delegation of authority in school management

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CHAPTER 6 DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

Yetunde Ijaiya

Introdcution

The school, by its nature, is a complex organization such that delegation of authority isunavoidable, it is therefore imperative for all school managers and administrators at whatever level,primary, secondary or tertiary, to understand the concept of delegation, its importance and howto use it effectively.

This chapter therefore sets out to explain the concept of delegation, its place in schoolmanagement, the possible barriers to effective delegation and ways of ensuring productivedelegation.

Mullins (1993) defines delegation of authority as 'the authorization to undertakeactivities that would otherwise be carried out by someone in a more senior position' (p. 520).Cole (1996) describes it as a process whereby a manager or a senior officer cedes or entrustssome of his authority to subordinates or team mates to perform certain tasks or duties on his behalf.They however warned that the manager or the senior officer remains accountable for those tasksor duties to his own superior officers.

The above definitions show that delegation exists at both organization and individual orpersonal level. At the organization level, it has to do with location of decision making and it isreflected in the organizational chart, that is, it provides the structure of the organization. It isalso influenced by the size of the organization. In other words, the larger the organization, the morethe need to delegate responsibilities or tasks " to various levels throughout the organization"(Mullins 1993, p. 520). At the personal level, delegation involves the passing of one's authority andresponsibility to fellow workers to act on one's behalf usually because one is unavoidablyabsent or busy with something else.

Delegation is essentially a two-way power-sharing process. The manager delegating

passes on his responsibility and authority

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and the Teaching Service Commission (T.S.C.), hence, the need to delegate some tasks andduties to subordinates. These subordinates, heads of departments, the vice-principals, deans andso on run the faculties and departments on behalf of their principals or vice-chancellors. Theorganizational structures of schools are the result of delegation (see Figure 1).

Furthermore, organizations including schools are not supposed to be static. Owners

expect growth and development. Schools, certainly experience changes in staffing, studentenrolment, curriculum development, societal demands on schools and so on which raise theircomplexity and mount more pressures on the school heads to delegate more tasks and duties.For instance, school administration in Nigeria has witnessed some changes due to someinnovations in government policy and the curriculum. These include:i. the implementation of the Universal Primary Education (U.P.E) in 1976 which resulted

in student population explosion at all levels of the educational system;ii. increased, though still inadequate, teacher supply to schools to cope with increased

enrolment and new subjects;iii. the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education with Junior and Senior Secondary

sections.

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(iv) the introduction of pre-vocational subjects which expanded the school curriculum; (v) expanded school plant to take care of the growing population; (vi) new emphasis on continuous assessment; and (vii) the introduction of guidance and counselling units in all secondary schools.

With this kind of situation, the school head is in a no-win situation in the management ofthe school if he does not delegate: The various education bodies had responded to theseneeds by appointing more principal officers. For example, at the secondary school level, mostschools now have two or three Vice Principals (V.P.) instead of the traditional practice of one .These are V.P. (Administration), V.P. (Academic ) and V.P. (Special Duties) who are ranked inascending order (the V.P. Administration as the most senior), with specific functions includingdeputizing in the absence of the Principal (Sanni, 1997). Similarly, in the universities there arenow two , as against the former practice of one, Deputy Vice-Chancellors (D.V.C.) namely D.V.C(Administration) and D.V.C. (Academic) also with clearly defined functions. .

In addition, another visible sign of delegation especially in our secondary schools is theincreasing use of committees. Though the use of committees is not new in schools, what ishowever novel is their increasing popularity in schools. As against two or three (disciplinaryand sports committee) of the past, many schools now have up to eight or more. Queen ElizabethSchool, llorin, for instance, has 25, each with specific terms of reference. Also, some schoolsnow see the need to appoint heads of sections or class supervisors to oversee and coordinatethe activities of the traditional class teachers.

Delegation of authority is therefore very important in school management and should bewell understood by school heads as well as by the teachers especially its process, benefits andhow to make it work to the benefit of the educational system. This is necessary in view ofthe fact that most school heads and their

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deputies in Nigeria have no training in Educational Management. Their appointment is usually basedon experience and who you know (Ayinla, 1999). Most of the teachers are also deficient in suchtraining. In addition, most problems bedevilling the educational system nowadays such ascultism, insubordination, truancy, examination malpractice, drug abuse, poor academicperformance and so on, are probably the result of poor supervision and improper delegation of

duties.The Process of Delegation

Delegation could take place in three directions:i. Downward: This is the usual process in which a superior officer gives authority to a

subordinate to act on his behalf.ii. Upwards: It is when a manager acts for or performs the work of a subordinate who is

absent.iii. Lateral: This is a case of a manager acting for another manager or officers at the same level

acting for each other.

