“Some of the directors lack the ability to effectively delegate their work, but this is vital to be able to lead correctly. It doesn't lead anywhere to do this frantically like some organizations do, leaving one drama to enter another. ” Garry Peagam
Introduction
Man has lived through very varied stages, always in development, which have been increasingly complex, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
When in its first stage it was only necessary to obtain the food for its subsistence, it was not necessary to apply techniques or the forms and methods that this chapter deals with, but with the scientific-technical advance the production increased, the functions increased, they became more complex processes, in short, a single man could not cover everything that had to be done, hence the circumstances forced him to look for new ways, which allowed us to achieve the development that we have today, however, even the human being continues the search for more and better work alternatives.
Important definitions
For the knowledge of the aspects that will be exposed next, it is essential to have some definitions that will be very helpful and at the same time will facilitate the development of the topic.
Formal authority. It is the recognition of a legal form, that is, the right, to exercise influence over individuals or groups of them.
Centralization. Restriction of the delegation of authority, the latter remaining at the highest part of the organizational structure.
Departmentalization. Grouping of activities or functions by area (direction, department, section, or other) to guarantee the rational fulfillment of the proposed mission.
Decentralization. Transfer of authority, functions, resources, decision making, from the upper levels of the organizational structure to the lower levels.
Influence. They are the actions that are carried out to modify the attitude or behavior of a person or group.
Power. It is the ability to influence a person or group to change their behavior.
Delegation of authority process. Sequence of actions for the assignment of tasks and authority that guarantee compliance with the expected work results.
Responsibility. Obligation of a person or group to fulfill the activity or function that it performs to guarantee the expected results.
DELEGATION
Concept and essential aspects
We know that organizations have multiple functions and activities, which are necessary for it to guarantee the mission for which it was created, as it is reasonable a person is not capable of assimilating or possessing all the authority to undertake the high accumulation of activities, reason why it is essential the assignment of formal authority to other people so that they develop, carry out and carry out specific activities, the latter is what we know by delegation. Expressed in another way, delegation is the transfer or granting of legitimate power to a person or several of them.
Delegation is one of the main aspects of a boss's work, since if he does not know how to delegate, or does not delegate adequately, surely his results will not be as expected and even an excessive burden of functions and activities will weigh on him.
The delegation of authority can have a different depth, so it must be granted through the following variants:
- Full authority to carry out the work as understood by the one who receives the authority which we can call general. Authority to decide and develop activities in specific situations, which is called specific. When authority is granted in a small proportion, it is called limited.
Some authors argue that authority and responsibility are delegated, others that responsibility is not delegable, expressing in each case their arguments to support their criteria. In our case we will consider the following, we do not support extreme cases since, although it is true that when a chief delegates, she maintains the responsibility for compliance entrusted to her superiors, it is also true that whoever is given authority has the responsibility
An essential element in the delegation is the will of the one who delegates the authority to give his subordinates the possibility of developing and applying his criteria and ideas, as well as the will in the acceptance by the one who receives the delegation.
Departmentalization
Expanding the definition, expressed above, it is proposed that this is a process in which activities are grouped into departments, so that they are carried out more effectively and efficiently. The departmentalization arises from the need to carry out and control the work with the increase in specialization as a consequence of development, specifying its causes we have:
- The impossibility that a person can assume the leadership of an excessive number of people. With the development of activities and the contributions of science, the functions and their specialization increased, which allows their adequate grouping. Due to the need to save resources it is necessary to centralize certain activities in areas (sections or departments). The need to develop policies, methods, objectives; related and uniform, is another important aspect related to the emergence of departmentalization.
The departmentalization has been carried out through different forms or models, some older and less used today, others with greater employment. Some of them can be cited: by number, by territory, by functions, by product, according to the manufacturing process, by customer.
Delegation of authority process
The process of delegation of authority must be carried out in an adequate way, that allows an equitable distribution, that is not stressful for the people to whom it is delegated and that enables a correct control by the boss, as well as the assimilation of other tasks by the latter..
