42 / MANAGING A TEAM
Delegating effectively
Empowering others
Managers delegate by transferring authority and
responsibility for work to employees. Delegation
empowers employees to achieve goals by
allowing them to make their own decisions about
how to do a job. Delegation also helps develop
employees for promotion opportunities by
expanding their knowledge, job capabilities,
and decision-making skills.
Managers are responsible for getting things done through
other people. You need to accomplish assigned goals
by delegating responsibility and authority to others.
Empowering others through delegation is one of the most
powerful managerial tools for increasing productivity.
ALLOCATION OF DUTIES
Before a manager can delegate
authority, the tasks and activities
that need to be accomplished must
be explained.
Delegating lets
you focus on
key strategic
activities and can
also lead to better
decision-making
Feeling the benefits
Effective delegation is key for
any manager. It will free up your time,
allowing you to focus on big-picture strategic
activities. It can also lead to better decision-
making, because it pushes decisions down
the organization, meaning that decision-makers
are often closer to the problems. It also helps
those you are managing develop their own
decision-making skills and prepares them
for future promotion opportunities.
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DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY
Delegation is the process
of transferring authority to
empower a subordinate to act
for you as a manager.
ASSIGNMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY
Managers should assign responsibility
to the empowered employee for
performing the job adequately.
CREATION OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Managers should hold empowered employees responsible
for properly carrying out their duties. This includes taking
responsibility for the completion of tasks assigned to them
and also being accountable to the manager for the
satisfactory performance of that work.
The four
components of
delegation
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44 / MANAGING A TEAM
Letting go
Managers often have trouble delegating.
Some are afraid to give up control,
explaining, “I like to do things myself,
because then I know it’s done and it’s
done right.” Others lack confidence in
their employees or fear that they may
be criticized for others’ mistakes. While
CLARIFY THE
ASSIGNMENT
Explain what is being
delegated, the results
you expect, and
the timeframe.
SET BOUNDARIES
Ensure that the
delegatees understand
precisely what the
parameters are of
the authority you are
bestowing on them.
ENCOURAGE
PARTICIPATION
Involve delegatees in
decisions about what
is delegated, how
much authority is
needed, and standards
to be attained.
you may be capable of doing the
tasks you delegate better, faster,
or with fewer mistakes, it is
not possible to do everything
yourself. If you often feel that your
team isn’t taking ownership of
projects it may suggest that
you are handing out tasks,
You should expect and
accept some mistakes
by those you delegate
to; mistakes are often
good learning
experiences
How to delegate
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DELEGATING EFFECTIVELY / 45
INFORM OTHERS
Let everyone who may
be affected know what
has been delegated
to whom and how
much authority has
been granted.
ESTABLISH
CONTROLS
Agree on a specific
time for completion
of the task, and set
dates when progress
will be checked and
problems discussed.
ENCOURAGE
DEVELOPMENT
Insist from the
beginning that when
delegatees come to
you with a problem,
they also bring a
possible solution.
20%
of your activity yields 80%
of your results; try to
do more of the 20% and
delegate the 80%
rather than delegating responsibility.
When you delegate, you should expect,
and accept, some mistakes by those
you delegate to. Mistakes are often good
learning experiences. You also should
put in place adequate mechanisms
for feedback so you will know
what is happening.
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