AN EVALUATION OF THE STRATEGIC IMPACT OF AUTHORITY DELEGATION ON MANAGEMENT EFFICACY

1. Introduction

  Delegation of  authority is  one  of modern trends practiced by managers.  It is function stands out contributing and increasing the level of motivation of employees  and  achieving  positive returns for (an organization with a manager) and (an employee with a customer) both. On the level of  an organization, it  achieves  competitive advantage, knowledge  inventory,  increases the level of productivity and speed in finalizing tasks effectively.    On the level of manager, it alleviates functional burdens,  gains  employees’ satisfaction and builds  cooperation  and trust between manger and employees giving a chance for manger to have full-time for realization more important work. So, it reduces physical and intellectual efforts exerted by manager and other  employees.  On  the  level  of  an  employee,  it  works  on  achieving  functional empowerment, constructing alternative and administrative leadership, making employees feel self-confidence and  motivation for  Excellency in  performance.  On the  level  of customer, it meets the needs of customers rapidly, delivering or providing the service will not be delayed due  to  delegation  authority.    Giving  the  customer  a  higher  level  of  care  and  attention, building customer’s  perceived  and creating loyalty  and mutual  respect    for an  organization and production in which the organization produced.   It  can  be  said  that  method  of  delegation  authority  becomes  inevitable  issue  for  every organization whether in  public or  private  sector.  It  is not  optional  due to many  reasons  has   connected  and  brought  developments  and  changes  to  the  organizations  including  that (increasing its size and diversity of its products, multiplicity    of its products and spread of its branches in different geographical zones and different local, regional and international levels. Managers have been imposed for the necessity to have a way for helping them in facilitating business affairs and  alleviating the burdens in which they aren’t tolerated, implemented and controlled by a manger. From other hand, different social and environmental transformations at  organization  have  been  changed  since  of  classical  school  that  was  differentiated  by centralism and  subjecting  to orders of  mangers without  reluctance.  Implementing processes and procedures become more flexible, and free due to employees. The results of applying this principle    has  helped  employees  to  be  enhanced,    imposed  different  functional  rights  for them,  and  necessity  to  transform  from  dictatorship  to  democracy  associates  with  modern trends of management and employees’ desires and wishes. In addition, managers will be able to  maintain  their  job  position  and  preserve  the  process  of  facilitating  business  affairs, employees’ loyalty, enabling to be remained and achieving performance efficiency.  

1. Statement of the Problem

  It stands out reality of phenomenon of delay in delivery of services to citizens, reviewers and routines  from  perspective of  researchers based  on  thoughts  of  customers in  order to  obtain variety services, functional job methods and technical tasks done by employees of Great Irbid Municipality  (GIM),  which  leads  the  capacity  to  absorb  a  long  time  with  customers  and reviewers to obtain the required services. The results will be accumulation of business affairs on citizens and wasting time and effort      of employees and customers. The question of what is  the  impact  of  authority  delegation  on  employees’  performance  due  to  efficiency, effectiveness and empowerment      has been emerged.   1.2 Objectives of the Study The present study aims at identifying the impact of the delegation of authority on employees’ performance  at  great  Irbid  municipality.  It  has  constructed  on  measuring  the  impact  of delegation on efficiency, effectiveness and empowerment.

1. Importance of the Study

  it lies on the importance of the topic related to delegation authority from high management to lower  managerial  levels  of  employees  at  Great  Irbid  Municipality.  Studying  such phenomenon  discovers  the level  of centralism  and decentralism  applied in  management  of municipality affairs in which a  lot  of work  and different services  are implemented  for local community and citizens due to  increasing  the  level of service, performance and speed. This matter is going to achieve a higher level of satisfaction and loyalty to customers.    Delegation authority  reflects  positive  returns  achieving efficiency, effectiveness  and  empowerment.  In addition  creating  alternative  leadership,  trust,  cooperation  between  functional  high  and medium levels or between employer and employees.   1.4 Study Variables The study includes two basic and significant variables:  Dependent Variable: Impact  of  delegation  authority  practiced and  applied by high management.    Independent  Variable:  Employees’  performance  measured  by      three elements (efficiency, effectiveness and empowerment).  

1.5 Study Hypothesizes

  Three hypothesizes were included:

  1.  There is no statically significant for the method of delegation authority on functional efficiency of employees.

 2.   There is no statically significant for the method of delegation authority on functional effectiveness performance of employees.

3. There is no statically significant for the method of delegation authority on  functional empowerment of employees

 1.6 Operational Definitions

  Delegation Authority:  Waiving  some  administrative  levels  on  powers  and  authorities  for lower functional levels to help them in completing quests in order to providing services easily and rabidly for customers and benefices.  

Employees’ Performance:  Level  of  efforts and  achievements exerted  by employees. It can be measured through following elements:  

 Functional Efficiency of Employees: Employees’ capability on  completing quests authorized  perfectly  guarantee speed  and  accurate  in addition,  it  saves  time  and efforts. Moreover, it increases level of quality in performance.  

  Effectiveness Performance of Employees:  Employees’  capability  on  completing quests  authorized  creatively  guarantee  increasing  in  level  of  performance  and cooperation among job levels  in  completing quests  and adopting with conditions of different at organization.  

 Functional  Empowerment  of  Employees:  Acquisition  the  skills  and  additional knowledge for employees in order to increase and raise levels of self-trust. It gives them  capability  to  complete  quests  authorized  and  customers’  services  directly without asking the director.

  1.7 Methodology   

 1.7.1  Study  Method:  Descriptive  approach  was  applied  depending  on  empirical  method through process of data collection.  

1.7.2 Study Sources (references): Two sources have been applied in data collection  and they were: 

  Secondary:  They  were  collected  from  relevant  references  and  depending  on traditional and  electronic libraries, getting  benefits  form contents  such  as textbooks, literature review (previous studies) and journals. 

  Primary:  A  questionnaire  designed  for  the  purposes  of  the  study  in  which  it corresponds  its  variables  for  data collection  related  to  employees working  in  Great Irbid Municipality (GIM) in northern region of Hasmite Kingdom of Jordan (HKJ).  

1.7.3 Study Population It was  consisted  of employees working  in  GIM in northern  region of Jordan.  They reached (1500) distributing on different sites of Irbid. However, the study was focused on middle and executive functional levels. Employees of lower levels have been expected.     The researchers have selected random sample reaching to 200 employees and distributing on them. (166)  of questionnaire were  considered retrieval  and  (6) weren’t  appropriate  for data analysis. The final result was (160) forming 80% of study population.