Session-30

 Session-30

4 Jan 2022

The session started with a discussion about delegation and decentralisation. Delegation is when a manager or team leader gives another member of staff the responsibility and authority to complete an assigned task. This is because all the work can not be done all alone by the manager. We discussed why there is a need for delegating authority. Some of the key reasons for the same are -

• Reduces the workload of the manager as some of his routine work is delegated and given to his subordinates. The manager can spend time on important areas like policies and planning as they'll have more time.
• Establish a sense of trust as the subordinates would feel that they are trusted by the manager to carry out various responsibilities. This also acts as a motivation for the employees.
• Helps in bringing specialisation.
• Helps in creating a clear subordinate manager relation which is the basis of the hierarchy of management. 
• Also helps in the overall growth of managers and help them become potential future managers.

There are 3 steps involved in delegating authority- Assigning Responsibility, Granting Authority and Creating Accountability.

Afterwards, we watched some videos relating to Hurricane Katrina, 2005 in the USA. It was the

worst man-made disaster causing over 1800 fatalities. There was huge mismanagement by FEMA in terms of relief efforts, this happened because of centralisation and decentralisation and authority, responsibility and accountability. At that time FEMA came under homeland security which was looked at directly by the President. It is only after the president issues a disaster declaration that FEMA can begin to exercise its authority to move people and resources into an area, provide financial assistance, food, water and medical aid. Until such as request is received by FEMA and approved by the president, no federal assistance can be brought to bear. As a result, all the decisions took a very long time and there was complete disorganisation in terms of managing the disaster. Based on these videos we discussed some cases in which centralization is preferred and its benefits.