Critics of Delegation and Decentralization in Abdicating Authority and Upholding Ubuntu Philosophy in Social Welfare Organizations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to reach the augment of the critics of delegation and decentralization in abducting authority and upholding Ubuntu philosophy in Social Welfare Organizations in Zimbabwe. The systematic distribution of authority by the top management in social welfare organizations remains a contested issue in abdicating authority and upholding Ubuntu Philosophy. Abdicating respect and human dignity in delegating responsibility is one of the critical issues in social welfare organizations as some community-based organizations fail to consider the inherent worth of employees before conducting some projects and allocating tasks. In governmental parastatals participatory democratic values are not effectively implemented when delegating duties, the top management restricts itself to major decisions areas like policymaking, coordination and control. The lower-level managers have enough decision-making authority and support to introduce innovativeness in their work. A desktop review was used in accordance with the case study for the study, qualitative and qualitative research methods were used to gather data collected from the research. Data collection methods that were used included observations, focus group discussions and interviews. The targeted population included international, statutory and non-statutory organizations in Zimbabwe. Findings from the study concluded that delegation and decentralization in social welfare organizations are criticized as a result of local beurocracy and inequalities that exist in organizations. Respondents articulated that decentralization becomes an important handicap in upholding the organizational values and ethics. In social welfare organizations, some executives do not understand the basic need for basic respect and compassion for other employees like sharing the responsibility of decision-making.