What is delegation?

• A. Delegation is when employees manage themselves without supervision.
• B. Delegation is a process of eliminating positions to reduce costs.
• C. Delegation is assigning tasks to subordinates without giving authority.
• D. Delegation is when managers pass authority and responsibility for decisions to subordinates

Answer: (D)

Delegation is about giving subordinates both the authority to make decisions and the responsibility to carry out tasks, while the manager remains accountable for the outcomes. This option says that managers pass both authority and responsibility for decisions to subordinates, which is the essence of delegation. It enables decision-making at lower levels and helps develop employees, while the manager still holds accountability for results.

The other descriptions don’t fit delegation: one describes employees managing themselves without supervision, which is not delegation since the manager isn’t authorizing decision power; another talks about eliminating positions to cut costs, which is downsizing, not delegation; and the last mentions assigning tasks without giving authority, which leaves subordinates with work but no power to decide.