There are three elements of delegation,
1.Responsibility,
2. Authority and
3. Accountability.
The detailed description of which are as follows:
(1) Responsibility : -
Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to properly perform the assigned duty. When a superior assigns a job to his subordinate it becomes the responsibility of the subordinate to complete that job.
This means that the word responsibility comes into play only after the job has been assigned. Thus, to assign job can be called to assign responsibility.
Features:
(i) Responsibility can be assigned to some other person.
(ii) The essence of responsibility is to be dutiful.
(iii) It gets originated because of superior-subordinate relationship.
(2) Authority : -
Authority means the power to take decisions. Decision can be related to the use of resources, and to do or not to do something.
Features:
(i) Authority can be assigned (delegated) to some other person.
(ii) It is related to the post (with the change of post, even authorities change).
(iii) It makes implementation of decisions possible.
(iv) Authority is the key to a managerial job, because a post without authority cannot be a managerial post.
(3) Accountability : -
Accountability means the answerability of the subordinate to his superior for his work performance. In other words, when a superior assigns job / work or the responsibility to his subordinates, simultaneously he gives authority to them which makes workers (subordinates) accountable to their superior for the work- performance.
Features:
(i) Accountability cannot be delegated to some other person.
(ii) It is only towards the delegators.
(iii) Its base is senior-subordinate relationship.
(iv) It originates because of delegation of authority.
