Identify the concept suggested by CEO that will help Arjun to manage volume of work effectively.
Identify the concept suggested by CEO that will help Arjun to manage volume of work effectively.
The concept is Delegation of Authority.
The CEO advises Arjun to entrust routine, operational tasks to his subordinates so that he can focus on strategic planning and high-impact decisions. This is delegation — the process by which a manager assigns part of their work and authority to a subordinate while remaining accountable for the final outcome.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for correctly identifying the concept as 'Delegation of Authority' (accept 'Delegation'); no marks for 'Decentralisation', which is a distinct concept.
Hint
Keywords 'allow subordinates to take up routine tasks', 'manage time better', 'develop initiative' are classic signals of delegation.
Quick Oral Answer
The concept is delegation of authority — the manager assigns routine work and the authority to do it to a subordinate, while still remaining accountable for the result.
Analysis & Explanation
Delegation is one of the two key aspects of the Organising function, the other being decentralisation.
Matching the case to the concept:
- Arjun handling 'the entire volume of work alone' shows work overload from lack of delegation.
- The CEO's advice to 'allow his subordinates to take up routine tasks' is a direct instruction to delegate specific tasks and authority to named subordinates.
Exam trap: Students frequently confuse delegation with decentralisation. Delegation is a manager assigning specific tasks/authority to their own subordinates (as Arjun is asked to do here); decentralisation is the systematic dispersal of authority across all levels of the organisation, usually decided by top management. Since this case involves a single manager (Arjun) and his immediate subordinates for specific routine work, it is delegation, not decentralisation.
Common Mistakes
- 1Writing 'Decentralisation' instead of 'Delegation' — decentralisation is organisation-wide dispersal of authority, not one manager assigning specific tasks to subordinates.
- 2Writing 'Supervision' or 'Motivation' — these are elements of Directing, not Organising.
Interesting Facts
Delegation is remembered through its three elements — Authority, Responsibility and Accountability.
Accountability can never be delegated — a manager remains answerable to their superior for the final outcome even after assigning the work to a subordinate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between delegation and decentralisation?
Delegation is a manager assigning specific tasks and authority to their own subordinate(s); decentralisation is the systematic dispersal of authority across all levels of the organisation, mostly decided by top management. Delegation can happen without decentralisation, but decentralisation always involves multiple delegations.
What are the three elements of delegation?
Authority (the right to take decisions), Responsibility (the obligation to complete the assigned task), and Accountability (being answerable for the final outcome, which cannot itself be delegated).