This document discusses delegation, including:
- Defining authority, responsibility, and accountability as key parts of delegation. Ultimate responsibility lies with the delegator.
- Authority allows someone to get a job done, while accountability is accepted along with responsibility.
- Communication is important, with issues moving up one level of command and bosses kept informed.
- Benefits of delegation include freeing up supervisors for other roles and allowing employees to take on responsibility and contribute more.
- Common reasons for resistance to delegation include fears of mistakes or employees performing better, as well as force of habit.
3. What is..(cont.)
Responsibility
Ultimate Responsibility
Authority
Get the job done
Carefully define the terms
Accountability
Automatic once responsibility is accepted
Obligation
4. Chutes & Ladders
Chain of command
Lines of Responsibility + Authority
Accountability moves opposite
Responsibility
Channels of Communication
○ 1 level – immediate superior/subordinate
○ Don’t cross channels
○ Keep YOUR boss informed
5. The Good Stuff..
Delegation as a conceptual skill
Parts of the whole
Benefits
Once an employee is trained the
supervisor can fall back into a supportive
role
People who are given responsibility
generally work better and get more done.
Developing your people and multiplying their
contribution.
6. Resistance
Afraid of the work not being done correctly
Ego problem- this place NEEDS me
Afraid employees will turn out better work than they would
have otherwise put out themselves
Do not want to take responsibility for the mistakes of others.
Habit or momentum
Some people simply cannot delegate, ex) family run business
Supervisors who are newly promoted from hourly jobs also have troube
shifting from doing to managing(most common reason for failure to
delegate
Momentum takes over common sense, cannot see long term benefits
over immediate issue
There may be no workers who are qualified and willing
7. Workers Say Nay
Job Loading
FEAR
Failure
Consequences of possible mistakes
Rejection by coworkers
Comfortable
8. Conditions for Success
Advance Planning
Positive Attitude
Trust
Let go and take risks
Good Communication
Commitment
9. How DO We Delegate?
Plan
Data collection
Sifting and organizing
Pick a person
Develop the task in detail – think performance standard
Define area of responsibility
Define activities to be carried out
Define results you expect
Define authority necessary to fulfill the responsibility
Delegate
Responsibility
Authority
accountability
Follow up
Reverse delegation
10. Mistakes & Missteps
Not communicating clearly
Over supervising
Not taking enough time to train or not giving enough support
Delegating without setting up controls
Job loading
Assigning dead end, boring, unchallenging tasks with no
additional incentive
Delegating to the wrong person
Delegating unpleasant parts of a job that involve the boss-
subordinate relationship
Setting up overlapping responsibilities