How to delegate effectively
The secret of success is not in doing your own work, but in recognizing the
right person to do it.
One of the most crucial and challenging tasks for managers and supervisors is to apportion the work among the employees they manage and supervise. A lot of managers and supervisors frequently complain that they have too much to do and too little time in which to do it. Unchecked, this feeling leads to stress and ineffectiveness. In many cases, executives could greatly reduce their stress by practicing a critical management skill – delegation.
Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person to carry out the specific job-related activities. It allows a subordinate to make decisions; that is, it is a shift of decision-making authority from one organizational level to another lower one.
Delegation should not be confused with participation. In participative decision making, there is a sharing of authority; with delegation, subordinates make decisions on their own. Effective delegation pushes authority down vertically through the ranks of an organization. Before describing how to delegate, you have to keep in mind÷
1- Delegation is not “dumping.” : Managers should take special care to make sure that the employee does not think he is trying to “dump” unpleasant assignments on him.
2- Delegation is not abdication: The manager still has the ultimate accountability for the assignment. That’s why it is important for you to establish appropriate controls and checkpoints to monitor progress. Besides, managers should give delegates the appropriate authority to act along with clear expectations including any boundaries or criteria. The manager, however, should try to avoid prescribing HOW the assignment should be completed.
3- Delegation involves three important concepts and practices: responsibility, authority, and accountability. When you delegate, you share responsibility and authority with others and you hold them accountable for their performance. The ultimate accountability, however, still lies with the manager who should clearly understand that :
-Responsibility refers to the assignment itself and the intended results. That means setting clear expectations. It also means that you should avoid prescribing the employee HOW the assignment should be completed.
-Authority refers to the appropriate power given to the individual or group including the right to act and make decisions. It is very important to communicate boundaries and criteria such as budgetary considerations.
-Accountability refers to the fact that the relevant individual must ‘answer’ for his/her/their actions and decisions along with the rewards or penalties that accompany those actions or decisions.
How to delegate?
1- Determine what you are going to delegate. Then take the time to plan how you are going to present the assignment, including your requirements, parameters, authority level, checkpoints and expectations. It is a good idea to write down these items and give a copy to your delegate in order to minimize miscommunication.
2- Choose the right person. Assess the skills and the experience of your employees as objectively as possible. Don’t be too quick to choose the person who you always know you can depend on.
3- Give an overview of the assignment including the importance of the assignment and why you have chosen the employee for the job.
4- Describe the new responsibility in detail, outlining sub-tasks, defining any necessary parameters, and setting performance standards. Make sure the employee understands his/her level or degree of authority. Let the employee know who he/she can turn to for help as well as other available resources. By the way, make sure that you notify those affected by the delegates’ power.
5- Solicit questions, reactions, and suggestions. At this point you may want to ask the employee what approach he/she might take.
6- Listen to the employee’s comments and respond empathetically. This step helps to get employee “buy-in” and will also help you determine if the employee does indeed understand what is expected of him/her.
7- Ask the employee for commitment and offer help or some type of back-up assistance. An employee who already feels overwhelmed may worry about completing the assignments already on his/her plate. It is your responsibility to help establish priorities and relieve some of the pressure by getting someone else to share some of the delegates’ routine tasks for the duration of the assignment.
8- Be encouraging. Express confidence in the employee’s ability to successfully handle the new responsibility.
9- Establish checkpoints, deadlines, and ways to monitor progress. The entire discussion should be a collaborative process. You should strive for mutual agreement.
10- Keep in contact with the employee and observe the checkpoints the two of you agreed to. However, don’t hover. Remember, delegating means letting go.
11- Recognize and reward the person for his/her successful completion of the assignment.
Symptoms of Poor Delegation
There are many symptoms of poor delegation, and can be seen in the working habits of the manager, the attitude of the employees, or the overall productivity of the organization. Check from the following list the symptoms that are visible in your department / organization:
delays / postpones his vacation because of the work load.
If you have found one or two of the above statements in your workspace, you should look very carefully at your delegation practices and emphatically ask yourself why these conditions exist in your department / organization, and how you can utilize the above steps of applying delegation to enhance this practice.
Notes (Place Your Notes Here)