52.1 Delegation and Control

 52.1 Delegation and Control

Question:

How to choose the right employee for a task?

 

Answer:

Be aware that there are many people who satisfy all the tests,

yet they differ in the performance of their duties. (Couplet – 514)

Work should be entrusted to men of expert knowledge and capable

of discharging the assigned tasks and not due to any other

special considerations. (Couplet – 515)

Choose only those who are loyal, knowledgeable, capable of clear thinking,

 and devoid of excessive desires. (Couplet – 513)

Assign the task to the employee who can consider the pros

and cons resulting from the different ways of performing the

task and select the beneficial option. (Couplet – 511)

Choose the one who can expand the sources of revenue, increase wealth,

analyze problems and resolve them. (Couplet – 512)

எனைவகையான் தேறியக் கண்ணும் வினைவகையான்

வேறாகும் மாந்தர் பலர். (குறள் – 514)

அறிந்தாற்றிச் செய்கிற்பாற்கு அல்லால் வினைதான்

சிறந்தானென்று ஏவற்பாற் றன்று. (குறள் – 515)

அன்பறிவு தேற்றம் அவாவின்மை இந்நான்கும்

நன்குடையான் கட்டே தெளிவு. (குறள் – 513)

நன்மையும் தீமையும் நாடி நலம்புரிந்த

தன்மையான் ஆளப் படும். (குறள் – 511)

வாரி பெருக்கி வளம்படுத்து உற்றவை

ஆராய்வான் செய்க வினை. (குறள் – 512)

 

Explanation:

It was emphasized in questions and answers 51.1, 51.2, and 51.3 that a person should be selected for employment only after rigorous tests. Although employees are hired after rigorous tests, there is no guarantee that they will perform their duties as expected. They are likely to differ in their ability to perform different tasks. So, additional attention should be paid when choosing an employee for a specific task. An employee should be assigned appropriate tasks based on his expertise and past performance in similar tasks, and there should be no other unrelated considerations. The employer should also consider the employee’s loyalty, knowledge, and clear-thinking ability when he is assigned a task. Since a greedy person will always be after money rather than performance excellence, ensuring that the employee is not greedy is necessary.

 

              Valluvar mentions two specific guidelines when assigning a task to an employee. First, he says the task should be assigned to the employee who will consider the pros and cons of the various options in the performance of the ask and select the one that will be beneficial and perhaps will not be risky. Second, it is essential that the employee can expand the sources of revenue, increase wealth, analyze problems, and resolve them.

 

              The second guideline is more applicable to senior executives. In many corporations, a Chief Executive Officer(CEO) is a person who has shown demonstrated ability to expand sources of revenue, increase wealth, analyze problems, and solve them. For this reason, CEOs often have sales, marketing, and business development background. After all, the objective of a business enterprise is to enrich the owners and shareholders.

 

எனைவகையான் தேறியக் கண்ணும் வினைவகையான்

வேறாகும் மாந்தர் பலர்.     514