Delegation of

 Delegation is an administrative process of getting things done by others by giving

them responsibility. All important decisions are taken at top level by Board of
Directors. The execution is entrusted to Chief Executive. The Chief Executive assigns
the work to departmental managers who in I urn delegate the authority to their

Authority
Meaning of Delegation
 Delegation of Authority means division of authority and powers downwards to the
subordinate.
 Delegation is about entrusting someone else to do parts of your job. Delegation of
authority can be defined as subdivision and sub-allocation of powers to the
subordinates in order to achieve effective results.
 Delegation refers to the transfer of responsibility for specific tasks from one person
to another.
 From a management perspective, delegation occurs when a manager assigns specific
tasks to their employees. By delegating those tasks to team members, managers free
up time to focus on higher-value activities while also keeping employees engaged
with greater autonomy.
subordinates. Every superior delegates the authority to subordinates for getting a
particular work done. The process goes to the level where actual work is executed.
The person who is made responsible for a particular work is given the requisite
authority for getting it done.
Definitions:
 Allen: The entrustment of a part or responsibility and authority to
another and the creation of accountability for performance.”
 O.S. Hiner:“Delegation takes place when one person gives another
the right to perform work on his behalf and in his name, and the
second person accepts a corresponding duty or obligation to do
what is required of him.”
 Douglas C. Basil: “Delegation refers to a manager’s ability to share
his burden with others. It consists of granting authority or the right
to decision making in certain defined areas and charging

subordinates with responsibility for carrying through an assigned

task.”
 Koontz and O’ Donnell state that, “The entire process of delegation
involves the determination of results expected, the assignment of
tasks, the delegation of authority for accomplishment of these tasks
and the exaction of responsibility for their accomplishment.”
Elements of Delegation
Three elements of Delegation
1.Authority
2.Responsinility
3.Accountiility

