Clarity of Delegation

Delegation of authority may be specific or general, written or unwritten. If the delegation is unclear, a manager may not understand the nature of the duties or the results expected. The job assignment of a company controller, for example. may specify such functions as accounting, credit control, cash control. financing, export-license handling, and preparation of financial statistics, and these broad functions may even be broken down into more definite duties. Or a controller may be told merely that s/he is expected to do what controllers generally do. Specific written delegations of authority are extremely helpful both to the manager who receives them and to the person who delegates them. The latter will more easily see conflicts or overlaps with other positions and will also be better able to identify those things for which a subordinate can and should be held responsible.

The fear that specific delegations will result in inflexibility is best met by developing a tradition of flexibility. It is true that if authority delegations arc specific, a manager may regard his or her job as a staked claim with a high fence around it. But this attitude can be eliminated by making necessary changes in the organization structure. Much of the resistance to change through definite delegations comes from managerial laziness and the failure to reorganize things often enough for the smooth accomplishment of objectives.