Principles of Delegation: The following

principles of delegation of authority:

are

the

important

1. Delegation by results expected - Before delegating authority to

his subordinates, the superior must be clear about the tasks that
he wants them to perform so as to realise the expected results.
2. Absoluteness of Responsibility A superior can delegate only
authority and not responsibility. For the performance of work by
his subordinates the superior is responsible to his own superior.
For example, the Sales Manager of a concern is responsible, for
the performance of the salesmen working under him, to the
General Manager.
3. Parity between Authority and Responsibility There should
always be parity between authority and responsibility, i.e. one
must be equal to the other. If authority given to a subordinate is
more than his responsibility, there may be a tendency to misuse
the authority . On the other hand, if responsibility is more than
the authority, the subordinate will not be able to perform the task.
It is, therefore, necessary that both should be equal.
4. Unity of Command- This principle says that a subordinate
should be assigned duty or responsibility by one superior only. He
is also accountable to that superior alone.
For example a
salesman has to carry out the orders of the sales manager under
whom he works. If two managers command a subordinate, he
would not know whose orders he should carry out.
5. Well defined limits of authority The subordinate should know
the limits of his authority. While delegating authority to his
subordinate, the superior must tell him what he could and could
not do. For example, a salesman, who has to travel to different
places, may have the authority to stay and have food in a hotel at
the cost of his employer. But he would be informed of the
maximum amount allowed per day.