Delegation: How to Delegate Effectively?

Delegation: How to Delegate Effectively?

WHAT IS DELEGATION?
Fayol's 13nd principle ("Initiative") is related to the management role of delegator. Kreitner (2009) defines "delegation" as: the transfer of decision-making authority to subordinates (p. 253).

WHAT IS NOT DELEGATION?
Sadly, many managers mistakenly regard the passing on of "tasks", not "responsibilities" as delegation (Gallo, 2012). The result is overstressed managers and less satisfied employees who do not believe they have "ownership" of projects (Gallo, 2012). As a result, initiative is low.

WHY DELEGATE?
Pfeffer (as cited in Gallo, 2012) explains that managers are often trapped in the "self-enhancement bias," afraid they may appear as less integral to corporate success if they delegate. Introspection is necessary to accept and overcome this issue, recognizing that the greater benefit comes from delegating, which gives managers to have more time to address critical issues and subordinates feel like they are a part of the big picture.

DEGREES OF DELEGATION
Kreitner (2009) emphasized that delegation is not an "all-or-nothing proposition" and managers can ease into the process (p. 253). There are several degrees of delegation, beginning with asking employees to research issues and report findings to managers and ending with allowing employees to research issues, and develop and implement solutions (Kreitner, 2009, p. 253).

THE RESULT OF PROPER DELEGATION
Through proper delegation, employee initiative is cultivated and competencies are leveraged for organizational success.

HOW TO DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY?
Gallo (2012) said that managers should implement the following tips for effective delegation:

1. SELECT RIGHT PEOPLE: Select employees with the knowledge and willpower to take on responsibilities.
2. BE ACCOUNTABLE: Give your direct reports permission to hold you as their manager accountable for delegating properly and include such role in their annual performance appraisal.
3. ENABLE: "Really let go", by giving employees the tools and training to take on projects and make decisions from start to finish.

⇒ If you have any additional tips or suggestions on delegation, please share…

Sources:
Gallow, Amy. (2012, July 26). "Why Aren't you Delegating?" Harvard Business Review, July 2012
Kreitner, R. (2009). "Management". (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin

		Comments Sort by date Sort by rating Rating
		3 Javier Elenes Business Consultant, Mexico
	First Clarify the Expected Results, then Delegate I recommend to start by clarifying the expected re...

		2 Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar India
	Mentoring Before Delegating In my view, sufficient preparation and mentoring n...

		11 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Tips on How to Delegate Effectively Thank you Genevieve. The ability to delegate well ...

		3 Mike Walsh, United Kingdom
	Delegation as a Negative Tactic Delegation should be a positive and enabling exper...

		2 Andrew Blaine Business Consultant, South Africa
	Why Should You Delegate? The primary reason for delegating is to permit the...

		4 Howell Strategy Consultant, Canada
	Delegation - Best Practice I have found the key to successful delegation is c...

		0 Otieno Manager, Kenya
	Benefits of Delegation for Both Parties Delegation gives the delegee an opportunity to lea...

		2 Abel Anyolo Student (MBA), Kenya
	Successful Delegation as a Manager For a successful delegation, managers need to be c...

		3 Paolo Pozzi Business Consultant, Italy
	Delegation: Mind the Details! I support @Javier Elenes's points. In addition I ...

		1 Murty Magda Pane Lecturer, Indonesia
	Delegation and Leadership In my opinion, delegation is always aligned to lea...

		2 Shaheen Lakdawalla Malaysia
	Delegation is a Leadership Style Delegation is a leadership style. In my opinion th...

		2 Hussain Abdulla Entrepreneur, Bahrain
	How to Delegate Depends of the Type of Organization I think delegation depends on the type of organiza...

		2 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	RE: Delegation and Leadership @Murty Magda Pane: I don't know if there is actual...

		2 Rakesh Bhatia India
	Delegation and Trust Let's define Delegation as: sharing responsibility...

		1 Francis Joseph United Kingdom
	Delegation, Leadership and Team Building For the purposes of promoting team work, trust, ef...

		1 Jose A. De las Rivas Management Consultant, Spain
	Delegation is a Leadership Style for Poor or Lazy Leaders In my personal point of view, a manager can delega...

		1 fulayi Zambia
	Advantages of Delegation for Team Members The team leader is not the only one who sees the a...

		1 pradeep deo Strategy Consultant, India
	When to Delegate or to Hire a Consultant Effective leadership knows the art of delegation. ...

		3 Ranjeet Menon Project Manager, India
	Delegation Promotes Growth of People Kotter's 8 steps of transformation can serve as gu...

		1 Emmanuel Mwirichia Manager, Kenya
	Empowering Really Helps The lack of a structured manner of delegation lead...

		3 Andrew Blaine Business Consultant, South Africa
	Delegation Without Authority is a Miser's Gift @Ranjeet Menon: If a Manager delegates to a subord...

		0 Ranjeet Menon Project Manager, India
	Key Aspect of Delegating Authority @Andrew Blaine: First of all, no responsibility co...

		0 Andrew Blaine Business Consultant, South Africa
	Trust and Authority @Ranjeet Menon: Thank you for your response. May I...

		1 jorge anibal hoyos hoyos Manager, Colombia
	Delegation Must Be Well Prepared The employees must be prepared to receive responsi...

		2 Ofwono Willy Osinde Project Manager, Uganda
	When to Delegate and Why In most cases, managers delegate when they are pre...

		1 jorge anibal hoyos hoyos Manager, Colombia
	When to Delegate? It Depends on… There are I think no clear rules that exist to det...

		1 mchelu Teacher, Tanzania
	Why Managers Should Delegate Responsibilities A manager is accountable to delegate responsibilit...

		0 Candy Geiger United States
	Re: Delegation is a Leadership Style @Shaheen Lakdawalla: I want to comment/clarify the...

		2 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	From Doing to Leading As your responsibilities as a manager or leader co...

		2 Hong Sun Management Consultant, Canada
	7 Levels of Delegation (Appelo) Jurgen Appelo, the prominent author of the book Ma...

		1 Mohamed Traore Project Manager, Mali
	Mistakes to Avoid in Delegating Responsibility To delegate means to entrust somebody, or to appoi...

		2 Norman Dragt Netherlands
	Delegation is Dependent on the Organization and the Hierarchical Level @Hussain Abdulla: I too think that delegation is d...

		1 Frederic A Parker Consultant, United States
	Delegation and the Monkey Since 1972 when I first became involved in leaders...