1. CSC350: Learning Management Systems
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (Virtual Campus)

2. Lecture # 9 Responsibility, Authority, and Delegation

3. Review of the Previous Lecture
An understanding of the organizing function
Benefits and costs of bureaucracy
Advantages and disadvantages of division of labor
Complexities of determining appropriate organizational structure
Advantages and disadvantages of departmentalization

4. Topics of Discussion
Responsibility and its relationship with job description
Dividing job activities of individuals
Benefits of clarifying the job activities
Importance of authority within an organization
How to delegate
Advantages and disadvantages of centralization and decentralization

5. RESPONSIBILITY AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Obligation to perform assigned activities
Source of responsibility lies within the individual
Managers remain responsible for tasks even if they have delegated them to another employee
Job Description
Summary of individual’s job activities
Communicates job content and performance expectations to employees

6. DIVIDING JOB ACTIVITIES
Functional Similarity Method
Most basic method of dividing job activities
Four steps:
Examine management system objectives
Designate appropriate activities that must be performed
Design specific jobs by grouping similar activities
Make specific individuals responsible for performing the jobs

7. Functional Similarity Method

8. Functional Similarity Method and Responsibility
Management should avoid creating jobs that do not enhance goal attainment
Job responsibilities should be assigned with clear, goal-related, nonoverlapping responsibilities

9. CLARIFYING JOB ACTIVITIES OF MANAGERS
Management Responsibility Guide
Helps management describe responsibility relationships in the organization
Responsible Managers
Managers are deemed responsible when they perform activities they are obligated to perform

10. Responsibility Relationships

11. Dimensions of Responsible Management Behavior

12. AUTHORITY Right to perform or command
Increases probability specific commands will be obeyed
Does not always lead to obedience

13. Types of Authority Line Authority Staff Authority Functional Authority
Superior-Subordinate relationships
Staff Authority
Advise-Assist those who possess line authority
Functional Authority
Assigned to a segment that normally does not have authority

14. Line-Staff Relationships

15. Line-Staff-Functional Authority

16. Accountability Employee’s liability to perform
Nonperformance results in punishment
Performance results in some kind of reward

17. DELEGATION
Assigning job activities and corresponding authority to specific individuals
Step 1 - Assign specific duties to individual
Step 2 - Grant authority to individual
Step 3 - Create obligation

18. Effective Delegation

19. Obstacles to Delegation Process
Supervisor
Subordinates
Organizations

20. CENTRALIZATION & DECENTRALIZATION
Degree to which delegation exists within an organization
Centralization
Minimal number of job activities and minimal amount of authority delegated to subordinates
Decentralization
Maximum amount of authority delegated to subordinates

21. Decentralizing an Organization Considerations
What is the present size of the organization?
Where are the organization’s customers located?
How homogeneous is the organization’s product line?
Where are organizational suppliers?
Are quick decisions needed in the organization?
Is creativity a desirable feature in the organization?

22. Thank You