Delegation

By / Mahmoud Shaqria
‫شقريه‬ ‫محمد‬ ‫محمود‬

 Barriers to Delegation
 Delegation Steps
 Principles of Effective Delegation
 Guidelines for Effective Delegation

 Introduction:-
 Delegation is the assignment of any responsibility or authority
to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to
carry out specific activities.
 It is one of the core concepts of management leadership.
 However, the person who delegated the work remains
accountable for the outcome of the delegated work.
 Delegation empowers a subordinate to make decisions, i.e. it is a
shifting of decision-making authority from one organizational
level to a lower one. Delegation, if properly done, is not
fabrication.

 AUTHORITY
 Authority is the right to give orders & power to exact
obedience.
 Denotes certain rights granted to a position in an
institution.
 It is a willing & unconditional compliance of people,
resting upon their belief that it is legitimate for superior
to impose his will on them.

 Definition of delegation:-
 The process of transferring the responsibility for a
specific task to another member and empowering that
individual to accomplish the task effectively.

 Delegating Work:-

 Refers to the assignment of a task - It is work focused
 It is not turning over work that the manager dislikes
 Empowerment is focused on the individual
 Increases productivity and the organization’s ability to
achieve goals

 Benefits of Delegation:-
 More involved , empowered workforce
 Increased productivity and quality
 Reduced costs
 More innovation
 Greater commitment

 Advantages of Delegation:-
 Increases manager’s discretionary time
 Develops subordinate capabilities
 Demonstrates confidence in delegates
 Enhances commitment of delegates
 Improves decision making
 Increases efficiency

 Why is the ability to effectively delegate important to a manager?
 Allows time to focus on other initiatives and increased flexibility .
 It provides an opportunity for the manager to gain trust in the
performance of their employees, and in turn earn respect from his
employees .
 While the manager has the final responsibility for completing the task,
delegating tasks can also allow him to build on his leadership skills .
 Effective delegation can increase communication between managers and
employees
 Effectively delegating can develop a balanced workload, and provide time
to have a life outside of work

 Delegating can promote a team environment and lead to increased
productivity.
 Those who manage people and tasks cannot manage everything
themselves.
 The worst case scenario is called “reverse delegation” in which the
manager switches roles with their direct reports.
 Delegation insures that tasks can be distributed and delegated to
subject matter experts and completed quickly.
 We “hire” people for a reason; being able to delegate appropriate
responsibilities to these individuals frees the manager to do their own
job.
 Subordinates cannot delegate the authority which resides only with a
manager.

 Barriers to Delegation

 Lack of confidence
 Fear
 Vanity
 Insecurity
 Self –importance

 Delegation Steps
 Prepare
 Assign
 Confirm understanding
 Confirm commitment
 Avoid “reverse delegating
 Ensure Accountability

 Here are the six steps you should work through
when delegating:
1. Prepare
 Employees can’t deliver quality results if the task
delegated to them isn’t fully thought out, or if
expectations keep changing. Take the time and
develop the discipline to map out exactly what you’re
asking for. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure.

2. Assign
 Once you’ve taken the time to map out exactly what
you’re looking for, you need to convey that information
to your employees. Be sure to include clear
information on timing, budget, and context, and set
expectations for communication and updates,
including frequency, content, and format.

3. Confirm understanding
 One of the most common mistakes made in delegating is assuming
that employees understand what you want, rather than making sure
that they do.
 Confirming understanding only takes about 60 seconds, but is the
most important determinant of success or failure.
 The best way to confirm understanding is to ask your employees to
paraphrase the request or assignment in their own words.
 If you’re not comfortable doing that (many managers feel–often
correctly–that it makes them sound like a kindergarten teacher), you
should, at the very least, ask questions to make sure employees
understand all aspects of what’s required.

4. Confirm commitment
 This is another part of the delegation process that most managers skip.
They often just assume that employees have accepted the tasks they’ve
been given. The most important part of a relay race is the handing of the
baton to the next runner.
 Runners spend a huge amount of time learning this skill. It should be no
different in the workplace. Commitment means making sure you’ve
successfully handed over the baton.
 Confirm that employees are committed to the expected results, and to the
process that’s been set out (including the schedule, budget, and tools),
and that their overall goals for the task are aligned with yours.
 Make sure they’re aware of any consequences (for the company and for
themselves) that may result if they fail to deliver on the desired
outcomes.

