Which is a function of management?

planning. Managers plan, organise, coordinate, command and control.

A leader makes all the decisions and tells employees what to do. This style is

autocratic. Decisions come from the top, without consultation.

Which is an advantage of democratic leadership?

employees feel involved and are more motivated. People work harder for decisions they helped to make.

After delegating a task, who is responsible for the outcome?

the manager remains responsible. Authority can be passed down, but responsibility stays.

For which workers is laissez-faire leadership most suitable?

experienced, creative designers. Skilled people can be trusted to organise their own work.

Managers, delegation and leadership · Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies

In plain words

A manager's job is to get things done through other people. That takes planning what should happen, organising people and resources to do it, and checking that it has been done.

How a manager goes about it, giving orders or asking opinions, is their leadership style.

6 things to know

The functions of management: planning, organising, coordinating, commanding and controlling.
Delegation is passing authority to a subordinate to carry out a task. The manager remains responsible for the result.
Delegation frees the manager's time, gives staff more interesting work and trains them for promotion. But managers may fear losing control, so it depends on trust.
Autocratic leadership: the leader makes the decisions alone and gives orders. It is quick, and useful in a crisis, but can demotivate staff.
Democratic leadership: employees are involved in decisions. Ideas and motivation improve, but decisions take longer.
Laissez-faire leadership: employees are left to make their own decisions. It suits skilled, creative staff, but can lack direction.

Tips and tricks

Delegating a task does not delegate the blame. If it goes wrong, the manager is still accountable.
Recommend a leadership style by the situation: autocratic for an emergency or unskilled staff, democratic where staff have expertise worth hearing.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Managers, delegation and leadership: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

Which is a function of management?
- planning (the answer)
- buying shares
- paying dividends
- setting interest rates
Managers plan, organise, coordinate, command and control.
A leader makes all the decisions and tells employees what to do. This style is
- autocratic (the answer)
- democratic
- laissez-faire
- delegated
Decisions come from the top, without consultation.
Which is an advantage of democratic leadership?
- very fast decisions
- employees feel involved and are more motivated (the answer)
- the leader needs no information
- no meetings are needed
People work harder for decisions they helped to make.
After delegating a task, who is responsible for the outcome?
- only the subordinate
- the manager remains responsible (the answer)
- nobody
- the customers
Authority can be passed down, but responsibility stays.
For which workers is laissez-faire leadership most suitable?
- new, untrained employees
- workers on a fast assembly line
- experienced, creative designers (the answer)
- temporary seasonal staff
Skilled people can be trusted to organise their own work.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 8 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.