What are the four levels of authority?

• A. Informing authority, reporting authority, full authority, recommending authority.
• B. Informing authority, full authority, reporting authority, recommending authority.
• C. Informing authority, recommending authority, full authority, reporting authority.
• D. Informing authority, recommending authority, reporting authority, full authority.

Answer: (D)

These four levels show how decision-making power gets handed down and grows in autonomy, from simply being kept in the loop to having the freedom to act on your own. At informing, you’re told what has been decided so you can align your actions, but you don’t influence the decision itself. Moving to recommending, you can propose options and advocate for a preferred path, but the final choice stays with those who hold higher authority. With reporting authority, you’re entrusted to carry out decisions and monitor their outcomes, while keeping higher-ups informed about results and staying within defined boundaries. At full authority, you can make and execute decisions independently within the allowed scope.

This sequence—informing, recommending, reporting, full—best reflects a natural, progressive increase in autonomy. Other orders would jumble the flow of delegation, placing input, accountability, or execution in a sequence that doesn’t align with how authority is typically granted in sport and recreation settings.