Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
We can define delegation as the process of transferring or providing authority of decision-making by a managerial person to another person to complete a task or particular function. For a leader, delegating a job doesn’t simply mean giving away their responsibilities to others; instead, It is a process of recognising the potential of their subordinates and then delegating responsibilities accordingly.
Managers sometimes avoid delegation of tasks to make themselves look indispensable to the team or in fear of a subordinate that might outshine them and may potentially replace them in the future.
Delegation
Delegation is simply assigning specific responsibilities to a subordinate with necessary authority by their superiors. According to O.S. Miner, ‘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 that is required on’.
Delegation in management
Delegation is a concept of management leadership that requires superiors to determine what tasks they should do themselves and what jobs they can delegate to their subordinates. It involves shifting responsibility to associates allowing them to make decisions of their own accord, with minimal intervention.
Managers delegate tasks to increase productivity, decrease their workload, help develop their subordinates’ decision-making ability and other skills involving the job, or sometimes to seek the outlook of a more qualified person on an issue.
Delegation is a crucial part of effective management. It creates a team spirit, makes everyone feel a part of the team, encourages communication, and helps team leaders identify their potential. In today’s world, institutions have a tremendous workload and a complex set of objectives, and success in achieving their goals relies heavily on effective delegation.
Delegating a task does not mean a complete shift of responsibility—the person who delegated the tasks holds some level of accountability in the outcome of the task.
Types of delegation
There are four types of delegation:
General or specific delegation
Top to bottom or bottom to top
Formal or informal delegation
Lateral delegation
General or specific delegation
General delegation: Under general delegation, subordinates usually perform general managerial functions like planning, coordinating, directing, etc. The assistants perform these tasks with the necessary authority to achieve the objective.
The chief executive has overall control and leads the subordinates from time to time. For example, middle management frequently handles various tasks like planning, delegating work, and executing.
Specific delegation: Under specific delegation, subordinates have their tasks defined and understand the responsibilities, roles, and necessary authority delegated to them.
Top to bottom or bottom to top delegation
Top to bottom delegation: Top to bottom is a process where superiors assign tasks to their subordinates to decrease their own workload and increase efficiency.
Bottom to top delegation: Under bottom to top delegation, institutions acknowledge the value of informal groups inside institutions. The unity among members is so strong that if given a choice between obeying their peers or their superiors, there is a high probability that they may choose their peers.
In these scenarios, managers are cautious while delegating tasks to their subordinates.
Formal or informal delegation
Formal delegation: Formal delegations are delegations that are a part of an organisation’s structure. The tasks and functions delegated to the person are fixed, and the superior provides subordinates necessary authority to the person. Every worker has automatically delegated authority for their roles.
Informal delegation: Informal delegations depend on circumstances. They have no relation to the formal delegation assigned to them. A person may complete a task not because someone assigns it to them but because they must complete their regular work. For example, someone may work on a weekend due to an upcoming deadline or any other contingencies.
Lateral delegation
When a task is delegated to a subordinate by a superior, the subordinate may require assistance from others to complete the task. But delegating formally might be time-consuming or inefficient. The subordinate approaches others informally to obtain their help and save the time formal delegation would have taken.
For example, suppose the executive manager of the operations department asks a subordinate sales manager to compile all the figures on all the operations carried out in a specific month. In that case, the subordinate manager will have to seek the assistance of the finance manager and personnel manager. The sales manager thus shares power and responsibility with other departments who work at the same level.
Conclusion
Delegation is an administrative process of providing authority and responsibilities to a subordinate by a superior to achieve the desired outcome and increase the efficiency and productivity of the organisation. There are mainly four types of delegation—general or specific, top to bottom or bottom to top, formal or informal delegation, and lateral delegation.
