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Tips for Effective Delegation

OVERVIEW: These tips for successful delegation of authority will help both Managers and their staff members to be more successful and productive.

TAKEOUTS:

  • Effective delegation is dependent on having the right balance between three interdependent dynamics that sit at the heart of the organisation:
    • Accountability: how people are subject to reporting/justifying outcomes and are rewarded or corrected;
    • Authority: the right of someone to make decisions, issue directives and allocate resources;
    • Responsibility: the assigned duty to perform a task or activity.
  • Delegation works best in a working environment of high trust. Without systems of encouragement, feedback and review that allow staff to contribute, you are far less likely to see ownership of delegated work.
  • If someone can perform a task to at least 70% of your capacity, then it is a prime candidate for delegation.

In the workplace race to get more done in less time, truly effective managers must avoid becoming “do-it-all” work-a-holics. Beyond improving their own personal productivity, high achievers must determine to focus only on what they do best, and master the art of empowering direct reports to handle all matters that distract them from achieving. They have to learn to effectively delegate.

The benefits of delegation are many: increased staff ownership, responsibility, skills and motivation; it saves time for the manager and allows strategic objectives to be achieved. It may be seen in an assistant processing over 95% of all correspondence, or a team exceeding target with almost no monitoring. Whatever the productivity gain, effective delegation is perhaps the single most powerful high leverage activity in management .

What is Delegation?

To delegate is simply to commit or entrust to another . Another definition is “work sharing, whether vertical or horizontal – sharing responsibility and authority with others and holding them accountable for performance” . Although a simple definition, delegation is a process that for many managers is fraught with difficulty – leading them to delegate only as a last resort.

Why Don’t People Delegate?

The heart of delegation is a point of tension for any manager. To truly delegate, the manager must surrender the authority related to the task, but keep the responsibility of ensuring that the task is completed properly . Many managers would prefer things the other way around! In addition to this ever-present tension, there are a number of common reasons why people choose not to delegate:

  1. Poor Soft Skills: the manager delegates poorly – a common problem in IT where people-skills are often not as highly prized as technical ones. This frustrates, de-motivates and confuses staff, and the required task is often not completed satisfactorily ;
  2. Time-Poor: to delegate effectively requires an up-front investment in training and coaching staff, which some managers feel they can’t justify;
  3. Perfectionist Streak: a belief that no-one can do it better than you can - and if you want something done right, you must do it yourself;
  4. Speed: a belief that no-one can do it faster than you;
  5. ‘Hands-On’: some managers find it hard to step back from the ‘coal-face’, even when it’s in the best interests of the business;
  6. Redundancy: in many work environments, visibility can equal productivity. If everything is delegated and running smoothly, the manager may feel as though there’s nothing for them to do;
  7. Giving Power Away: some managers find it difficult to ‘let go’ of total control of a task – especially if it’s a personal favourite;
  8. Fear: this can be fear of being over-ridden by a superior; appearing weak by asking for help; not wanting to criticise (or be criticised); or even that the person will outperform their manager!
  9. Complications: delegation is not a simple process or skill set to acquire - there are many potential pitfalls. A manager who doesn’t know what they don’t know can be dangerous to themselves and their organisation (see 1. Low Skills).

When to Delegate (And When Not To)
There are a number of questions to ask that help identify when it is time to delegate:

  1. Is the task central to your role? If ‘Yes’, then even if it’s not difficult, keep it on your workload.
  2. Is the task urgent, but not important to you? Just because there’s a tight deadline, doesn’t mean that you have to handle it. Try to find someone who is appropriate and can handle the pressure.
  3. Can the task be done better (or almost as well) by someone else? If someone is naturally better than you at a task, let them play to their strengths wherever appropriate. Given time and support, staff will come up to speed.
  4. Will it contribute to staff development/professional growth? Delegation is not just about you clearing your desk – it should also ideally increase your team’s professional skills.
  5. Will the task be a suitable stretch? The delegation should challenge, but not overwhelm. This means allowing for mistakes but not seeing someone’s confidence or reputation damaged .
  6. Is it unpleasant for everyone? If so, then make sure it gets shared around fairly – including yourself.

How to Delegate

To give delegation the best chance of success, there are several steps that anyone must follow:

  1. Lay the foundation: First, ensure that your culture is one that welcomes feedback and values the work of all staff. This increases the likelihood that they will want to contribute when asked.
  2. Plan: Review your current workload and objectives, identifying which tasks can be successfully delegated. Ideally delegate multiple tasks in one meeting, to allow better planning by the recipient.
  3. Select Staff: Choose who will be most appropriate to delegate what to. Do not be seduced by geography or convenience. The right person is more important than the closest or friendliest.
  4. Communicate: Early, often and in writing are the three key watchwords. Assume nothing, and be clear about every aspect, including:
    a) Being S.M.A.R.T: Every task should meet the following criteria:
    i) Specific – define the work precisely
    ii) Measurable – set a clear target
    iii) Achievable – able to be done with the resources given;
    iv) Realistic – not ‘pie in the sky’; and
    v) Timed – with clear deadlines (see below).
    b) Expectations: People tend to rise (or fall) to your level of expectation. Outline both the positive and negative consequences of completing the task, or failing.
    c) Documentation: wherever possible, hand over the originals and keep copies. This gives the person doing the task a much stronger sense of accountability and ownership.
    d) Deadlines: Ask them when they think they can complete the work first. If it’s within your scope, use their target. Agree up front about interim milestones and reporting, and help them resolve any conflicts with other priorities
  5. Monitor: Only as agreed, ideally with an established methodology (e.g. MS Outlook tasks, MS Project Plans). Resist any temptation to step outside the agreement, but let them know that your door is open if they need to consult you urgently beyond the scope of what can be achieved.
  6. Evaluate: At each stage of the process, offer positive and corrective feedback – but always in “WE” terms.
  7. Reward: On successful achievement, verbal congratulation and praise are important. Where appropriate, broader recognition through company newsletters or other mediums can be included. The staff member is now ready for similar (or more stretching) assignments. If they fell short of the target, you have a valuable teaching opportunity to help them improve.

Conclusion

At its best, delegation is what Stephen Covey calls a stewardship – where the person assigned the task takes it to heart and makes it their responsibility. The fruit of effective delegation is sweet to taste, but requires a strong commitment from front-line managers to reap the rewards. Empowerment is viewed by most as a 90’s buzz-word. Effective delegation can turn the rhetoric into reality.

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of absoluteIT.

This article was licenced by absoluteIT for the absoluteIT client newsletter. Article Written by Victoria Small, and edited by Paul Quinn, Quinntessential Marketing Consulting Pty Ltd.