I consider it prudent to present a group of questions that appear as a guide for the delegation of authority process in Hatvany, I. (1996). How to put pressure on the job. (P. 205) and I quote:
- "What is the objective, what are the tasks that need to be performed, what are the indicators of good job performance, what are the possible difficulties? Who is capable of performing the task, who will benefit most from the performance of the task? task, who else should be involved in the process? How should the task be carried out, how should I be kept informed of the process? With what physical, financial and human resources should I carry out the task? When does the task, when does it have to be completed, what is its breadth and its limit throughout the process, and when do I need to be fully involved?
Advantages of delegation of authority
The delegation of authority has a group of advantages of great importance in the performance and obtaining good results in any organization. The following can be exposed among others:
- A boss will have possibilities to cover a larger group of tasks and to deepen the work of others as he makes a broader delegation among his subordinates. The activities can be carried out more quickly. It enables a more efficient and higher-quality result by being decisions closer to who will carry out the work. It allows the boss to guarantee more extensive control. It makes it possible to increase training and development, as well as the skills and experience of the people to whom the delegation is made. It increases motivation and subordinates' confidence in the job. Allows the work to be divided rationally among the subordinates.
Despite these advantages, there are a group of aspects that sometimes limit an effective delegation and even even the delegation itself, among them are the following:
- Bosses' criterion that subordinates will not know how to perform the job with adequate effectiveness and efficiency, that it would take more time to explain to subordinates what should be done, and that it would be quicker to do it themselves. Correct delegation Lack of trust in subordinates Fear from the boss of not being able to control all the work
Essential elements to ensure effective delegation
There are a group of aspects, either of a practical nature or of concepts that, when correctly applied, guarantee effective delegation. The first aspect and of a special nature is the will of the chief to carry out the delegation and allow the subordinate to act with freedom, authority and Entire willingness to carry out the delegated activities, provide the subordinate with the necessary information through symmetrical communication, guarantee adequate motivation and understanding on the part of the subordinates to assume responsibility.
Also included is the statement by Stonner, JF in Administration (Page 381) where he expresses what is not delegation and I quote:
- "It is not abdication, it is not just a matter of giving people jobs to do and telling them to do them. It is not abandonment of the manager's responsibilities. It does not mean that the manager loses control. It does not mean that the manager avoids making decisions, the Delegating administrator still makes decisions. The important thing is that you can focus on those decisions and issues of greatest importance. ”
In addition to the above, it is necessary to guarantee adequate feedback that allows the control of the process and the necessary corrections.
DECENTRALIZATION
Concept and essential aspects
Decentralization is closely related to the delegation, the latter as we saw is to grant authority to the lowest levels, let's see the approach that decentralization and centralization gives us Stonner, JF (1994) and Administration (p. 391) and I quote:
"The concepts of decentralization and centralization designate the degree to which authority has been transferred to lower levels (decentralization) or has been retained at the highest level of the organization (centralization)."
On this aspect what Peter Drucker (1945) expresses in Concept of a Corporation and I quote: “Decentralization, as the term is normally understood, means division of labor and is nothing new. But according to the use of General Motors, decentralization is much more than that. The corporate company has developed the concept of decentralization in a philosophy of industrial administration. it is not a mere technique of the administration but an outline of a social order ”.
Very important factors in decentralization
Let us analyze some elements that are very important to develop a correct decentralization and not only this, but also to be able to take advantage of the advantages that its application offers us. Among these elements there are some related to internal factors and others to external factors, let us quote some of them:
- Threats and opportunities related to competitiveness, the market in general, suppliers and acquisition of raw materials and materials. Strengths and weaknesses related to costs, culture and organizational development, tenure and possibilities of using adequate and trained personnel, trust in personnel. of the organization. Changes or possible changes in the organization such as growth of the organization, increased production, mergers with other organizations or possible division of the organization.
These proposed elements and others, depending on the characteristics of the organization, will allow us not only to use decentralization but also its level of deepening. With regard to decentralization, it can be affirmed without fear of being mistaken that the general line tends towards its use with preference over centralization, due to the advantages it provides us, which we will see below.
