DELEGATION

Lecture Nine

Dr. Henry Mensah

Dept. of Human Resource & Org. Dev.
KNUST School of Business
henbil25@yahoo.com
 DELEGATION

• Delegation is a process of entrusting authority

and responsibility to others through the
various levels of the organization and the
creation of a special manager-subordinate
relationship.

• The main purpose of delegation is to make

organization possible. One cannot exercise all
authority in making decisions as a firm grows.
 DELEGATION

• Delegation is the process whereby an

individual or group transfers to some
other individual or group the duty of
carring out some particular action
and, at the same time, taking some
particular decision.
 DELEGATION

• It means, in effect, entrusting some part

of the work of management to
subordinates. Responsibility is not,
though surrendered, as no manager
avoids ultimate responsibility by
delegating.
 DELEGATION

• There is a limit to the number of

persons that a manager can
personally supervise. After this limit,
the manager must delegate authority
to subordinates to make decisions.
 DELEGATION

• The work is delegated and the superior holds

the subordinate accountable. The subordinate
is responsible for doing the job; it is the
superior’s responsibility to see the job is done.
 DELEGATION

• When authority is delegated, all it means

is that someone has been granted
permission to do something; the superior
must ensure that the subordinate has
sufficient authority to do the job and that
the subordinate has been told how the
authority is to be used.
 DELEGATION

• Delegation can therefore be briefly stated to

be a process whereby a manager.
• assigns duties to subordinates;
• grants them authority to make commitments
to the extent though necessary to enable
those duties to be carried out;
 DELEGATION

• Creates an obligation on the part of

each subordinate for the satisfactory
performance of the job.
• Responsibilities should be clearly
defined at all level before work can be
delegated.
• The creation of accountability should
not be overlooked
 Reasons for delegation

• Lack of time or energy.

• Complexity of rules and new techniques

means specialists are needed.

• Needed for training for management

succession.
 Reasons for delegation

• It is noteworthy that superiors cannot

delegate all their authority; otherwise
they pass their position to their
subordinates.
 Reasons for delegation

• When a superior delegates, a calculated

risk is being taken on the abilities of a
subordinate. Supervision is needed but
should not be too close as this tends
turns to stifle initiative. Many managers
fear to delegate because of the possible
incompetence of subordinates.
 Reasons for delegation

Delegation is therefore an art and the following

points should be noted:
• a manager should ensure that the subordinate
accepts and understands what is involved;
• after giving an outline of the job, the
subordinate to do the job;
• checking should be done periodically, and the
superior should be willing to listen to the ideas
of subordinates;
 Reasons for delegation

• Authority must be given to subordinates,

as a manager cannot make all the
decisions personally. The manager must
trust subordinates to do their job, and
delegate to them those matters which
the subordinates are most competent to
deal with, even though the manager may
make better decisions than the
subordinate.
 DEGREE OF DELEGATION

• This is an illustration of the principle of

comparative costs as applied to
delegation. This principle will be
understood by readers who have studied
economics.
 DEGREE OF DELEGATION

Cost of decisions:
• The more costly the action to be decided
upon, the more probable it is that the decision
will be higher up. For example, a decision to
purchase a computer will be made higher up
the scale of authority than a decision to buy a
storage box for computer disks.
 DEGREE OF DELEGATION

Need for uniformity of policy:

• The greater the need for uniformity, the
greater the amount of centralization. For
example, there often is a need to treat all
customers alike. But too much uniformity
means local knowledge is not used and
initiative is stifled.
 DEGREE OF DELEGATION

History of the organization:

• This could be an important factor as there is a
tendency to retain decentralization authority,
particularly at first when a business amalgamates
and consolidates with other businesses, whereas if
an organization has grown up from a small group
there is the tendency to centralize. The philosophy
of management is also important. For example,
Henry Ford senior, the American motor-car
manufacturer, was very keen on centralization and,
wherever possible, made every major decision
himself.
 DEGREE OF DELEGATION

Availability of capable mangers:

• If there are few managers of quality there will
be less decentralization of authority. The
solution here lies efficient training and
therefore more costly; decentralization can
reduce this problem.
 DEGREE OF DELEGATION

Controls available:
• If control techniques are good, management
will be keener to delegate authority. If
subordinates can be controlled easily, a
manager is more likely to delegate authority
to them.
 Effective ways to delegate
DELEGATE THE WHOLE TASK.
• A manager should delegate an entire task-to
one person rather than dividing it among
several people. This gives the individuals
complete responsibility and increases his or
her initiative while giving the manger some
control over the results.
 Effective ways to delegate
SELECT THE RIGHT PERSON.
• Not all employees have the same capabilities
and degrees of motivation. Managers must
match talent to task if delegation is to be
effective. They should identify subordinates
who have made independent decisions in the
past and have shown a desire for more
responsibility.
 Effective ways to delegate
ENSURE THAT AUTHORITY EQUALS
RESPONSIBILITY.
• Merely assigning a task is not effective
delegation. Managers often load subordinates
with increased responsibility but do not extend
their decision-making range. In adding to having
responsibility for completing a task, the worker
must be given the authority to make decisions
about how best to do the job.
 Effective ways to delegate
GIVE THOROUGH INSTRUCTION.
• Successful delegation includes information on
what, when, why, where, who, and how. The
subordinates must clearly understand the task
and the expected results. It is a good idea to
including required resources and when and
how the results will be reported.
 Effective ways to delegate
MAINTIAN FEEDBACK.
• Feedback means keeping open lines of
communication with the subordinates to
answer questions and provide advice, but
without exerting too much control. Open lines
of communication make it easier to trust
subordinates. Feedback keeps the subordinate
on the right track.
 Effective ways to delegate
EVALAUTE AND REWARDS PERFORMANCE.
Once the task is completed the manger should
evaluate results, not methods. When results
do not meet expectations, the manger must
assess the consequences. When they do meet
expectation, the manager should reward
employees for a job well done with praise,
financial rewards when appropriate, and
delegation of future assignments.
 ARE YOU A POSITIVE DELEGATOR?

• If you answer yes to more than three of the

following questions, you may have a problem
delegating:
• I tend to be a perfectionist.
• My boss expects me to know all the boils of
my job.
• I don’t have the time to explain clearly and
concisely how a task should be accomplished.
• I often end up doing tasks myself.
 ARE YOU A POSITIVE DELEGATOR?

• My subordinates typically are not as

committed as I am.
• I get upset when other people don’t do
the task right.
• I really enjoy doing of my ability.
• I like to be in control of task outcomes.