Elements of Delegation cont...
1.Authority - in context of a business
organization, authority can be defined as
the power and right of a person to use
and allocate the resources efficiently, to
take decisions and to give orders so as to
achieve the organizational objectives.
Authority always flows from top to
bottom. It explains how a superior gets
work done from his subordinate by
clearly explaining what is expected of him
and how he should go about it. Authority
should be accompanied with an equal
amount of responsibility. Steps in
delegation of authority a) Assignment
of Duties
b) Granting of authority
c) Creating Responsibility and
Accountability
1. Assignment of Duties - The delegator first tries to define
the task and duties to the subordinate. He also has to
Elements of Delegation cont...
2. Responsibility - is the duty of the person to
complete the task assigned to him. A person who
is given the responsibility should ensure that he
accomplishes the tasks assigned to him. If the
tasks for which he was held responsible are not
completed, then he should not give explanations
or excuses.
Responsibility without adequate authority leads
to discontent and dissatisfaction among the
person. responsibility as ‘the obligation of a
subordinate to whom a superior has duly
assigned a duty or a task to perform the services
needed’. Thus it means an obligation to carry out
certain activities with accountability for
performance. In organisations, responsibility is
the duty to perform tasks, functions, or
assignments by a member of an organisation.
• Responsibility flows from bottom to top. The
middle level and lower level management holds
more responsibility. The person held responsible
for a job is answerable for it. If he performs the
tasks assigned as expected, he is bound for
praises. While if he doesn’t accomplish tasks
define the result expected from the subordinates.
Clarity of duty as well as result expected has to be the
first step in delegation.
2. Granting of authority - Subdivision of authority takes
place when a superior divides and shares his authority
with the subordinate. It is for this reason, every
subordinate should be given enough independence to
carry the task given to him by his superiors. The
managers at all levels delegate authority and power
which is attached to their job positions. The subdivision
of powers is very important to get effective results.
3. Creating Responsibility and Accountability - The
delegation process does not end once powers are
granted to the subordinates. They at the same time
have to be obligatory towards the duties assigned to
them.
• Responsibility is said to be the factor or obligation of an
individual to carry out his duties in best of his ability as
per the directions of superior. Responsibility is very
important. Therefore, it is that which gives effectiveness
to authority. At the same time, responsibility is absolute
and cannot be shifted.
• Accountability, on the others hand, is the obligation of
the individual to carry out his duties as per the
standards of performance. Therefore, it is said that
authority is delegated, responsibility is created and
accountability is imposed.
• Accountability arises out of responsibility and
responsibility arises out of authority. Therefore, it
becomes important that with every authority position
an equal and opposite responsibility should be attached.
assigned as expected, then also he is answerable
for that.
Elements of Delegation cont...
3. Accountability - means giving explanations for any
variance in the actual performance from the
expectations set.
• Accountability is defined as a system of management
which assigns certain responsibilities to line or staff
personnel and, in turn, expects them to be
accountable or answerable for the accomplishment of
stated objectives within their area of responsibility.
• Please note that authority flows downwards,
whereas accountability flows upwards through the
chain of command or through the organisation
pyramid. Each manager from the bottom is held
accountable to his or her superior. The downward
flow of authority and upward flow of accountability
must have parity or equality at each position in the
management hierarchy. Again a subordinate is
accountable to only one immediate superior and no
more, i.e., one superior to each subordinate. Single
accountability improves discipline and promotes
coordination.
• Once a manager has assigned responsibilities to his
subordinate, and has delegated authority to him,
accountability has to be exacted from the
subordinate.
. Delegation of Authority – Features
Differences between 1. Delegation is a process – Managers delegate tasks to
subordinates in a sequential order of steps.
Authority and 2. On-going process – Delegation is a continuous process.
Managers continue to delegate tasks and get them
Responsibility delegated by their superiors to achieve the organisational
Authority Responsibility goals.
3. It is an art, not science – When delegator delegates to
subordinates, it does not necessarily mean that subordinates
It is the legal right of a person or a willtoperform those tasks well. There is no cause and effect
It is the obligation of subordinate
superior to command his subordinates. perform the work assigned to him.relationship between the task assigned and their actual
performance. Delegation is, thus, not a science. It is the art
of how and what manager delegates to subordinates.
Authority is attached to the position of a Responsibility arises out of 4. Delegation of authority and not accountability – Managers
superior in concern. superiorsubordinate relationship canin only delegate work and authority to perform that work
to subordinates. Delegation does not mean that managers
which subordinate agrees to carry out
are not accountable to their superiors for the task assigned
duty given to him. to subordinates. They remain accountable for the tasks
Authority can be delegated by a superior Responsibility cannot be shiftedassigned
and is to subordinates and are answerable to their
to a subordinate absolute superiors for its performance.
5. Necessary organisational activity – Managers cannot avoid
delegation. They cannot perform all the tasks themselves.
They have to master the art of delegation that is, how to
It flows from top to bottom. It flows from bottom to top. delegate and what to delegate. Corporate performance is
judged by how good the managers are in getting the work
done through others by the process of delegation.
6. It has different forms – Delegation can take different forms.
It can be downward, upward or lateral.

Delegation can take three forms:

