Factors Affecting Delegation of Authority in an OrganizationOctober 05, 2011  by: rekhas  Points: 12   Category: Others  Earning $0.60   Views: 3523  

Delegation is a two-sided pattern of authority. It needs adjustments and sacrifices from both delegator and the delegant to accomplish organization's goals. Few Factors affect the delegation of authority.

           

Delegating means giving or conferring. When a manager grants authority to subordinates to accomplish a task, the process is delegation of authority in an organization. Managers tend to allocate a considerable amount of their workload to their subordinates. This establishes an authority pattern between subordinates and superiors. Delegating authority is necessary for efficiency in an organization.

Delegation is a two-sided pattern of authority. It needs adjustments and sacrifices from both delegator and the delegant to accomplish organization's goals. Few Factors affect the delegation of authority. They are- 

1) Delegator or superior's view (aspect)2) Subordinate or Delegant's aspect of view3) Organizational aspect

1) Delegator's aspect 

If manager loves his authority, he may not be effective in granting authority to subordinates. He will fear the advancement of subordinates. 

Love for Authority

Manager with autocratic nature might not want to delegate authority to subordinates. He will like to feel important and force subordinate employees to come to him frequently for decision approvals. Such managers will not want to share workload or delegate authority. 

Fear of Subordinate Advancement 

Manager may not have interest in delegation of authority if he fears subordinate having good performance and competence. He may also oppose authority delegation, fearing that he may lose a good subordinate. Manager may also fear that the subordinate may be a contender for manager's post if he gets more authority. 

Fear of Exposure 

Superior may not delegate enough authority for fear of exposure of his shortcomings as a manager. Hence, managers refrain from best practices in order to maintain their authority. 

Attitude towards Subordinates 

Delegating authority needs adequate amount of trust between the subordinates and superiors. Lack of confidence among subordinates can negatively affect delegation of authority. 

Superior's Experience and Personality 

Superior who works his way through the corporate ladder will be more efficient in delegating authority to subordinates than autocratic managers.

2) Delegant's Asp ect 

If subordinates lack responsibility, it also negatively affects delegation of authority. Here are factors pertaining to the delegant.

Fearing Criticism 

If subordinate thinks that the manager will take away all credit, he may not have interest in taking the authority. 

Lack of Resources 

Without proper information and resources, subordinates will hesitate in taking up authority given by the superiors. With scarcity of resources, unclear information, subordinates will not take up the authority for fear of doing an inefficient job.

Lack of Self-confidence 

When subordinates fear criticism or loss of job, they will show poor self-confidence and that is not a positive aspect for delegation of authority. 

Lack of rewards and Incentives 

Without motivating factors like rewards and incentives, subordinates will have no interest in taking authority delegated by superiors.

3) Organizational Asp ect 

At times, organizational factors also play a key role in authority delegation. Companies with centralized authority will not encourage delegating authority to subordinates whereas a decentralized management encourages delegation of authority.

Factors which affects the Delegation of Authority – Essay

by Pragati Ghosh

Factors which affects the delegation of authority can be discussed under the head of delegation

delegated and organisation factors:

Factors in Delegator (Superior):The qualities of superior managers play an important part in determining the kind of functional

and social equilibrium that will be achieved in the superior subordinate relationships and

consequently the delegation of authority.

A Superior Manager is likely to delegate less authority in the following situations:

Maintenance of Tight Control:A manager does not delegate authority because he wants to maintain tight control over the

operations assigned to him. He likes to be the busy and security created by work piled high on

his desk.

Doing tangible work is a pleasurable activity, whereas spending one’s time, thinking, planning

and other less tangible is a difficult process. The manager may become habituated to the

constant contact of subordinate bringing matters to them for approval.

Love for Authority:A superior is unlikely to delegate his authority especially if he is autocrat. Such a manager has

intense desire to influence others, to make his importance felt in the organisation, and to see that

his subordinates come frequently to get their decisions approved. Such desires on the part of the

manager keep him away from delegation of adequate authority to his subordinates irrespective of

their needs.

Personality of Superior:Personality factors of superior also affect the degree of delegation of authority. For example, an

autocrat superior will delegate less authority as compared to a democrat. Similarly, a superior

believing in the application of modern management techniques like to delegate adequately. A

superior coming from the rank and file may delegate less.

Similarly, a manager who has not been delegated adequate authority in his career is likely to

delegate less.

Fear of Subordinates:A manager may not delegate adequate authority because of fears of subordinates. The fear of a

subordinate’s growth may be real. It can take two forms. First, the subordinate might show that

he can perform the superior’s work so well that he becomes entitled to his position, status, title,

or prestige.

Second, the subordinate’s increasing ability might earn him a promotion to some other part of the

organisation and the superior may lose the best subordinate. In this case, the superior may think

about defensive behaviour. He simply fails to delegate the kind of authority that would have had

such a result.

Fear of Exposure:A superior manager, specially a weak one, may not like to delegate simply because adequate

delegation may reveal managerial shortcomings being practised. This may happen especially

when the superior has poor operating procedure, methods, and practices.

Attitudes toward Subordinates:Delegation of authority is a particular kind of trust between superior and his subordinates.

Therefore, his attitudes towards subordinates, and their attitudes towards him become important

in the process of delegation.

Negative attitudes work against delegation of authority in several ways. First, if a superior has

lack of confidence in his subordinate’s capacity, he will not like to delegate them authority.

Second, the superior may feel that his subordinates just do not require more authority than they

have been delegated. Such feeling may result into inadequate delegation of authority. Third the

superior may not have good interpersonal relationships with subordinates which may result into

less delegation of authority.

The various factors discussed above either make a superior blind to the need for adequate

delegation of authority or he may be aware about the concept of Public Administration. Power,

Authority, significance of authority delegation but he may withhold’ it because he simply does not

like to delegate