Lead ~ Serve ~ Learn
Mason's Resource For:
Delegation
What is delegation?.... Who can delegate?... When should you delegate?... How can you delegate?
These are just a few of the questions often asked by people with little delegation experience. These are valid questions.
Delegation can actually have several definitions, one being the process of effectively utilizing group members by sharing authority and entrusting them with responsibility. This lets the members know that you need them. Another definition is the art or process of empowering group members or individuals through task completion in an effort to reach the organization's goals and objectives.
Through the delegation process, members of the organization will feel more connection to one another. When the organization meets a specific goal, the investment made by the members will seem worth more. Delegating leaves the leader or leaders more time to gather up feedback from all team members to coordinate processes and to work on long-range strategic plans.
Some tasks can be delegated and some cannot. Those which can be delegated are clearly defined as procedural with results. These are tasks that are part of the normal work flow and that enable members to develop their own leadership skills. Tasks that should not and cannot be delegated are ones of a highly sensitive or political nature, including those that are confidential or could lead to interpersonal conflicts. Such tasks should always be handled by the delegator.
Not everyone can delegate well. Some signs that you may need help with delegation skills include:
- constantly taking work home with you and/or working overtime
- not receiving work you assign on time
- finding a pile of work awaiting you when you return from an absence
- making decisions without staff input, thus causing resentment
Here are six steps to ensure good delegation behaviors and success. If you follow each of these steps fully you will be on your way to becoming a top notch delegator.
- Step 1: Analyze The Activity
- define group and individual tasks
- prioritize tasks
- identify your constraints
- assess the feasibility of the activity
- Step 2: Decide Which Tasks To Delegate
- identify tasks with political implications and keep them
- identify task with global or cross-unit impacts and keep them
- identify tasks which others may be more skillful at completing and give them to others
- identify tasks which others may enjoy more than yourself and give them to others.
- Step 3: Plan The Delegation
- further review details of each task
- establish performance standards
- provide a training support or a back-up person
- clarify appropriate limits of authority
- Step 4: Select A Member
- match task to interests and skills
- balance challenge with support
- be sure not to overload a member
- consider member developmental needs
- Step 5: Assign The Task
- spell out specifics of the task
- identify priorities within the task
- clarify degree of authority
- identify constraints
- state deadlines for completion
- Step 6: Follow Up
- continue communication opportunities during the process
- insist on updates from members
- initiate contact for further direction/support
- encourage different styles of task management
- record performance and offer appropriate feedback
- allow for mistakes
How
Well Do You Delegate?
Circle Yes or No
1. Do you allow your people to make mistakes?
Yes
No
2. Do your people get promotions at least as frequently as other people with equivalent responsibility in the organization?
Yes
No
3. Do you frequently take work home or work late at the office?
Yes
No
4. Does your operation function smoothly when you're absent?
Yes
No
5. Do you spend more time working on details than you do on planning and supervision?
Yes
No
6. Do your people feel that they have sufficient authority over personnel, finances, facilities, and other resources?
Yes
No
7. Is your follow-up procedure adequate?
Yes
No
8. Do you overrule or reverse decisions made by your subordinates?
Yes
No
9. Do you by-pass your subordinates by making decisions which are part of their jobs?
Yes
No
10. Do you do several things which your subordinates could, and should be doing?
Yes
No
11. If you were incapacitated for six months, is there someone who could readily take your place?
Yes
No
12. Do your key people delegate well to their own subordinates?
Yes
No
13. Will there be a big pile of paper requiring your action when returning from a trip or absence?
Yes
No
14. Do your subordinates take the initiative in expanding their authority with delegated projects without waiting for you to initiate all assignments?
Yes
No
15. When you delegate, do you specify the results you expect, the tasks or activities to be done, or all of these?
Yes
No
Scoring Key:
Give yourself one point for each "yes" answer to Numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14 AND one point for each "No" to Numbers 3, 5, 8, 9, 13. Also give yourself one point for answering "results" to Number 15. A good score is anything above 12.