1. Top to Bottom Delegation: Steps Involved in the Process of

The process of delegation where superiors
delegate workload to subordinates is top to Delegation:
bottom delegation.
Step # 1. Determine the Goals:
2. Bottom to Top Delegation:
This form of delegation recognises the Step # 2. Define Responsibility:
importance of informal groups in the formal Step # 3. Define Authority:
organisation structures. The force of attraction of
group members is so strong that if they have to Step # 4. Motivate Subordinates:
obey the superior or group members, they may Step # 5. Hold
choose the latter. Managers have to be careful in Accountability:
issuing orders/directions to subordinates to carry
Step # 6. Train
out the delegated tasks.
Subordinates:
3. Lateral Delegation:
When managers delegate authority to
subordinates in the hierarchy, subordinates Step # 7. Establish Control:
further delegate the tasks informally to people at Steps Involved in the Process of
the same level in other units. authority and
responsibility delegated to sales manager is Delegation cont...
shared by him with managers of other Step # 1. Determine the Goals:
departments working at the same level. This is a The first step of delegation is to establish the goal or
form of lateral delegation. Peer groups in this objective of the position/post so that the person
case come together and carry out the task as a determines the need for delegation. If delegation is
team. initiated in the sales department, the objective should
be made clear; sales promotion or sales retention.
Step # 2. Define Responsibility:
 Once requirement of the job is defined, responsibility
of different individuals is determined in terms of tasks
assigned to them. This helps them to know their bosses
and subordinates to whom they can issue instructions.
Step # 3. Define Authority:
The job having been assigned, authority is given so that
people can discharge responsibilities related to that
job.
Step # 4. Motivate Subordinates:
The duty of manager does not end by delegating
authority and responsibilities to subordinates. He
makes sure that subordinates willingly contribute to
the job assigned so that organisational goals can be
optimally achieved. Managers motivate the
subordinates to work with zeal and enthusiasm. They
use financial and non-financial (participative
decisionmaking, recognition etc.) incentives to
motivate the subordinates.
Steps Involved in the Process of
Delegation cont...
Step # 5. Hold Accountability:
Whatever the nature and extent of delegation, managers
continuously monitor the activities of subordinates to
review their progress and provide guidance, whenever
necessary. They hold them accountable for the work
assigned but remain ultimately accountable to their
recommend for the reward or
punishment etc.
(2) Geographical Delegation:
When the work of enterprise is located
at different distant places it is not
possible for an executive to manage the
whole affairs single handed. He then
proceeds to delegate his authority to
those who are posted at the places
where physically he cannot be present
round the year. This is known as
geographical method of delegating the
authority.
Delegation of Authority –Methods
cont..
(3) Functional Delegation:
When the enterprise is organized on the
basis of functional organisation, the
delegation of authority is also done on the
superiors for successful completion of the task and its
coordination with the overall organisational work.
Step # 6. Train Subordinates:
Despite the authority commensurate with responsibility,
subordinates may not be able to effectively carry out the
delegated tasks. Managers, therefore, organise training
programmes to enhance their knowledge on the tasks
assigned.
Step # 7. Establish Control:
Specific standards of performance are framed so that
subordinates can assess their performance against
standards, control their activities and coordinate them
with goals of the organisation.
Delegation of Authority – 4
Important Methods
(1) Administration Delegation:
When a few of the administrative
functions are delegated to sub-ordinate
staff, it is called administrative
delegation. These functions are generally
of routine nature, e.g. to maintain
discipline, to supervise the work, to
functional basis. All the heads are given to
manage their departments according to their
skill, knowledge and experience of course;
they are accountable to the Chief Executive.
(4) Technical Delegation:
This method of delegation authority is based
on technical knowledge and skill. Here the
authority is delegated in order to get the
advantages of expert and experienced hands
and their technical skill.
Delegation of Authority – Guide lines
Effective Delegation
• The following guidelines have been advanced by
different writers to help managers delegate
effectively. The Subordinate:
1. Select subordinates in the light of the task to be
performed. Provide guidance, help and
information to them. Maintain open lines of
communication.
2. Do not be overawed by the errors committed by
subordinates. Remove the elements of fear and
frustration. Allow them to learn through mistakes.
 One does not learn to play tennis/cricket by
reading a book- Require completed work.
3. Allow the subordinates to see the big picture. The
subordinate needs to know why his work is both
necessary and important.
4. Provide sufficient authority to subordinates for
accomplishing goal assignments.
5. Reward acceptance of responsibility. Perspiration
does not go very far without a little inspiration.
Guide lines for Effective Delegation cont...
The Control Systems:
1. Prevent illegitimate usurpation of authority by establishing
broad controls.
2. Provide standards so that the subordinate can measure and
evaluate his performance against the standard.
It would seem easy and simple to delegate the task to
subordinates observing the above guidelines. But as rightly
pointed out by Robert Fulmer; delegation is almost never
simple. It is in fact, a skill that separates men from the boys in
management. Delegation demands a closer look at all the
contingent factors like size, task complexity, costliness of the
decision, organizational culture, qualities of subordinates etc.
The subordinate must be willing to make a determined effort
and the supervisor must be willing to extend freedom and
cooperation, in turn. Koontz and O’ Donnell have listed some
personal qualities that can contribute to effective delegation.
An Effective Delegator Should:
I. Give other peoples’ ideas a chance.
II. Allow subordinates to take decisions independently.
III. Be a patient counsellor and not a ‘hovering hawk’.
IV. Repose confidence and trust in subordinates.V. Know how to
use controls judiciously.
Guidelines for Securing Effective
Delegation
(1) There Must be Proper Planning:
An executive must plan beforehand as to what is to be
achieved, if delegation of authority is made. He should define
clearly the objectives to be achieved and the functions to be
performed by delegating the authority.
(2) There Must be Parity of Authority and Responsibility:
Proper balance must be maintained between authority and
responsibility. 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.
3) Dual Sub-Ordination be Avoided as far as Possible:
The sub-ordinate should be accountable to their seniors. 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.
(4) Limits of Authority Should be Clearly and Well Defined:
The limits of authority of each sub-ordinate should be well
defined so that there may not be misuse of authority. Limits of
authority allow the sub-ordinate to take initiative and freedom
of action within the limits. Any matter beyond his authority be
referred to the superior.

