Chapter 16
Levels of Delegation
by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback
If you think that delegation is appropriate only for employees who’ve already demonstrated complete competence in an area, then you may be trapped in this vicious cycle: Until your employee has the opportunity to perform an activity by herself, she’ll never develop the necessary skill and experience to do it well. But until she does it well, you’ll continue to believe that you must be involved—either by performing the task yourself or by micromanaging her so closely she never learns to do it independently.
Here’s a way to think about delegation as three levels corresponding to your direct reports’ increasing levels of competence:
Delegation level 1
Low delegation—high control
Use with someone about to do work he's never or rarely done before
Prep: Here the problem is more likely one of skill versus will, so describe how to do the work and coach him through the steps involved. Make clear the boundaries: budget, strategy, policy, and so on. If appropriate, take him through practice runs. If the problem is also one of will, set the activity in the context of the team’s work and its purpose and goals. Make sure he understands the consequences of possible outcomes.
Do: At first, you do the work as he observes. If the consequences of failure are low, you could observe while he performs the task.
Review: Walk through what you (or he) did. Answer questions. Identify lessons. Have him describe how he would do it next time.
Delegation level 2
Moderate delegation—moderate control
Use with someone who has some experience, perhaps someone who's observed others and should be ready to act on her own
Prep: Ask her to describe her plan for doing the work and the various “What . . . ?” questions. Satisfy yourself that she’s well prepared and ready. Explain constraints or boundaries. Agree on what constitutes success. Coach as necessary. Make sure she understands the reason for doing the work and why it’s important. See whether she can link to team purpose and goals.
Do: Let her do the work, perhaps with you present observing, perhaps alone, depending on the situation and your judgment of her readiness.
Review: Ask for her self-assessment of how it went, in terms of both skill and will. What went well and what could be improved. Then, if you were present, give you assessment and discuss any differences. Identify lessons. Focus on tangible outcomes and specific behaviors. If you couldn’t be present, ask others who were there. Reach agreement wit her about what should be different or better next time.
Delegation level 3
High delegation—low control
Use with someone who has actually demonstrated competence
Prep: Leave the prep to him. Involve yourself only if the work—say, a discussion he will have with an important prospective customer—is unusually important to team purpose and goals. If it is, ask for his preparatory thinking. Provide clear direction and boundaries. Agree on success. Here the issue may be more one of will than skill, so make sure he understands the importance and consequences of the action.
Do: He conducts the discussion without your involvement or presence.
Review: If this was routine work and it had a good or expected outcome, you won’t have a review discussion except as part of a periodic general performance review. If it is was more than routine work or the outcome was unexpected, ask for his self-assessment of what happened and what might be learned from it.
Source: Reprinted with permission from Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011.