Delegation does not free a manager from responsibility; the process of delegation

Comment on the statement

The statement, that a manager is freed of responsibility the moment he delegates part of his authority to subordinates, is not correct (see the paper note on its wording). Delegation passes a share of the manager's work, and the power needed to do it, down to a subordinate, who then answers to the manager for the outcome. But it does not transfer the manager's ultimate responsibility to his or her own superior. This is the principle of absoluteness of responsibility: authority can be delegated, but responsibility (in the sense of final accountability) cannot be shifted. The manager remains answerable for the work of the unit, including the work he or she has delegated.

Why responsibility cannot be delegated

1. Responsibility arises from the manager's own position. The superior who assigned the work to the manager holds the manager answerable, regardless of how the work is divided further.
2. Delegation creates a new obligation, not a transfer. The subordinate becomes accountable to the manager, while the manager stays accountable to his or her superior: responsibility is shared downward but not passed away.
3. The manager chooses the delegate and the task. Poor choice of person or poor supervision is the manager's own failure.
4. Control remains with the manager. The manager must monitor results and step in when needed.
5. Otherwise accountability would vanish. If each manager could escape responsibility by delegating, no one would answer for results.

Example. A branch manager delegates loan sanctioning up to a limit to an officer. If the officer sanctions a bad loan in breach of rules, the officer is accountable to the branch manager, but head office still holds the branch manager responsible for the branch's loan quality.

Process of delegation of authority

1. Determining the results expected. The manager decides what is to be achieved and the standards of performance. Those standards are fixed before the task is handed over, and the subordinate must understand them and agree to them, or accountability for them cannot work.
2. Handing over the task. Suppose the manager of a supermarket in Pune wants the Diwali stock order placed by an assistant. She chooses the assistant whose experience suits the job and spells out the duty in plain terms: which product lines, what quantities, and by which date.
3. Giving the power to act. The assistant is then cleared to commit the store's money up to an agreed limit, to negotiate with suppliers and to settle quantities without coming back for approval each time. Without that clearance the duty could not be carried out, which is why the power given must match the work given (principle of parity).
4. Making the person answerable. Once the order is placed, the assistant reports back on it (what was bought, at what cost, whether the goods arrived in time) and is assessed on that outcome.
5. Establishing control and communication. The manager sets up reporting and review so that performance can be monitored without day-to-day interference: the subordinate chooses how to do the work and settles matters within the delegated authority but refers to the manager any matter beyond it, and the manager also steps in when results go off track.

Effective delegation also follows the principles of unity of command, clear communication of what is delegated and delegation by results expected.

Conclusion

Delegation multiplies a manager's capacity and develops subordinates, but it never frees the manager from final responsibility. A manager who delegates must choose well, give matching authority and keep effective control.