(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. Only the matters beyond the scope of
subordinates authority be dealt with by the superior. They
should confine themselves to the exceptions.
(9) Proper Control Techniques be Developed: In a good
organisation proper control techniques should be developed
and major deviations from standard should be checked. There
should be no interference in day-to-day functioning of
subordinates.

Guidelines for Securing Effective

Delegation
(6) Effective and Free Flow of Communication between the
Delegator and the Delegated is Essential to Make the
Delegation Effective: This will help the superior to give clear
and precise instructions and the sub-ordinate may seek the
necessary clarifications and guidance. Accurate and timely
information should be available to the executives so that any
obstacle may be removed in the way of performance of the
assigned task to the sub-ordinate.
(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. Incentives may be monetary or non-monetary.
For some subordinates, recognition and praise may be
important incentive, while monetary incentive like reward for
better performance may be important for others.
(8) Proper Selection and Training of Personnel: Selection of
personnel to various jobs should be fair and just. It should not
be arbitrary but it must be based on certain principles. Only
right persons should be placed on the right job.

If there is no authority to carry out his responsibilities he will be
unable to carry out his tasks. And only the delegation of authority
without any responsibility will make him irresponsible and
ineffective.
Principles of Delegation
4] Absoluteness of Responsibility
Even after delegating the authority to his subordinates, the manager remains responsible
for their work and performance to his superiors. And the subordinates are responsible for
their work to their superiors as well.
5] Unity of Command
In an organization, there must always be a unity of command. So at any given time, there
must be only one superior for every subordinate. If one subordinate receives instructions
and orders from more than one superior it will lead to confusion and conflict. He may have
to pick who to listen to and it may lead to divided loyalties.
6] Defining the Limits of Authority
Another point to note is that the manager must ensure that all the subordinates have
welldefined authority. So we can avoid any overlapping of authority which enables the
subordinate to carry out his work efficiently. And if there is work outside this scope of
authority, the subordinate must refer this work to his superiors.
Principles of Delegation
1] Defining the Function
Before actually delegating the authority, the manager should clearly
define the scope and the extent of the tasks to the subordinate.
The subordinate should be aware of the tasks he has to perform, the
activities he must oversee, their relationship with the other jobs and
their importance. This will help him perform the task better.
2] Defining the Results
Before delegating the authority, the manager should discuss with his
subordinates the results he expects from this task.
This will allow the subordinates to understand the standard of work
and the level of results expected from them. And then accordingly
the authority must be delegated.
3] Balance of Authority with Responsibility
The should be parity between the responsibility and the authority
delegated to the subordinate for effective delegation.
7] Authority level principle
Managers at each and every level should try to make his own decision and avoid referring
to his superior’s decision all the time and try to make their decision which they are
authorized to. Only if the decisions are out of their scope they should refer to their
superiors.
Control
• In an organization, to “control” means to constrain
work processes, human activity, and environmental
events so that the organization creates value. That
is, a refrigeratormanufacturing business must
control work processes so that it can produce
refrigerators that work correctly. The company
must control human activity so that the production
staff actually gets the refrigerators produced on
time, and the company must control the flow of
 new technology from the environment so that it
can incorporate new innovations into its
production.
• Control becomes manifest in organizations as a communicative
system; that is, the patterns of discourse and activity that legitimately
constrain work in directions functional for the organization. Scholars
have identified four main systems of control with the first three found
in the work of Edwards (1979).
• Simple control refers to the direct and personal type of control most
often seen in a supervisor–subordinate relationship. The supervisor
simply communicates orders directly to the subordinate.
• Technical control refers to a structural system developed around
organizational processes, such as how the speed of an assembly line
controls the pace of worker activity.
• 3. Peterson and Plowman:- “Span of control refers to the maximum number
of subordinates which may be placed under the jurisdiction of one executive
immediately superior to them.”
• 4. Elliott Jaques has the view-point that a manager may have up to as many
immediate sub-ordinates that he can know personally in the sense that he
can assess personal effectiveness.
• 5. Haimann and Scott defined span of control as the number of subordinates
who can be effectively supervised and managed.
• 6. Longenecker simply defined span of control as the number of immediate
subordinates reporting to a given manager
Types of span of control:
1. Wide span of control: Wide span of control
means a manager can supervise and control
effectively a large number of persons at a time. It
is because shorter span of control leads to rise in
• Bureaucratic control identifies the system of control that derives from
organizational hierarchy and rules, such as seen in an organizational
chart or in employee regulations or contracts.
Span of Control:
• Span of control plays a significant role in organizations and has its implications
for organizational structure i.e. interactions between supervisors and
subordinates and decision making process.
• Sub-ordinates that can be personally directed by a supervisor or an
administrator is termed as span of control. The term can be defined as:-
• 1. Dimock:- “Span of control is the number and range of direct, habitual
communication contacts between the chief executive of an enterprise and his
principle fellow officers.”
• 2. Lois Allen:- “Span of control refers to the number of people that a manager
can supervise.”
number of steps or levels in vertical chain of
command which leads to tall organization. Wide
span of control has features as it leads to
maximized communication; better supervision;
better co-ordination; suitable for routine and
easy jobs; prompt response from employees; less
overhead cost of supervision and greater ability
to respond to environmental changes.
Types of span of control cont..
2. Narrow span of control: When the work and
authority is divided amongst many subordinates and a
manager supervises and controls a small group of
 people, then narrow span of control exists. It adds
more layers or levels of management and so leads to
tall organization. Main features of narrow span of
control are as specialization work can be achieved;
work which is complex and requires tight control and
supervision, there narrow span of control is helpful;
messages can be distorted; co-ordination is difficult to
achieve; communication gaps can come; more
overhead cost of supervision and no quick response to
environmental changes.

