Page 129 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Management Practices and Organisational Behaviour

Notes 22. Clarification and removal of obstacles in functional level
23. Maintain open communication
24. Trust people to do well
25. Never give final responsibility

26. Create a climate of responsibility
27. Establish a time limit
28. Obtain feedback from employees
29. Solicits feedback

30. Establish a follow-up schedule.
6.1.4 Advantages of Delegation

Delegation has multiple effects since not only the one delegating benefits, even the staff and the
company. The one delegating reduces his workload and can focus his efforts and energy into
something that needs his/her skills more. The manager delegating is giving himself more time
to analyze business trends, anticipate issues, plan and be in tuned with the vision of the company.
These are just some of the aspects worth of every manager's focus to be effective as a leader. The
first and most obvious is that the more tasks managers are able to delegate, the more opportunities
they have to seek and accept increased responsibilities from higher level managers. Thus
managers will try to delegate not only routine matters but also tasks requiring thought and
initiative, so that they will be free to function with maximum effectiveness for their organisations.
In addition, delegation causes employees to accept accountability and exercise judgment. This
not only helps train them – an important advantage of delegation – but also improves their self
confidence and willingness to take initiative.
Another advantage of delegation is that it frequently leads to better decisions, because employees
closest to 'where the action' is are likely to have a clearer view of the facts. For example, a West
Coast sales manager would be in a better position to allocate California sales territories than a
New York based vice president of sales.
Effective delegation also speeds up decision making. Valuable time can be lost when employee
must check with their managers (who then may have to check with their managers) before
making a decision. This delay is eliminated when employees are authorized to make the
necessary decision on the spot.

6.1.5 Issues regarding Delegation

Delegation of tasks or responsibilities or even authority is never an easy job. It is quite challenging
a task and requires handling a lot of issues. The following present the main issues presenting
hurdle in the process of delegation.
1. What to delegate and what not to delegate: By virtue of his position in the hierarchy, a
superior is usually in a position to handle tasks better than a subordinate. There is a
natural tendency for managers to resist delegating adequate authority and do everything
themselves. After a time, the manager is certain to find himself buried in detail and busy
'fighting fires' instead of concentrating on key issues. What to delegate, in fact, is not a
simple question to answer. Before trying to solve the puzzle, a manager needs a realistic
picture of his personal strengths and weaknesses so that he can avoid the temptation to
transfer his mistakes and limitations to others.

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