Final answer:
When a department is given specific responsibilities, it must also be provided with the necessary resources and authority to fulfill its objectives. This allocation is key to maintaining efficiency and accountability within the organization, allowing departments to effectively execute their duties.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a department is assigned responsibility for specific tasks, it should also be allocated the resources and authority to accomplish its objectives. This principle is crucial in ensuring that a department can effectively carry out its duties and meet set expectations. For instance, in a bureaucracy with a clear division of labor, where the role of each individual or department is to handle specialized tasks, it is essential that they have the necessary tools and decision-making power to execute their responsibilities proficiently.
In any organization, from universities to the executive offices of a president, the alignment of responsibility and authority helps maintain efficiency and accountability. If, for example, a department within the Department of State is given a mission, it must be empowered to make decisions and have access to materials or information that enables it to function in a focused capacity. Likewise, in the business scenario of a restaurant, if food service is delayed and the hostess has the capacity to assist but lacks the authority or has not been given the responsibility to help with the service, it could be seen as an inefficient division of labor.
Understanding this concept is critical for managers who expect results from their staff, as it addresses potential misalignments where staff members have the responsibility to deliver outcomes but do not possess the authority to take necessary actions to achieve these outcomes. Allocating both responsibility and authority ensures that departments can operate effectively within their designated roles.