Advantages of decentralization
Taking into account the issues between the relationship between the concept of delegation and that of decentralization, there is great similarity in some respects, including the advantages and disadvantages, such as the advantages:
- The bosses who decentralize are more relieved of certain jobs and with possibilities to cover other larger ones. The speed in solving problems is increased, as well as the contribution of initiatives by the executors. It improves and expands decision-making to Take it to the lower levels. The training and development of the lower levels is increased. It increases the motivation of subordinates at work. It increases the possibility of improving control.
CENTRALIZATION
Concept and essential aspects
The expression centralization means the action of centralizing that the meeting expresses, grouping various things in a common center or nucleus or making them depend on a central power, that is, in a general sense, in our case for the organizations some clarifications will be made about it.
For example, in an organization we can centralize various things such as: activities, resources (their different types), authority. This work will deal with the centralization of authority.
In the previously exposed concept of centralization in organizations, it was posed as the “restriction of the delegation of authority, the latter remaining at the highest part of the organizational structure”.
In a general sense today the criteria are increasingly inclined to their limitation in use and only for certain cases that this is required, really this is the current trend.
Factors that condition centralization
There are a group of aspects that condition or promote the use of centralization, among which we can mention: the need to use a uniform treatment for some reason, be it equity or under situations in which the action of specialized personnel is required, when there are incidents. from or to other areas and a non-centralized decision may cause some harm, another aspect is the lack of personnel or that this is not adequately trained to assume decision-making and the correct development of work.
Likewise, there are aspects that oppose centralization and we can cite some such as: independent activities, remoteness or territorial dispersion that hinders effective communication, impossibility of guaranteeing adequate information, others can be located or deepened in these.
Advantages and disadvantages of centralization
Notwithstanding the foregoing, there are bosses who have a work style that maintains centralization over their subordinates, we will see the pro and con aspects that it offers us.
Advantage
- It enables the organization to function with few managers and above all located at the highest levels of management. It allows uniformity both in decision-making and in the application of policies and working methods.
Disadvantages
- It does not allow the development of the lowest levels of the organization. It can cause delays in the arrival of the orientation to the lower levels. The work of the upper managers is overloaded. Sometimes the best decisions are not made regarding a certain level Because they lack the direct knowledge of the person doing the work. Motivation decreases due to the low participation in decisions by lower levels. The executors carry out reactive and not proactive work, reducing the chances of success.
Summary
We studied that with the scientific-technical advance, production increased, functions increased, processes became more complex, and that a person could not cover everything that needed to be done, so delegation and decentralization for development were imposed. of organizations.
Some very helpful definitions that need to be mastered were raised.
The delegation of authority is one of the main aspects of the work of a boss, since if he does not know how to delegate, his results will not be as expected, delegation was defined as the transfer or granting of legitimate power to a person or group. The depth with which it is granted must be taken into account.
We took into consideration that the one who is given the authority has the responsibility of compliance according to the range and depth of what is granted, what is essential is that the latter does not exempt the chief who made the delegation of his responsibility for the task. Important is the will of the one who delegates the authority to give his subordinates the possibility of developing and applying his criteria and ideas, as well as the willingness to accept the delegation.
In relation to the departmentalization, its causes were specified, as well as some forms and models used.
The delegation of authority process should be based on the group of questions that were raised.
For the practical application of the delegation of authority, we must take full advantage of the advantages that this gives us, also taking into account the aspects that limit an effective delegation that, due to its importance, we reiterate:
- Bosses' criterion that subordinates will not know how to perform the job with adequate effectiveness and efficiency, that it would take more time to explain to subordinates what should be done, and that it would be quicker to do it themselves. Correct delegation Lack of trust in subordinates Fear from the boss of not being able to control all the work
Also take into account the will of the boss to make the delegation and allow the subordinate to act with the freedom, authority and entire disposition to carry out the delegated activities.
Decentralization is closely related to delegation.
Carefully study the elements related to internal factors and external factors, which allow us effective decentralization.
On this aspect we also list some of the advantages of its use.
The concept of centralization in organizations was presented as the “restriction of the delegation of authority, the latter remaining at the highest part of the organizational structure”.
In a general sense today the criteria are increasingly inclined to their limitation in use and only for certain cases that this is required, is really the current trend.
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