Delegation is an essential element of any manager’s job and often comes up as an area of doubt and frustration for my clients. When done right, delegating brings real benefits to everyone involved. If done poorly or not at all, it can make an ineffective situation even worse.
So what is delegation? Delegation implies entrusting another person with a task for which the delegator remains ultimately responsible. Although delegation takes time to organize, prioritize, and manage, the manager who avoids it will appear disorganized, work excessive hours, and core processes can be undermined by poor quality of work, bottlenecks, and missed deadlines, affecting their overall performance.
When done correctly, the manager increases their time for essential managerial tasks and staff feel motivated and more confident as their responsibility and competence grow.
Barriers to delegating are often based on a manager’s insecurity and mistrust. Manage:
- is often more efficient at many tasks than his staff or just wants things done “his way”
- they may feel too busy and that they don’t have time to delegate properly
- they may feel their staff are too inexperienced or not competent enough
- you may not want to overburden an already busy staff
- may feel uncomfortable giving up direct control over the outcome of the task
- you may fear that delegates will perform so well that they challenge your own position
- they may fear “losing” a part of their job, thus diminishing their own importance and job security
As you can see, there are many barriers to delegating. To help overcome these barriers and be an effective delegate, a manager:
- you shouldn’t feel insecure
- has confidence in subordinates
- use schedules when planning
- knows the value of delegating
- ensures staff are trained.
The effective delegation process consists of five stages:
1) Analysis: Select the tasks that the manager could and should delegate, taking care to clearly define the parameters of the task so that a suitable person can be identified. As a prerequisite, the manager must analyze her time to determine how her use of time matches the areas or tasks for which he is responsible. It is often determined that not enough time is being spent on higher-level activities that only the manager can do. Heller suggests that ideally, 60% of a manager’s week should be spent on high-level thinking and 40% on operational details.
two) Supplement: select and appoint the delegate. This person must have the capabilities or at least the potential to do a very competent job with the assigned task. In addition to the necessary skills and knowledge, candidates must demonstrate self-confidence, initiative, and responsibility. The manager must make the selections in an informed and objective manner, so that personal biases do not negatively affect the process.
3) Instructions: Define the task to the delegate so there is no confusion as to what is required and expected. The most important part of the reporting process is clearly defining the overall objective and basing the objectives on the required results. Other areas to address include the resources needed or available, the desired timeline and appropriate checkpoints, the appropriate methods and procedures for moving forward, and the delegate’s level of authority. The manager should allow for open communication and for the steward to ask questions and raise concerns so that both parties are satisfied with the debriefing and agree on how to proceed.
4) control: Monitoring progress is an important step in helping the steward be successful. It has been said that a good monitoring system consists of a light rein and a heavy hand, which means that a balance must be found between interfering and micromanaging, and giving the delegate too much freedom and flexibility. This balance will depend on a number of factors, including the experience and skills of the delegate, as well as the manager’s goals for the delegation process. Using management by exception will allow each party to focus only on items that are deviations from the plan. In monitoring the delegate’s progress, it is also wise for the manager to identify and monitor those areas of the task that he considers to be high risk. Both parties must be flexible and adaptable to adjust course along the way as circumstances dictate.
5) Evaluation: Assess how well the delegate performed and determine what changes, on both sides, need to be made to improve performance. The most effective way to review staff performance is to provide delegates with constructive feedback along the way and after completing each task. Referencing the parameters and objectives of the task, reviewing what went well and what could be improved. Remember to stay positive and avoid blame, and allow the delegate an opportunity to evaluate the process and her own performance. Never take successful performance of a delegated task for granted, so recognize delegate effort and reward outstanding delegates. Not acknowledging the delegate’s effort and praising them for a job well done tends to quickly undermine trust.
Understanding and appreciating the benefits of effective delegation can provide many benefits for the manager, the delegate, and the organization. Focusing on the goals of the task to be delegated, having a good attitude about the process, and maintaining good communication between manager and delegate will help ensure that the delegation is successful.
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