Page 37 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes Staff Personnel can often avert line-staff conflicts if they strive to emphasize the objectives of the
organization as a whole, encourage and educate line personnel in the appropriate use of staff
personnel, obtain any necessary skills they do not already possess, and deal intelligently with
the resistance to change rather than view it as an immovable barrier.
Line personnel can do their part to minimize line staff conflict by sing staff personnel wherever
possible, making proper use of the staff abilities, and keeping staff personnel appropriately
informed.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
8. The larger the organization, the greater the need and ability to employ …………………….
9. ……………….. authority enables those responsible for improving the effectiveness of line
personnel to perform their required tasks.
2.5 Delegation of Authority

Authority is the key to managerial job. It denotes the right to make decision and command
subordinates to accord these decisions. When the office manager is over burdened with official
assignments, he may allocate or divide it among the subordinates to get the work done by them.
The process of allocation of office work among the subordinates is called delegation of authority.
So delegation of authority means giving the subordinate authority to do something which the
executives do not have time to do. The process of delegation gives a gain to the subordinates
because they become closer with the supervisor.
Delegation of authority involves:

(a) Assigning of duties to subordinates.
(b) Delegating required amount of authority to the subordinate to enable them to discharge
the duties assigned to them.

(c) Assumption of responsibility by the subordinates.
Delegation of authority is one vital organizational process. It is inevitable along with the
expansion and growth of a business enterprise. Delegation means assigning of certain
responsibilities along with the necessary authority by a superior to his subordinate managers.
Delegation does not mean surrender of authority by the higher level manager. It only means
transfer of certain responsibilities to subordinates and giving them the necessary authority,
which is necessary to discharge the responsibility properly. Delegation is quite common in all
aspects of life including business. Even in the college, the principal delegates some of his authority
to the vice-principal.
In delegation, an attempt is being made to have meaningful participation and cooperation from
the subordinates for achieving certain well-defined results. Due to delegation, the routine
responsibilities of the superior are reduced. As a result, he concentrates on more urgent and
important matters. Secondly, due to delegation, subordinate becomes responsible for certain
functions transferred to him. Delegation is a tool, which a superior manager uses for sharing his
work with the subordinates and thereby raising his efficiency.

Delegation is not a process of abdication. The person who delegates does not divorce himself
from the responsibility and authority with which he is entrusted. He remains accountable for
the overall performance and also for the performance of his subordinates. Delegation is needed
when the volume of work to be done is in excess of an individual’s physical and mental capacity.

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