Abstract
1- The authoritarian form of delegation
2- Conclusion
References
Abstract
The division of labor and the growing number of businesses have led to the situation where the superior is no longer able to make all decisions alone and therefore is required to delegate. Delegation has been around for a long time and has become critical to modern businesses. We must differentiate between delegating an assignment, in the sense of delegation work and delegating the responsibility. These aspects are often misunderstood or not differentiated at all. Employees should not only be delegated with the execution of tasks but also with the related power to act and decide. Managing through conventional authoritarian principles is no longer sustainable within the current economic trend. This paper aims to present the behavioral pattern of the wronglyunderstood delegation of responsibility, instruments and fear of delegation and how this type of approach, which is currently implemented in so many organizations, is actually a misconceived delegation of responsibility.
1-The authoritarian form of delegation
Delegation or to delegate is the transfer of power and responsibility from one person or a group of people to others. Delegation is the decentralization of the decision making process and decisions, hence the transfer of objectives, tasks, competencies and responsibility from the top of the hierarchy to subordinated units, positions or people. The term to delegate comes from the Latin verb “delegare” and means “to assign”, “to allot” or “entrust”. The most famous case study regarding delegation can be found in the Bible, 2nd Book of Moses, Chapter 18, and Verse 13-26. We refer here to the translations of Dr. Martin Luther King, because it can also be applicable in our days. Moses (1225 before Christ) led the people from Egypt to Canaan. He was appointed by God but he lacked the necessary management skills: 13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” ۱۵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.