Principles of DelegationFor successful delegation, it is important that both parties understand its basic principles.

These include:i. Parity of authority and responsibility, that is, authority must be commensurate with

responsibility.ii. Absoluteness of accountability - this implies that while authority and responsibility can

be delegated, the senior officer remains accountable to his own superiors.iii. Unity of Command - this is saying that a subordinate would be answerable to only one

superior on whatever task is delegated in order to avoid confusion due to conflicting instruction (Nwachukwu, 1988).

Benefits of Delegation

No school head can do without delegating even if he has eyes on the back of his head.Even the one who insists on being told everything before action is taken will soon find out thathe is overloading himself with matters that his subordinates can easily handle. Shaping children'sbehaviour is not exactly the same thing as

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producing soap or baking bread. The former is much more complex and more demanding withthe result rather unpredictable. Without proper delegation, the school manager cannot copesuccessfully. The subordinates and the entire school system also stand to benefit fromdelegation, if well handled, delegation could: 1. lead to effective utilization .of available human and material resources and ultimately better

performance of the school as an organization and imporved productivity among teachers;2. lead to better use of time which is an invaluable asset to any organization includingschools;

3. give the manager more time to attend to more strategic management functions ratherthan stressing himself out in doing the work. .

4. delegation engenders participation on the subordinates' part, and can serve as a trainingground to improve their knowledge and skills as well as test their suitability for jobperformance and promotion;

5. provide opportunities for subordinates to take part in the schools' decision-makingprocess which can help to boost their morale, reduce conflicts and enhance jobsatisfaction (Ejiogu, 1988);

6. lead to formation of committees with membership which cut across the variousdepartments and serve as means of achieving team work, co-ordinating schoolactivities and disseminating information within the school community (Coleman andBush, 1994);

7. make the school leadership more democratic while making different shades of opinionsavailable to the principal;

8. help to improve the rapport among teachers on the one hand and between principaland the teachers on the other hand and thereby improve the tone of the school; and

9. leave more time for managers to be available for consultations by subordinates andsuperiors.

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Barriers of Effective Delegation of Authority. In spite of the seeming picture of delegation in the structure of organisations, in reality, not

much of delegation may be going on. In a school system, where the head confines his deputiesand other teachers solely to their routine work without entrusting them with some of his ownduties or where responsibilities are given to subordinates without commensurate authority to act

or take decisions and being closely monitored, there cannot be said to be a meaningful delegation.In such a situation the school manager is inviting chaos or outright breakdown of law and order. Hewill not only stress himself out unnecessarily but would also soon find out that he cannot copeeffectively. For instance, the school manager cannot single-handedly maintain discipline in theschool. There are late-comers, loiters, students in wrong uniforms, unruly ones, and so on to bedisciplined. Unless teachers are given full authority to control such students within defined guidelines,law and order would breakdown.

In spite of the obvious need, some school managers still find it difficult to delegate or stillretain some vital aspects of their work undelegated especially financial matters. The major reasonattributed to the attitude of not delegating freely is fear, that is, fear that the subordinate will notdo the work well or that he may do it so well that the manager will be made to feel inferior orincompetent (Mullins, 1993). In certain cases, it is due to greed or corrupt tendencies of themanager who does not want the subordinates to know his secrets.

Another barrier to effective delegation is the fear of losing control of the system bymanagers. To such managers, delegation will mean being dependent on others and they nolonger feel on top. This does not have to arise. Management by nature implies being dependenton others (Mullins, 1993) but good managers would be able to manage such dependency properlyand still manage to be in control.

On the part of the subordinates, over-zealousness and/or greed or laziness can createbottlenecks for effective delegations. Some subordinates have been known to have over-stepped their

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bounds by using more authority than was entrusted to them even in spite of clear guidelines. Forexample, when a class teacher is asked to collect some levies and he decides to take more forhimself or embezzles the money. Some teachers have been known to be over zealous in theapplication of corporal punishment to students to the extent of maiming them.

Delegation is a social skill that is very much influenced by mutual trust on the part of the

manager and his subordinates. Where the manager perceives a subordinate to be untrustworthy orthe latter finds out that he is being used for some selfish reason of the manager such as roping himinto a fraud the superior officer has already committed, delegation would fail. Work delegatedunder mistrust will have to be closely monitored and double checked which is bad fordelegation. In the earlier case, it might result into open clash between the manager and thesubordinate, or strain! the relationship between them which might have repercussionthroughout the organization. This is poor delegation.

