Delegation ‘Making things happen through others’

Key ideas behind delegation in organisations The Leader The leader is still responsible for the task being delegated – even though some responsibility is shared with the subordinate The leader gives the subordinate the authority to complete the task. The subordinate becomes accountable to the leader for completing the task. Eg – I have to record students attendance (leader – responsibility) I ask a student to help by completing the roll (authority transfer / responsibility share) – I am still 100% responsible /student less so. The student is accountable to me for task completion (accountability)

Delegation is an important relationship Subordinate staff need to be confident and capable to carry out task.

Delegation is a precise activity. The leader has to: Explain - delegation is about to happen – create confidence in subordinate. Check –that subordinate has the confidence and assess their ability to do the task. Describe – the task to be done / how it is to be done / what outcomes are expected. Actions based on - What, when, where, how, why Check – ask for feedback on subordinate’s understanding of task etc. Describe what to do if things go wrong. (counterfactual) Actions if - What Not, when Not, where Not, how Not, why Not Check that subordinate has an understanding of what to do if things go wrong. Reassure subordinate of your confidence in them & shared responsibility. Transfer authority to subordinate to carry out task. Check – any further questions?

Role Plays (in threes) (two in role play (leader / subordinate) and one observer) Think of a simple business task. Delegate that task to another student as well as you can. Subordinate and observer : ask questions to reveal gaps etc. Observer : Give feedback on what was good / was missing / etc. Eg Responding to customer query on late delivery after finding data.

Delegation ‘dos’ and ‘donts’ Do give whole task to one person (job enrichment) Do give thorough instruction on task. Do give decision making authority if possible (empowerment) Do remain open to communication from subordinate (accountability) Don’t give tasks without authority / decision making. Don’t delegate to subordinate who do not agree (confidence issue) Don’t think ‘I can do it better –so I won’t delegate’.

As a Leader – Which bits to delegate?

Managers / Leaders (in theory) have 50% discretionary time MBWA. (not urgent & important) Firefighting / Troubleshooting. (urgent & important) Business initiatives. (not urgent & important) To protect their time they must delegate - urgent & not important

Workload & cost implications Routine tasks shift down the organisation and are done by cheaper staff resource. Time created at higher level can go to higher level tasks which justify higher cost resources. Routine tasks remain at higher level tasks which uses higher cost resources.

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