What is Delegation of Authority and How to Do It?

What happens when the authority and responsibilities of tasks are not distributed properly in your company?

There is an inefficiency in the hierarchy of your company.

Would you want that?

That is why you need a proper delegation of authority for different positions in your company.

Who is in charge of making sure that all tasks are completed?

The managers, right?

But it’s frequently impossible for them to handle all the responsibilities by themselves.

And how does a manager do that?

By giving the right team members the right tasks and giving them the freedom to make decisions about the project.

This way, a manager can reduce their workload.

Therefore, one of the crucial managerial abilities that organizations look for when hiring for positions of power is the ability to delegate authority.

In this blog, we define delegation of authority and describe how to practice it.

What is Delegation of Authority?

Delegation of authority is the process of giving decisions related to tasks or responsibilities to a subordinate employee on a temporary or ongoing basis.

Every large and medium-sized organization has a hierarchy of positions.

The managing director or the CEO is frequently in control of all parts of the company’s daily operations.

However, can you expect them to manage every task for the organization by themselves?

No, it would be very absurd, right?

As a result, managers give their employees the responsibility for certain tasks and the power to make decisions.

But because delegation is always top to bottom in the hierarchy, juniors cannot assign tasks to their seniors.

You want you, your company, and your employees to be successful right?

Success in a company results from shared authority and responsibility, which enables the business to function in an organized way.

By giving workers the chance to show off their accountability and problem-solving talents, the delegation also fosters their professional growth and enhances their capacity for making decisions.

It is the first stage in identifying an employee’s capacity to accept the responsibility of promotion.

This assists them in achieving their professional objectives and career objectives as well.

Furthermore, employees are not the only ones who profit from authority delegation.

Management employees may occasionally become overworked with necessary tasks.

What is to be done in these circumstances?

In order to save time, responsibilities are assigned to other workers.

They still have to report to their own managers, though.

So a delegation of authority involves more than just dividing up the work.

It actually involves delegating authority, accountability, and decision-making.

Implying how to delegate authority helps you create a healthy hierarchy in your company and makes your operations smoother.

But before that, let’s take a look at the elements of delegating authority which gives you a clearer picture.

Elements of Delegation of Authority

• Authority

In the context of a business, authority refers to a person’s ability and right to effectively use and manage their resources.

To accomplish organizational objectives and goals, one must have the capacity to make choices and issue instructions.

This element must always have a clear definition.

Every person in a position of authority needs to be aware of their authority.

In essence, it is the power to issue a command, which denotes that top-level management always possesses the greatest power.

Authority and responsibility work together in a symbiotic way.

Therefore, if the work is to be successfully performed, authority, especially authority in management, should always be accompanied by an equal measure of responsibility.

• Responsibility

This relates to the particulars and range of the person to finish the assignment given to them.

Lack of sufficient authority due to responsibility can result in:

• Dissatisfaction
• Conflicts
• Frustration of employee

Responsibility goes from the bottom to the top while authority comes from the top.

More responsibility rests with middle management and lower-level management.

• Accountability

Accountability, in contrast to authority and responsibility, cannot be transferred.

Instead, it is a part of being given responsibility in the first place.

Anyone who undertakes a task and accepts a position at a corporation is responsible for the results of their efforts.

Accountability simply refers to being responsible for the outcome. Responsibility leads to accountability.

While accountability flows upward, authority flows below.

At every level of the management hierarchy, the downward flow of authority and the upward flow of accountability must be the same.

How to Delegate the Authority?

Therefore, each manager, or delegator, must adhere to a procedure in order to complete the delegation process.

The delegate’s role, which means that the authority transferred to him is coupled with his obligation and accountability, is equally significant.

• Plan it out

To begin delegating responsibility, break down a large project into manageable, smaller tasks.

Review the workforce and time restrictions after that.

Establish the tasks that each team member should be performing.

Consider the qualifications, experience, past performance, and any training history when choosing the ideal candidate to handle such responsibilities.

Make the assignments available by using the appropriate communication channels.

For this, you can either hold a meeting or use email. Tell your team members why they were selected for those particular tasks.

• Give clear instructions

From the beginning, be upfront about your expectations.

Set the due dates, and checkpoints, and include all information regarding the anticipated outcomes.

For the sake of future clarity and to prevent misunderstandings, this information must be entirely unambiguous.

Conduct a round of questions and answers before your coworkers start working on their tasks to allay any uncertainties and supply any missing details.

• Assign proper authority and responsibility

Certain procedures call for sufficient authorizations and authority over decisions.

For instance, let’s say your acquisition manager needs to find raw materials to carry out a specific task.

They must know your suppliers in order to accomplish it.

They should also have the power to negotiate rates and make delivery arrangements.

Giving correct and timely authorization is also crucial.

• Take follow-ups

However, when staff members end up making poor decisions, autonomy sometimes backfires.

By requesting updates on the job at regular intervals, you can be sure that everything is going as planned.

In order for you to address any difficulties, the staff should be reporting to you on a regular basis.

Additionally, make sure you have backup plans in place in case something goes wrong.

• Analyze and give feedback

Finding individuals to take your place after you have moved on to other roles demands good leadership.

Analyzing the outcomes of tasks that were assigned in order to evaluate the performance of your team members is a wonderful technique to accomplish this.

If a worker’s performance particularly impresses you, you might train them to take on more responsibility.

Conversely, give individuals who need to improve constructive criticism, and postpone assigning new assignments until after your next evaluation.

Building such a supportive atmosphere aids in developing a team that is completely operational.

External Delegation of Authority

Alok Koshti, the founder of KeyCMS coined this word which refers to the Delegation of authority outside the company.

There are companies that are short on resources or need to outsource their tasks.

Transferring or outsourcing your authority to external companies can fulfill the gap faced by your business.

Nowadays, many companies have been externally delegating authority to cut costs and acquire a larger market share.

And it has proved to be quite important with the increasing competition.

Conclusion

Delegation of authority comes with the position of your employees.

Roles and responsibilities of a job are defined by this and that is why you need to have a proper system to follow.

That will make your workforce efficient and ultimately lead to the growth of your company.

And ultimately lead you to greater success.

External delegation of authority has been gaining a name as more companies are outsourcing their work to reach their goals effectively!

If you plan to do the same, get in touch with KeyCMS!