1. For every organization, small or big, delegation is essential.

2. Managers and supervisors at all levels can lessen their burden by delegating authority.

3. Ability of sub-ordinates increases as they are given some responsibility.

4. Delegation of authority reduces the work load. Hence work is done very quickly and efficiently.

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5 Delegation of authority helps trained sub-ordinates also.

The delegation of authority may be done in the following manner.

The duty of a sub-ordinate should be defined clearly by the supervisor (duty list) and must be understood by the former.

Secondly, necessary authority may also be conferred upon him corresponding to the duty list, so that he knows his accountability and responsibility to the superiors.

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Thirdly, though a manager may delegate certain authority on his sub-ordinates to perform certain acts, still he is responsible to his superiors i.e., the manager cannot delegate his responsibility, but work can be assigned to his sub-ordinates. Therefore, in the initial stages, counter check by the assigning officer prevents unpleasant results.

The delegation of authority means fixing up of responsibility on the sub-ordinates by the superiors. Sub-ordinates cannot disown the responsibility. If a sub-ordinate neglects the responsibility after the delegation of authority, he is doing so at the cost of his job. The assigning officer has the authority to remove him from service.

The three components of delegation are Responsibility, Authority and Accountability. Each component depends on the others. They are equally important, interrelated and interdependent, and the three are inseparable features of process of delegation.

Responsibility:

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The work or duty of the sub-ordinates in the organization is called responsibility. Responsibility is expressed in terms of functions, when a person is asked to control the working of a machine. Responsibility is expressed in terms of objectives, when a person is to produce a particular piece of product.

A manager assigns a certain function, work or duty to his sub-ordinate for performance. This is termed as assignment or responsibility.

Allen states, “Responsibility is the work assigned to a position. Responsibility refers to the mental and physical activities which must be performed to carry out a task or duty.”

Donnell states, “Responsibility may be defined as the obligation of a sub-ordinate, to whom duty has been assigned to perform the duty.”

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Davis states, “Responsibility is the obligation of an individual to perform assigned duties to the best of his ability under the direction of his executive leader.”

Authority:

It means the powers and rights entrusted to a person to supervise the performance of work delegated. A manager grants authority i.e., rights and powers to be exercised by the sub-ordinate. It is the right to perform certain assigned work or duties. The supervisor should delegate sufficient authority to do the assigned work.

Mooney stated, “Co-ordination is the all inclusive principle of organisation and finds its foundation in authority, the supreme coordinating power.”

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According to Simon, “Authority may be defined as the power to make decisions which guide the actions of another. It is a relationship between two individuals, one superior and the other sub-ordinate.

The superior frames and the transmits decisions with the expectation that these will be accepted by the sub-ordinate. The sub-ordinate executes such decisions and his conduct is determined by them.”

According to George R Terry, “Authority is the official and legal right to command action by others and to enforce compliance. Compliance is obtained in a number of ways- through persuasion, sanctions, requests, coercion, constraint or force.”

Accountability:

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It is an obligation to account for and report upon the discharge of responsibility or use of authority. Accountability is the liability created for the use of authority. It is the answerability for performance of the assigned duties. Authority flows downwards whereas accountability flows upwards.