授权Enpowerment／delegation.doc

授权Empowerment / DelegationDelegation is the actual process of assigning job activities and corresponding authority to specific individuals within the organization.If you have a difficult task give it to a lazy man, he will find an easier way to do it. Remember that you can delegate the authority, but you cannot delegate the responsibility记住你可能授以职权，但你不能授以职责.Delegation is an old idea used in the traditional management model传统的管理模型【See: Error! Reference source not found.】. The idea was to make sure that responsibility and authority were equal for every job对每份工作，职责与职权相等.Empowerment is a core concept of the new management model 【See: Error! Reference source not found.】. In the new-generation adaptive organization, delegation is replaced by empowerment and responsibility by ownership.1. 授权三原则授权三原则：“责任不外授、职权与责任必须均等和管理者要避免多头马车，以保持命令的统一”已成为管理学的重要文献。细查这些原则，就能对授权有更深一层的了解。2. 授权三步骤授权有三个必要而有关的特性：任务指派、职权授予、建立责任感。 According to Newman and Warren, the delegation process consists of three steps, all of which may either observable or implied.(1) Assigning specific duties to the individualIn all cases, the manager must be sure that the subordinate who is assigned specific duties has a clear understanding of what these duties entail. Whenever possible, the activities should be stated in operational terms so the subordinate know exactly what action must be taken to perform the assigned duties.(2) Granting appropriate authority to the subordinateThat is, subordinate must be given the right and power within the organization to accomplish the duties assigned完成分配的工作.(3) Creating the obligation for the subordinate to perform the duties assignedThe subordinate must be aware of the responsibility to complete the duties assigned and must accept that responsibility.3. Advantages and disadvantages of delegationDelegation has both significant advantages and disadvantages for the organization. Among the advantages of delegation are enhanced employee confidence, improved subordinate involvement and interest, more free time for the supervisor to accomplish tasks, and, as the organization gets larger, assistance from subordinates in completing tasks the manager simply wouldnt have time for otherwise.There are potential disadvantages to delegationsuch as the possibility that the manager will lose track of the progress of a delegated taskbut the potential advantages of some degree of delegation generally outweigh the potential disadvantages.4. Obstacles to the delegation processThe obstacles to delegation include supervisor-related obstacles, subordinate-related roadblocks, and organization-related obstacles.1. Supervisor-related obstaclesSupervisor-related obstacles to delegation include at least the following: Supervisor who delegates simply enjoys exercising the power to do so The supervisor who resists delegating this authority to subordinates because he cannot bear to part with any authority. The supervisor fear that subordinates will not do a job well and the suspicion that surrendering some authority may be seen as a sign of weakness If supervisor are insecure in their jobs or believe certain activities are extremely important to their personal success, they may find it hard to put the performance of these activities into the hands of others.2. Subordinate-related roadblocksSupervisors who do wish to delegate to subordinates may encounter several subordinate-related roadblocks: Subordinates may be reluctant to accept delegated authority because they are afraid of failing, lack self-confidence, or feel the supervisor does not have confidence in them. These obstacles will be especially apparent in subordinates who have never before used delegated authority. The second is the fear that the supervisor will be unavailable for guidance when needed and the reluctance to exercise authority that may complicate comfortable working relationships3. Organization-related obstaclesCharacteristics of the organization itself may also make delegation difficult. For example, a very small organization may present the supervisor with only a minimal number of activities to be delegated. In organizations where few job activities and little authority have been delegated in the past, an attempt to initiate the delegation process may make employees reluctant and apprehensive, for the supervisor would be introducing a significant change in procedure and change is often strongly resisted.4. What can managers do to eliminate obstacles?Since delegation has significant advantages for the organization, the elimination of obstacles to the delegation process is important to managers. What can managers do to eliminate obstacles to the delegation process?(1) First, they must continually strive to uncover any obstacles to delegation that exist in their organization(2) Then they should approach taking action to eliminate these obstacles with the understanding that the obstacles may be deeply ingrained and therefore require much time and effort to overcome(3) Among the most effective managerial actions that can be taken to eliminate obstacles to delegation are building subordinate confidence in the use of delegated authority, minimizing the impact of delegated authority on established working relationships, and helping delegatees cope with problems whenever necessary.(4) Koontz, ODonnell, and Weihrich believe that overcoming the obstacles to delegation requires certain critical characteristics in managers. These characteristics include: The willingness to consider the ideas of others seriously The insight to allow subordinates the free rein necessary to carry out their responsibilities Trust in the abilities of subordinates The wisdom to allow people to learn from their mistakes without suffering unreasonable penalties for making them5. Guidelines for making delegation effectiveBelow are some guidelines for making delegation effective:(1) Give employees freedom to pursue tasks in their own way(2) Establish mutually agreed upon results and performance standards for delegated tasks(3) Encourage employees to take an active role in defining, implementing, and communicating progress on tasks(4) Entrust employees with completion of whole projects or tasks whenever possible(5) Explain the relevance of delegated tasks to larger projects or to department or organization goals(6) Give employees the authority necessary to accomplish tasks(7) Allow employees access to all information, people, and departments necessary to perform delegated task(8) Provide training and guidance necessary for employees to complete delegated tasks satisfactory(9) When possible, delegate tasks on the basis of employee interests6. Delegating Authorityfrom concepts to skillsIf youre a manager and want to delegate 5delIeIt授权 some of your authority C:5WCriti职权 to someone else, how do you go about it你将如何着手? The following summarizes the primary steps you need to take你必须采取的主要步骤.Step 1: Clarify the assignmentThe place to begin开始的地方 is to determine what is to be delegated and to whom. You need to identify the person best capable of doing the task, and then determine if he has the time and motivation to do the job.Assuming you have a willing and able subordinate, it is your responsibility ris7pCnsE5biliti职责to provide clear information on what is being delegated, the results you expect, and any time or performance expectations you hold.Unless there is an overriding need to adhere to specific methods, you should delegate only the end results. That is, get agreement on what is to be done and the end results expected, but let the subordinate decide on the means让下属决定完成任务的方法.Step 2: Specify the subordinates range of discretionEvery act of delegation comes with constraints kEn5streint约束. Youre delegating authority to act, but not unlimited authority你授予行动的职权,但不是无限的职权. What youre delegating is authority to act on certain issues and, on those issues, within certain parameters. You need to specify what those parameters are so subordinates know, in no uncertain terms, the range of their discretion dis5kreFEn任意决定权.Step 3: Allow the subordinate to participateOne of the best sources for determining how much authority will be necessary to accomplish a task is the subordinate who will be held accountable E5kauntEbl应负责的, 有责任的for that task. If you allow employees to participate in determining what is delegated, how much authority is needed to get the job done, and the standards by which they will be judged, you increase employee motivation, satisfaction, and accountability E7kauntE5biliti责任 for performance.Step 4: Inform