Meaning and Principle of Delegation of Authority, Essay Example

The principle of delegation of authority explains how leaders delegate tasks and other responsibilities (Reference Notes, n.d.).  Furthermore, since one person cannot accomplish multiple tasks at the same time, it is necessary for the leader in charge to also delegate authority to inferiors to establish an effective balance of power. There are many things that an effective leader must notice to be able to delegate a balance of power in a fair manner. In particular, it is necessary for this power balance to be scalar, so that the individual with the most power is at the top of the organization and the individual with the least power is at the bottom. In this manner, there are different power levels and different supervisors at each level. This makes it easier for members of organizations to delegate responsibilities so that workers have a better understanding of the individual that they are directly accountable for and to regarding their performance.

A delegation of authority is often inadequately performed because individuals that have the ability to delegate power often fail to do so in a manner that achieves a proper balance of authority. Thus, some leaders at the top of the pyramid wish to maintain most of the power. Doing so is not effective because one person cannot reasonably be in direct supervision of all of the individuals of a large organization. As such, individual members are often not clear about their individual responsibilities, thus making the organization less effective. However, having supervisors at a variety of levels resolves this issue because workers are able to directly interact with their supervisors, ask them questions if necessary, and have a greater sense of the organizational structure that is in place.

When a task is explained clearly and concisely, it is more reasonable to expect employees to carry it out properly. Thus, the authority pyramid also has a significant impact on the ability of individuals with authority to delegate tasks. While the individual on top of the power chain likely originated the concept that should be carried out, by communicating this need with lower level members in the organization, he is able to provide instructions in a manner in which they are more likely to be carried out correctly. For example, a police commissioner may be responsible for deciding that the stop and frisk method should no longer be used in practice, but this need should be enforced by lower level supervisors. These individuals are therefore responsible for creating the notice to announce this or necessary training programs to help their employees understand alternative crime prevention methodologies that can be used (MSG. n.d.). In both cases, decisions and enforcement are effective if they are evidence-based, but it is expected that individuals at different levels of the authority chain will enact certain decisions and principles in different ways. Thus, the police commissioner is more concerned with determining how his subordinates will react to the statement and ensure that this concept is enforced, while the lower level subordinates are expected to concern themselves with how the actual enforcement procedures will be carried out. In this manner, large organizations could be managed more effectively, which helps contribute to the development of more effective outcomes in the long run. As such, delegating responsibility and authority is an important concern in criminal justice because it helps ensure that people are able to carried out their expected responsibilities in a timely manner.

References

MSG. (n.d.). Principles of Delegation. Retrieved from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/principles_of_delegation.htm

Reference Notes. (n.d.). Meaning and Principle of Delegation of Authority. Retrieved from http://notes.tyrocity.com/meaning-and-principle-of-delegation-of-authority/