Sunday, June 8, 2008

DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY

The job of the manager is to get the work done by others. The term delegate, in common parlance, means to grant or to confer. Thus, a manager grants or confers on his subordinates, certain tasks and duties, along with the sufficient authority to accomplish these.

“The delegation of Authority is the delivery by one individual to another of the right to act, to make decisions, to requisition resources and to perform other tasks in order to fulfill job responsibilities.” O. Jeff Harris

Delegation is the process by which manager allocate a chunk (part) of their workload to their subordinates. Delegation helps in establishing a pattern of authority between the superior and his subordinates. The delegation of authority by supervisors to subordinates is necessary for the efficient functioning of any organisation, as the superior can’t personally accomplish all tasks or completely supervise all tasks carried out by subordinates. Delegation also allows the subordinates to make decisions within the area of assigned duties.

Delegation is a two-sided relationship that requires sacrifices from both the delegator and the delegant. The delegator must be prepared to sacrifice a portion of his authority, and the delegant must be willing to shoulder additional responsibilities. Delegation requires a fair amount of trust between the delegator and the delegant.


FACTORS AFFECTING DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY

The factors that affect the delegation of authority can be studied from three aspects. These are:
1. The delegator’s (superior’s) aspect.
2. The delegant’s (subordinate’s) aspect.
3. The organizational aspect.

The Delegator’s Aspect
A manager may not delegate authority effectively when he has following things in mind:

Love for Authority: An autocratic manager is not very likely to delegate authority to his subordinates. Such a manager likes to make his importance felt by forcing subordinates to approach him often to get their decisions approved. He likes to maintain tight control over his own activities. Such managers like to convey the impression of being very busy and therefore allow work to be piled high on their desk.

Fear of Subordinate’s Advancement: The fear of subordinate’s advancement also affects the manager’s ability to delegate authority effectively. The superior may fear that the competence and good performance of the subordinate might earn him a promotion. He also fear that the subordinate may excel in his job to such an extent that he may become a contender for the manager’s position, status and title.

Fear of Exposure: A superior may not delegate adequate authority fearing that his managerial shortcomings would be exposed if he does so like, procedures and practices followed are not very good.
Attitude towards Subordinates: Delegation of authority requires a certain amount of trust between the superior and the subordinates. Therefore, the superior’s attitude toward his subordinates, and the subordinate’s attitude towards the superior are important for delegation. Lack of confidence in subordinates results that, he may not only avoid delegation, but also does the subordinate’s work himself. A superior, who does not have good interpersonal relationships with his subordinates, is unlikely to delegate authority to subordinates.

Personality traits and experiences of the superior: The personality traits and experiences of a superior affect the way in which he delegates authority to his subordinates. Autocratic managers are less likely to delegate authority. Many managers usually do not enjoy guiding, reviewing and cross-examining their subordinates, and this is unavoidable when authority is delegated.

The Delegant’s Aspect
Delegation of authority also affected by various factors pertaining to the delegants. These are:

Fear of Criticism: The subordinate may reluctant or hesitant to accept delegated tasks if he suspects that the credit for success will be taken by the boss, and the criticism for failure will be directed toward him. He feels that taking responsibility is asking for trouble.

Lack of Information and Resources: Subordinates are reluctant to accept delegation when they do not have adequate information, knowledge and resources. When tasks are not clearly defined, when adequate authority is not delegated, when instructions are vague, and resources are scarce, subordinates are unlikely to do a good job and their enthusiasm for delegated work dwindles.

Lack of Self-Confidence: Sometimes, subordinates may refuse to take up delegated tasks as they may lack confidence in themselves.

Absence of Rewards and Incentives (Motivation): Many subordinates may be unwilling to take up additional responsibilities and pressure unless they receive some rewards and incentives for satisfactory performance. Therefore, all companies should develop a system of rewards and incentives, which leads to the motivation of the subordinates.

The Organizational Aspect

Apart from the personal factors of the delegator and delegants, delegation of authority also depends on certain organizational aspects. Organizational factors may necessitate even an autocratic superior to delegate his authority include the organization’s policy towards centralization or decentralization, availability of managerial personnel, the type of control mechanisms adopted by the organization, the management philosophy etc. Unfavorable organizational factors may adversely affect the delegation of authority.

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