3 main elements of delegation

3 main elements of delegation

There are three elements of delegation either explicitly or implicitly such as:

(i) Assignment of Duties,

(ii) Grant of Authority; and

(iii) Creation of Obligation

Duties, authorities, and obligations are the essential elements in the process of delegation. These are inter dependent and must go together for effective delegation.

Duty

The duties, authority and responsibility and the reasons of everyone in the organization should be clearly and completely defined in writing. This will minimize the overlapping or escapism in management.

‘Duty is that which a person is bound by obligation to do things’. Duties may be expressed either in terms of functions or in terms of goals and objectives or results. For effective
delegation, duties must be expressed in terms of goals and objectives; since this will provide a psychological satisfaction to the subordinates.

Authority:

Authority can be defined as ‘the right to give orders and the power to extract obedience’. Henri Fayol differentiated ‘Official Authority’ which is derived from the position in office and ‘personal Authority’ which is compounded of intelligence, experience, moral worth, ability to lead and past services.

Delegating the official authority among the subordinates will infuse the development of personal authority among themselves. While delegating the authority, the limits of authority should be made clear so that the subordinates may act without any hesitation.

Delegation of Authority can be done within the limits established by the policies and procedures of Tine Company. The degree of delegation varies – in accordance with the inherent limits.

Obligation:

It can be defined as the feeling of moral compulsion for accomplishing the assigned duties. In other words obligation leads to the acceptance of responsibilities in carrying out the duties allotted in the course of delegation. The process of obligation is really assumption of responsibility by the subordinates.

When the subordinate knows his assigned responsibilities, he can concentrate his efforts in meeting the requirements of his position. It tends to promote a high morale since he receives full recognition for his achievements. It facilitates the evaluation of performance and serves as a strong stimulus to perform.

Definite fixing of responsibility is advantageous because;

1. It acts as an incentive to a subordinate;

2. It aids in the general speed up ‘of work; and

3. It assists in developing discipline as a means of control.