The Art of Delegation Part III, Successful Delegat - [website] Published: 28th of Jul 2011 by: Smart Alec
By now we understand what delegation is, what the benefits to the organisation, manager and staff are, and what barriers and pitfalls exist in the delegation process.
Now we are going to look at HOW one delegates properly, the process that’s involved and what kinds of things you should and should not be delegating.
Delegation, at its simplest level, comprises three main concepts: Responsibility, Authority and Accountability.
Responsibility refers to the assignment itself and the intended results – managers should leave the doing of assignments to delegatees and should not prescribe how it should be done. Authority refers to the level of power bestowed upon the delegatee – it is the manager’s responsibility to ensure the parameters of the authority are clearly understood. Accountability refers to the fact that the delegatee must answer for their actions and decisions with regard to the project, and must bear the consequence (and rewards) of said actions.
When delegating managers can share responsibility, authority and accountability with their staff, but poor delegation can lead to employees who are unsure of their authority and responsibility, frequently missed deadlines and a manger too busy to talk to his/her staff.
This is why HOW you delegate is of crucial importance and will probably determine whether you are successful or not in executing this process.
To help you ensure that you are, the following guidelines should be adhered to when delegating tasks to employees.
Firstly, you should draw up a plan of what you are going to delegate, what level of authority it will give the employee and what the end results should be, defined in clear parameters. Then you should select the right person, based on the skills and experience needed for this particular task.
They would then need to be informed of the task they are being given and told in detail what will be expected of them, what authority they would be given and what responsibilities they would have, as well as being asked if anything is unclear or if there are any questions. The manager should also notify the staff members that will be affected by the power given to the delegatee so they are not left in the dark.
Then a commitment should be sought from the employee, and it may be that before he/she feels entirely comfortable with the new task some of their daily and routine tasks will have to be shared among other staff members. Once the delegatee feels that he/she can cope with the new task, establish deadlines and checkpoints and let the delegatee know where they can turn for help or additional resources, and keep in contact while monitoring the agreed checkpoints.
Delegatees who successfully complete tasks assigned to them should be appropriately rewarded.
Tasks to be delegated include things employees need to do when the manager is absent, routine clerical duties, and staffing issues such as scheduling and shift changes, while jobs to not be delegated include jobs no one else is qualified for, personnel issues such as hiring, firing and disciplinary matters, or short-term tasks with no time to properly explain the job.
You can find parts I and II of the Art of Delegation here and here.