Factors affecting span of control cont...
1. The capacity of Superior: capacity means the capability of a supervisor to
understand the problems quickly. Also, communication skills, decision-making
ability, controlling power, leadership skills are important factors of managerial
capacity.
2. The capacity of Subordinate: If the subordinate is qualified and well-organized in
satisfying his roles with little help from the supervisor, the organization can have a
wide span. This means a supervisor can be able to many subordinates as it will
require him just to give the broad plans and give a reduced amount of time on
each.
3. Nature of Work: If they require the subordinates to do a routine job, with which
they are well experienced, then the supervisor can have a broader span. But, if the
work is complex, and the supervisor is mandatory to give instructions, then the
span has to be narrow. Also, the change in the guidelines affects the span of
management. If the guidelines change frequently, then the supervisor needs to
give more time and from now the span would be narrow whereas if the guidelines
continue stable, then a supervisor can concentration on many subordinates.
Similarly, guideline knowledge also plays a critical role in defining the span.
Factors affecting span of control cont...
5. Degree of Decentralization If the supervisor delegates authority to
the subordinates, then he is required to give a reduced amount of
attention to them. Therefore, the advanced the degree of
decentralization, the wider is the span of management. But in case,
subordinates do not have sufficient authority, then the supervisor is
normally checked for the explanations, and as a result, the
supervisor devotes a lot of time to this.
5. Planning: If the subordinates are well-versed about their work roles,
then they will do their work without consulting the supervisor again
and again. This is possible only because of the straight plans that they
follow in their repetitive decisions. Over a proper plan, the workload
of a supervisor decreases and can have a broader span of
management.
6. Staff help: The use of staff help can support the supervisor in
reducing his workload by acting certain managerial tasks. Through
 responsibility, the supervisors can have a broader span of case, the communication is in writing and is collected done
management by a staff personnel; the supervisor can save a lot of time and
Factors affecting span of control: cont... can have the supervisors can have a broader span of
management.
7. Supervision from Others: The traditional method to the span
of management, i.e., each individual should have a single
Thank You
supervisor but nowadays the subordinates are being
managed by other managers in the organization such as staff
personnel. It would help the manager to control have a big
number of subordinates under him.
8. Communication Techniques: The approach of
communication also determines the span of management. It
required if the supervisor does face-to-face communication
with each subordinate, then further time will be spent. As an
outcome, the supervisor cannot have a broader span. But in