At the other extreme is excessive delegation whereby subordinates are left almostwithout guidance and supervision to do their work as they like and be ready to accept blame for theirmistakes. Such managers would abscond from office when there are serious problems in theschool so as to dissociate themselves from them. This cannot be called delegation but shirkingone's responsibility.

Both poor and excessive delegation can frustrate subordinates, leading to lowmorale, low motivation and poor job performance.

Guidelines for Effective Delegation Delegation is at the centre of management. It is an important way of getting jobs done in an

organization. As a behavioural skill, it has to be handled properly for effective management. Thefollowing tips can help managers to delegate properly:

1. Delegation has to do with location of decision making and involves decentralization.School managers should adopt participative rather than authoritative or consultative style ofmanagement.

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2. Work should be delegated to the right people whether individual ly or as a

comm ittee by considering their personality characteristics: age, interest,qualification, experience, capability and level of motivation.

3. Terms of reference or guidelines should be clearly spelt out in writing for whatever is

delegated.4. Effective communication between the manager and subordinates is alsoimportant.

5. School managers remain accountable for work delegated.6. There must be effective coordination of functions and committees' assignments by

the manager so that they all work towards over-all school objectives.7. Informal relationships can promote delegation among staff.8. Recommendations made by subordinates individually or as a commit tee should be

re spe ct ed , ex am ine d and implemented if found acceptable so as to encouragethem and others.

9. Managers should avoid over-use of certain individuals for delegation of duties toprevent dissatisfaction among other teachers.

10. Managers should not be stingy of praise for good work done.

In addition, a systematic approach to delegation, as suggested by Mullins (1993), in schoolmanagement is hereby presented. This, it is hoped, can lead to better delegation relationship,improved job satisfaction and enhanced opportunities for promotion or personal development:.

Step 1: Identify and clarify the task to be delegated. Step 2: Specify in writing the terms of reference or guidelines. Step 3: Follow with briefing, guidance and training (if necessary).

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Step 4: Provide review and monitoring system. Step 5: Allow freedom of action within agreed terms of reference or guidelines.

Figure 2: A Systematic Approach to Delegation in School Management. Adapted from Mullins (1993). Management and Organizational

Behaviour, p.529.

Conclusion In synopsis, delegation is a key aspect of management. In the school system, it is quite visibleand is almost impossible to run a school successfully, no matter the population , withoutdelegation.

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The increasing complexity of the educational system in Nigeria at present even makesdelegation necessary more than ever before, forcing school mangers to delegate more, hencethe need for them to fully understand what delegation involves.

Delegation is about decentralization of authority and responsibility within anorganization with benefits for the manager and the subordinates wherever successfully carried

out. A major obstacle to successful delegation is fear of failure though selfishness cannot be ruledout. For successful delegation, however, the element of trust is important for both parties, just asauthority must be commensurate with responsibility. A systematic approach to delegationcan also promote its success in school management. Annual evaluation of teachers shouldrecognise, among other things, their performance in carrying out delegated duties as a means ofencouragement.

Revision Questions 1. What does the term 'delegation of authority 1 mean? Why is it so Important in school

management?2. Distinguish between delegation at organizational level and at a personal level. 3. What factors would you take into consideration in delegating duties to a subordinate? 4. What are the principles guiding effective delegation of authority? 5. What are the main bottlenecks against successful delegation?

References Akanbi, T. (1994). Schedules of Duties of Staff in Secondary Schools. ANCOPSS. Kwara

State Branch, llorin Publication. Ayinla, M.A. (1999). Vice Principal managerial skills and effectiveness in llorin

Metropolis secondary schools, Kwara State. Unpublished M.Ed. Dissertation. Department ofEducational Management. University of llorin.

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Cole, G.A. (1996). Management Theory and Practice. London: DP Publication.. . Coleman, M. & Bush, T. (1994). Managing with teams in T. Bush and J, West-Burham

(Eds.): The Principles of Educational Management: pp. 265-284. London: Longman. Ejiogu, A.M: (1998). Towards greater collegiality in school policy making. The linking-

pin model. In S. Adesina and E.O. Fagbamiye (Eds.): Educational Administration. pp. 127-133.

Ibadan: University Press Limited. Mullins, I.J. (1993). Management and Organizational Behaviour. London: PitmanPublishing.

Nwackukwu, C.C. (1988). Management Theory and Practice. Onitsha. AFRICANA - Fed.Publishers Limited.

Sanni, R.O. (1997). School Management: Guidelines for Principals and Teachers. Apublication of the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission, llorin.

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