Multi Tasking - Part: 2 - Management of the Modern Business Ventures

The size, complexity and structure of business organization went on growing after the Industrial revolution. The growth caused organizational changes in business structure from the proprietary business to business partnerships; from Partnerships to Private Limited Companies; from Private to Public Limited Companies, where some Lakhs of share holders may own the business; and from Public limited, to global or multi-national business concerns. While the physical needs of multi tasking in the manufacturing of products is eliminated, the management needs of organizing, operating, monitoring and controlling the business responsibilities have tremendously increased. At the base level, the junior manager has to monitor and overview the work schedule of thee or four juniors, and he has to adhere to time schedules for completion of different responsibilities of his section. At the senior level, the General Manager's management responsibilities much larger. At the apex level of business management, the responsibilities of he Business Promoter, who promote and control a chain of Public limited Companies has to be imagined. At the junior level, the section manager can invoke his personal skill for multi-tasking in trying to discharge his responsibilities, with limited success. But no manager by the simple tools of his personal memory and process of spot decision taking can shoulder his entire responsibilities. The human body has solved the problem of supervising the functioning of all its multiple internal systems, through an automated, and self-controlled management system, the business manager has to carryout automation of business functioning through delegation of authority and functions. But there is a difference in respect of delegation of responsibilities between the management of the internal systems of the human body and the delegation of the management burdens of the business organization. In the human body, it is not delegation, but a sharing of responsibilities. The external brain of the body is not responsible for managing the internal systems of the body. It only responds and acts and carries out actions based on the directions of the sensory organs (like eating food, when hunger is felt). How the body has arranged its internal functioning and controls the functioning of its multiple systems in perfect harmony has not been unrevealed by the scientists so far. The human body is part of the Nature. The creature has made Nature to function without a visible external control system.

In management there cannot be an absolute delegation of either a portion or the bulk of his responsibilities, by a manager to his juniors. Responsibility cannot be delegated. But authority to do a job and the powers for due function of doing the job can be delegated. The Manager is responsible for all tasks delegated to his subordinates, but he has the benefit of the services of the juniors placed at his disposal for getting the job done. His own inherent responsibility for the due performance of the total job is not delegateable. This is explained by comparing the case of an artisan, utilizing simple tools to perform his craft. It is the artisan, who is responsible for the quality, and in case of poor quality, he cannot shed his responsibility by blaming his tools. The promoter cannot blame his managers for mismanagement of his business, nor can a manager blame his subordinates for non-functioning. Not that the subordinates are not accountable, as each subordinate is accountable to his immediate superior. But the accountability of the subordinate is limited to the guidelines or instructions given to him for performing the delegated job. This leads to the question what to delegate and how to delegate

Every task for the performing of which specific procedures, rules, and guidelines are framed can be delegated. The junior's responsibility is restricted to strictly abiding by the instructions and work within the guidelines. But there are also exceptions to this statement. The contract of employment, under which the junior is appointed, is a contract of utmost good faith. The employee has to be loyal, and trust worthy. He has to abide by the Conduct regulations and service regulations, which are part of the contract. Every authority delegated should be exercised in the interests and for the benefit of the Organization. Decisions taken should be objective. What is objectivity? They should not be taken based on personal likes or dislikes or in promoting the personal interests of the Manager. A manager vested with powers to select candidates for appointment in the organization cannot select his own kith and kin for such appointments in the exercise of the vested powers. A manager vested with powers to sanction leave, should not sanction his own leave application and proceed on leave. The rules for delegation are:

• Enforce and ensure loyalty and trust worthiness of the subordinate before delegating authority to him. This will enable you to enforce accountability beyond the strict boundaries of the guidelines given. A clerk given responsibility for doing dispatch (of mail) work cannot keep quiet if an unauthorised stranger enters the premises and carries away the electronic typewriter of the Company. He cannot plead that watch and ward of the premises is not the job delegated to him and hence he is not bound to prevent or report the theft, or that the safe custody of the electronic typewriter is not entrusted to him.

• Before delegating define tasks and set rules and procedures for executing the same. Tell the junior, not only what he is to do, but also tell him 'how he is to do the delegated task.'

• Provide necessary physical and other facilities to the junior to discharge his functions smoothly. When the work of the junior is over lapping with that of others, or is linked or dependent on the work of other employees, organize proper coordinating agency in the system.

• Explain. Educate and train the junior in the proper discharging of the delegated responsibility.

• After delegating, authority/functions to the junior call for feedback reports from the junior and monitor his work to ensure that he is discharging the delegated responsibilities as per norms and standards. Enforce punctual and proper submission of reports.

• Conduct regular audit or surprise inspection of the junior's section/work in its totality periodically, and if the audit reveals willful irregular functioning or gross negligence initiate disciplinary action, including awarding of punishment as warranted. Be objective in assessing audit findings and in conducting disciplinary proceedings. Powers of conducting audit and enforcing discipline, or two powers tools in the hands of the management, and if used with proper discretion, it will prevent totally the emergence of indiscipline in the set up and ensure its smooth working.

At the other end recognise. Encourage, and reward the honest and hard working and loyal employee. It is bad to have a bad worker, but it is more unfortunate to have a good worker and not knowing or recognizing him. If this continues, it will result in the good leaving the organization, while the bad will remain until removed.

• When the process of delegation overloads the burden at the level of the junior, permit sub-delegation of responsibilities by the junior to specified number of employees in the next lower level (cadre). This creates the hierarchical management system.

In hierarchical management system enforce unity of command. This means that each employee will report and get orders from only one person, who is immediately above him in the hierarchical order. An employee should not get orders from multiple sources. This leads to conflicts in management.

Delegation enables the formation of hierarchical form of organization structure and makes it possible for efficient management of very huge Business Organizations. But like every tool, this device also has its own limitations.

• Since only authority and duties of discharging a function is delegated, the responsibility for the function still rests with the top management and hence, the top management still has to attend to detailed monitoring of the functions of the middle and junior level managers and control their working. This still places considerable load or burden on the top management.

• Hierarchical management implies creation of additional posts of middle and junior level managers, and the extra burden of selecting and training suitable persons for these functions. It adds to the special function of Personnel Management in the Organization

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• The chain of commands work properly, only if there are competent persons at each level working devotedly with full coordination. Inefficiency at a single level in the hierarchy, not only creates dormancy in that function/section, but adversely affects the working of other departments and officers. (e.g. the purchase section fails in timely purchases, then it affects the production and in turn the sales section also).

It does considerably reduce the burden at the top management, and brings organizational development from a single man management to Management by Objectives in a decentralised set-up. There is still a flood of multifarious responsibilities and tasks left to be attended by the top management, by way of strategic planning, defining policy, coordination, managing exceptions and problems that crop up, responding to the challenges of external environment. How does the top management faces these, multiple responsibilities and faces flooding of challenges and constraints is dealt with in another literature under title 'CORPORATE MANAGEMENT AND THE TOP TEAM'.