COMMITMENT

While not all staff like to be involved in decision-taking, there is overwhelming

evidence that most people would like a greater share than they have in decisions which affect
them but which are the responsibility of others. A simple model putting the choices between
involvement and non-involvement is shown in Figure 4.2.

If people make such remarks as ‘Don’t ask me, you are paid to decide’, you should
ask yourself whether this reflects a real reluctance to be involved or whether, on the other
hand, your own behaviour where there is such ‘involvement’ is seen as a charade masking an
inbuilt resistance to the ideas of others. It is not enough to ask for opinions and ideas, you
should also use them when reasonably possible.

DELEGATION
Commitment based on the ‘My idea – it will work’ principle becomes even stronger if
we delegate as much as possible of the decision-taking to the implementers. This is the
thinking which underlies ‘management by objectives’.
Ideally heads or heads of department will involve their subordinates but take the
decisions themselves in determining
(1) common policies;
(2) common systems;
(3) school or departmental objectives (these could derive in part from a higher level); and
(4) what each individual is expected to achieve.
How individuals achieve their objectives can then be left to them, subject always to a
respect for the objectives of others and to staying within the agreed policies and systems. As
we saw earlier, this puts the individual into an ‘achievement loop’ of planning, implementing
and controlling against meaningful goals. If the goals have been agreed with the head or head
of department and colleagues, and if there is a review process, recognition of achievement is
also built automatically into the process.
Effective delegation depends on
(1) clearly defined objectives with a timetable;
(2) clearly defined criteria which should be borne in mind in achieving the objectives; and
(3) review procedures or check points.
Let us suppose that the head delegates to a member of staff the task of organizing a
school fair on a given date. The teacher who has been made responsible will need also to
know what essential and desirable criteria apply, as follows.
Essential
(1) We must invite X, Y and Z.
(2) Areas A, B and C must not be used.
(3) We must not incur a budget of more than £x and we must not lose money.
(4) There will be no alcoholic drinks on sale.
(5) We must provide for the possibility of bad weather.
Desirable
(6) We shall raise at least £x.
(7) We shall avoid clashes with competing activities.
(8) We shall get subscriptions from local businesses.
The list is not, of course, comprehensive for even an imaginary fete. Many other items
may be quite clearly implied from the school’s culture or from previous experience.
However, especially if there is a new head or a new organizer, a thorough briefing meeting
can save a lot of wasted effort.
Job descriptions (see p. 75) are an important tool in permanently delegating authority
and responsibility for decisions and actions

KEY PRINCIPLES
The effective taking of decisions depends in short on a logical process which ensures
in particular that we
(1) gather as many as possible of the relevant facts and opinions;
(2) consider the alternatives; and
(3) take into account the criteria which we need to meet and choose accordingly.
Effective implementation depends on
(1) a plan;
(2) reviews of progress; and
(3) the involvement of the right people at the right time and through a well controlled
process.

FURTHER READING
Adair, J. (1985) Effective Decision Making: A Guide to Thinking for Management Success,
Pan, London.
Burns, R. (2002) Making Delegation Happen. A Simple and Effective Guide to Implementing
Successful Delegation, Allen and Unwin, London.
A good general text explaining how decisions are taken in the public sector is
Lawton, A. and Rose, A.G. (1994) Organisation and Management in the Public Sector (2nd
edn) Financial Times Prentice Hall, London.