Differentiate between autonomy and delegation in management, with examples.

• A. Delegation is assigning tasks with authority to complete them, possibly with oversight.
• B. Autonomy gives employees freedom to decide within their role; delegation is assigning tasks with authority to complete them, possibly with oversight.
• C. Autonomy and delegation are the same.
• D. Autonomy means giving pay increases; delegation means hiring outsiders.

Answer: (B)

Autonomy means giving employees freedom to decide how to do their work within the scope of their role. It’s about trusting them to make choices and use their judgment, as long as they stay within set goals and boundaries. For example, a marketing executive might be told to grow brand awareness but can choose which channels to test, how to schedule campaigns, and which tactics to try.

Delegation, on the other hand, is when a manager assigns a specific task to someone and gives them the authority to complete it, often with some oversight. The person is responsible for carrying out that task and making the necessary decisions within the defined limits. For instance, a supervisor might delegate the preparation of a monthly budget report to a staff member and empower them to decide which data sources to use, while the manager monitors progress and signs off on the final report.

So autonomy is about broad freedom within a role to decide how to work, while delegation is about handing over a particular task with the authority to act on it (with possible oversight).