A manager divided work but did not give authority, so employees could not take decisions. Which function is defective?

Correct answer: Organising

The governing concept is delegation within organising. Organising involves identifying activities, grouping related work, assigning duties and establishing reporting relationships. A duty or responsibility cannot be performed effectively unless the employee receives sufficient authority to make decisions and use necessary resources. In this case, the manager divided the work but failed to match responsibility with authority, so the organising function is defective. Option A is therefore correct. Planning would be concerned with objectives and courses of action, staffing with obtaining and developing employees, and directing with guiding, motivating and leading them. Although directing may influence decisions, the specific failure described occurs when duties are assigned without corresponding authority, which is an element of delegation and organising.