Which is an advantage of decentralised management?

• A. The business benefits from rapid decision-making and empowerment of local managers
• B. The organisation loses overall corporate image
• C. Local markets are ignored to maintain consistency
• D. Decisions require extensive approval from head office

Answer: (D)

Decentralised management shines when decision-making authority is pushed closer to where work happens. Local managers are in the best position to judge customer needs, competitive conditions, and regulatory quirks, so they can respond quickly without waiting for approvals from the top. This rapid decision-making and empowerment boosts speed, motivation, and accountability, making the business more agile in diverse markets.

Think of the other statements as features of more centralised control rather than advantages of decentralisation. Requiring extensive head-office approvals slows actions; focusing on a single, uniform approach can cause local markets to be ignored; and while corporate image matters, losing it isn’t an inherent advantage of decentralised management.