“Delegation of authority is based on the elementary principle of division of labour”. Explain this statement.

Solution

Delegation of Authority: Delegation of authority means to provide for needed authorities to the subordinates for the successful completion of their job or responsibility. Authority means the power to take decisions. Accountability originates when authority is given for fulfilling a responsibility. Accountability refers to answerability of a subordinate towards his senior officer for work performance.

Division of Labour: Often, no officer is capable to the extent that he himself will perform all the activities. For the successful completion of a job an officer divides the whole work. Thus, work is divided into many small jobs and each job is then assigned to a particular person. This whole process is known as division of labour. Its basis is specialisation.

Conclusion: Authority comes into picture after division of labour. Without assigning duties, authority is non-existent. Thus, it can be said that delegation of authority is based on division of labour.