5. Avoid “reverse delegating”
 Many managers are extremely overworked. Sometimes, this is because
their employees are better at delegating than they are: Managers often
end up completing tasks they had delegated to others, because those
tasks somehow end up back on their plate. I call this “reverse
delegating.”
 It’s rarely, if ever, necessary for a manager to take back a task that he or
she had delegated to someone else. (If this is necessary, it likely means
that not enough time was spent on the preparation stage, and that
time, resource, or other constraints have led to problems that you did
not foresee.)
 If an employee reaches an impasse, treat it as a learning opportunity.
Coach the employee through it, making sure he or she has the
resources and knowledge needed to complete the task.
 That way, you’ll still be free to focus on other things, and the employee
will be better equipped to carry out similar tasks in the future. The
bottom line? Don’t take tasks back.

6. Ensure Accountability
 Two-way communication is a key part of delegating.
Finding out at the completion date that a deliverable
hasn’t been completed or has been done
unsatisfactorily is the nightmare scenario of
delegating. That’s why you need to make sure your
employees are accountable for the task.

 Principles of Effective Delegation
 When delegation is done properly and for the right
reasons, it helps foster a climate of trust and creates
growth opportunities for your employees.
 Here are five principles that can help you create an
effective delegation process.

1. Determine what you will delegate. Effective delegation
begins with defining your responsibilities. Write down
all of your activities and responsibilities.
 Review your master list and categorize all of the items
into two secondary lists: things you alone must do and
things that others could do or help you complete.
 Anything that falls into the second list presents an
opportunity for delegation.

2. Choose the right person to delegate the task to. Andrew
Carnegie said, "The secret to success lies not in doing your
own work, but in recognizing the right person to do it." The
key to finding the right person to delegate an assignment to
is matching skills and attitude to the task at hand.
3. Clarify the desired results. When the results are clear, it
allows the employee to use his or her own creativity and
resources to accomplish the task.
 An added benefit of effective delegation is the individual
may find a better and more effective way to accomplish the
task or achieve the desired results.

4. Clearly define the employee's responsibility and authority
as it relates to the delegated task. Clearly communicate the
expectation, responsibilities, and timeline.
Be sure to ask the employee to share his or her
understanding.
5. Establish a follow up meeting or touch points. The follow
up meetings should be focused on two things-monitoring
progress and determining the need for assistance.
The number of follow up meetings will vary based on the
scope of the task or project and whether the employee is
new or a long term member of the department.

Guidelines for Effective Delegation
 Here are 10 tips for effective delegation and, more
importantly, effective supervision:
1. Delegate early.
 Make an effort to delegate the task early to avoid
unnecessary pressure. This allows the person to better
plan the task.

2. Select the right person.
 Ensure that the person has the time to take on the
responsibility. Assess the skills and capabilities of your
staff and assign the task to the most appropriate
person. Make sure the person has the training and
resources to succeed.

3. Communicate the rationale and benefit.
 Identify the reason for the task and how it will
contribute to the goals of the company or department
or team. Also, point out how the delegated task could
benefit the person. For example, develop a specific
skill. that is needed to get promoted. Remember a
routine task to you may be a new challenging task to
your subordinate.
4. Delegate the entire task to one person.
 This gives the person the responsibility, increases their
motivation and avoids ambiguity in accountability.
Otherwise, different people will have different ideas
about who does what when.

5. Set clear goals and expectations.
 Be clear and specific on what is expected. Give information
on what, why, when, who and where. You might leave the
“how” to them.
 Be prepared to accept input from subordinates. Confirm
and verify task goals and expectations.
6. Delegate responsibility and authority.
 Ensure that the subordinate is given the relevant
responsibility and authority to complete the task. Let the
subordinate complete the task in the manner they choose,
as long as the results are what you specified.
 Be willing to accept ideas from the subordinate on task
fulfillment.

7. Provide support, guidance and instructions.
 Point subordinates to the resources they may need to
complete the task or project. That could be people
they need to coordinate with, crucial information or
Be willing to be a resource yourself.
8. Take personal interest in the progress of delegated
task.
 Request to be updated on the progress of the task,
provide assistance when necessary.
 Be careful not to be intrusive; giving the perception
that you do not trust the subordinate.
 Keep communication lines open, regular meetings on
large tasks can provide this ongoing feedback.

9. If you’re not satisfied with the progress, don’t take the
project back immediately.
 Rather, continue to work with the employee and ensure
they understand the project to be their responsibility. Give
advice on ways to improve.
 This ensures accountability and dependability.
10. Evaluate and recognize performance.
 Evaluate results more than methods. Analyze cause of
insufficient performance for improvements and recognize
successes as soon as possible.

Delegation

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Delegation