Delegation Paper

According to Bateman & Snell (2003), “delegation is the assignment of authority and responsibility to a subordinate at a lower level.” (p. 250). There are ways that my organization can use delegation to become more effective in the four functions of management which are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. An organization that uses the four functions of management with delegation can be very successful. There are also skills necessary for effective delegation. Some skills include realizing the important distinctions between responsibility, authority, and accountability.

According to Bateman & Snell (2003), effective delegation, “requires that the subordinate report back to his or her boss in regard to how effectively the assignment was carried out.” (p. 250). The subordinate may have suggestions on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the particular job. One skill that is necessary for effective delegation is being comfortable delegating to subordinates. If a person is comfortable delegating to a subordinate that means the manager will trust the subordinate to do a job without explaining every detail of that job. For example, in my organization my manager will tell subordinates how many parts need to be ready to ship by the end of the day or week. The manager does not have to tell the subordinates details on how to reach that goal. The manager trusts the subordinates with the responsibility to get the job done correctly and on time.

“Responsibility means that a person is assigned a task that he or she is supposed to carry out.” (Bateman & Snell, 2003, p. 250) A responsible person will carry out the assignment and will be held accountable for the outcome whether it is good or bad. In my organization everyone has a responsibility for the safety of others at all times. Safety is the most important responsibility. Nobody wants to see any kind of injury. If a person is irresponsible concerning the safety of others that person is notified of the situation in a company meeting. Hopefully the irresponsible person is not injured and does not injure anyone else. If it happens a second time that person is fired. The second highest responsibility everyone has is to quality. If the parts are not up to the customer’s satisfaction then the customer will not buy them. The owners say that if everyone keeps the highest level of quality it will be easier to get more jobs.

According to Bateman & Snell (2003), authority is, “the legitimate right to make decisions and to tell other people what to do.” (p. 250). Without authority a manager would not be able to delegate. If subordinates know the manager has no authority the subordinates will not listen to the manager and do what they think is right. That would also mean the subordinates would be unorganized and not efficient. A good manager uses authority to effectively delegate work. In my organization the manager uses authority to delegate which subordinate will do a specific job for the day. If a subordinate disagrees or does not do the tasks assigned that subordinate will be reprimanded. Also the engineer is given the authority to manage the maintenance department. The engineer makes sure that the maintenance department is doing routine maintenance which keeps things running and they are still available if something breaks.

“Accountability means that the subordinate’s manager has the right to expect the subordinate to perform the job, and the right to take corrective action if the subordinate fails to do so.” (Bateman & Snell, 2003, p. 250) A manager that delegates certain responsibilities to subordinates is still accountable for those responsibilities. In my organization the subordinates are accountable for the quality of the parts that are made. The manager is also held accountable for the quality of parts because it is under his or hers authority that the subordinates are making those parts. If there is a problem with quality the manager is notified first so he/she can figure out a way to fix the parts so it is what the customer wants. Then the manager shows the subordinates how to fix the quality issue and the subordinates makes sure it is done.

According to Bateman & Snell (2003), “Planning is specifying the goals to be achieved and deciding in advance the appropriate actions needed to achieve those goals.” (p. 15). Delegation can be used more effectively