Confronting the decision single-handed is nothing but an open invitation to troubles later on. Personality Traits and Experiences of the Superiors: The personality traits and experiences of a superior affect the way in which he delegates authority to his sub-ordinates. 2. How well he delegates determines how well he can manage. Starved of necessary facilities, their enthusiasm gets dampened forcing them to reject further assignments. Many sub-ordinates may be unwilling to take up additional responsibilities and pressure unless they receive some rewards and incentives for satisfactory performance. PRINCIPLES OF DELEGATION: Clarity of delegation: Employees must give a distinct idea of a task assigned, the functions to perform, and perform the authority given task. Sharing of work and authority, between a manager and his subordinates, is known as delegation. What to delegate and when to delegate are two ticklish questions which a delegator has to answer to himself within the framework of the organisation? Reward acceptance of responsibility. 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