THE CONCEPT OF AUTHORITY

1. Authority is a legal power which is possessed by a person from his superior officers and with the help of which he succeeds in getting the things done by his sub-ordinates. Authority is the key to managerial functions. If the managers do not possess the required authority, they will not be able to perform their duties properly.

Definitions 

1.  "Authority is the right to give order and the power to exact obedience".  – Henri Fayol 
2. "Authority is the power to command, to act or not to act in a manner deemed by the possessor of the authority to further enterprise or departmental performance". – Koontz and O'Donnell

FACTORS FOR SUCCESSFUL USE OF AUTHORITY

1. Favourable Atmosphere: For the implementation of authority, favourable atmosphere must be created in the enterprise so that sweet human relations may be established in the enterprise.

2. Justified Behaviour : The second important use for successful implementation of authority is the justified behaviour of the officers towards their subordinates. They must feel and treat all the employees on equal ground. If they do not do so, the employees may not contribute their efforts towards the attainment of objectives of the enterprise.

3. Mutual Co-operation and Faith: There must be mutual cooperation and mutual trust between officers and employees of the enterprise for the successful use of authority.

4. Interest in the work  A very important condition of the successful use of authority is that the employees must have an interest in the work for which they are responsible. If they are not interested in their work, it may be very difficult for the higher officers to implement their authority.

5. Respect to Superiors: There must be an atmosphere in the enterprise in which the employees pay their best regards to their bosses. If they do not have a feeling of regard for them, they may not obey their orders.

SOURCES OF AUTHORITY

Acceptance Theory 

This theory states that authority is the power that is accepted by others. Formal authority is reduced to nominal authority if it is not accepted by the subordinates. The subordinates accept the authority if the advantages to be derived by its acceptance exceed the disadvantages resulting from its refusal. The subordinates give obedience to the managers because they visualize the following advantages :

(a) Receipt of financial incentives.

 (b) Contribution in attaining the objectives of the enterprise.

 (c) Fulfillment of responsibilities.

 (d) Appreciation from colleagues.

 (e) Setting of an example for others.

 (f) Responsibility to leadership of superior

 (g) Moral obligation because of regard for old age, experience, competence, etc

Competence Theory

The supporters of this view assert that an individual derives authority because of his personal qualities and technical competence. Many persons derive informal authority because of their competence. For instance a person possesses expert knowledge in a particular subject. People will go to him for guidance in that matter even though he has got no formal authority.

 MEANING OF POWER

Power is a method of operating in order to influence the behaviour of others. It is the power politics within the organization that gives rise to power centres in the organization. The power-centres need not necessarily be located at the position of higher authority. Nobody wants to lose power because power can be used in desirable or undesirable ways.

Power may be defined as "the ability to exert influence. If a person has power it means that he is able to change the attitude of other  individuals".

In any organization for sound organizational stability, power and right to do things must be equated, when power and authority for a given person or position are roughly equated, we may call the situations as "Legitimate Power".

Sources of Powers

(i) Legitimate Power : The power corresponds to the term authority. It exists when an influencer acknowledge that the influencer is lawfully entitled to exert influence. In this the influence has an obligation to accept this power.

(ii) Reward Power : This power is based on the influencer having the ability to reward the influence for carrying out orders.

(iii) Corrective Power : It is based on the influencer's ability to punish the influence for not carrying out orders or for not meeting requirements.

(iv) Referent Power : It is based on the influencer's, desire to identify with or imitate the influence. For example – a manager will have referent power over the subordinates if they are motivated to emulate his work habits.

(v) Expert Power : This power is based on belief that the influencer has some relevant expertise or special knowledge that the influence does not have.  For example a doctor has expert power on his patients.

DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND ITS METHODS

Delegation refers to the assignment of work to others and confer them the requisite authority to accomplish the job assigned.

1. In the words of F.G. Moore – "Delegation means assigning work to others and gives them authority to do it."

2. Louis A. Allen has said – "Delegation is the dynamics of management, it is the process a manager follows in dividing the work assigned to him so that he performs that part which only he, because of his unique organizational placement, can perform effectively and so that he can get others to help him with what remains".

METHODS OF DELEGATION

1. Administrative Delegation –  When a few of the administrative functions are delegated to sub-ordinate staff it is called administrative delegation. These functions are generally of routine nature, e.g. to maintain discipline, to supervise the work, to recommend for the reward or punishment etc.

2. Geographical Delegation – When the work of enterprise is located at different distant places it is not possible for an executive to mange the whole affairs single handed. He then proceeds to delegate his authority to those who are posted at the places where physically he cannot be present round the year. This is known as geographical method of delegating the authority.

3. Functional Delegation – When the enterprise is organized on the basis of functional organization, the delegation of authority is also done on the functional basis. All the heads are given to manage their departments according to their skill, knowledge and experience of course, they are accountable to the chief executives. 

4. Technical Delegation :  This method of delegation of authority is based on technical knowledge and skill. Here the authority is delegated in order to get the advantages of expert and experienced hands and their technical skill.

ELEMENTS OF DELEGATION AND ITS TYPES

The elements of delegation of authority involve three steps

1. Authority : The superior grants authority to the subordinate to carry out the assigned task or duty. This may include right to use resources, spend money, engage people, etc.

2. Responsibility : The superior entrusts some responsibility or duty to a subordinate.

3. Accountability : The last step in delegation is concerned with creating an obligation to carry out duty or responsibility and render an account of the results achieved through the use of delegated authority. The subordinate must be held accountable for the exercise of authority granted to him. By accepting the duties and authority, a subordinate becomes responsible to his superior.