DELEGATION

Nana Owusu-Boampong, Ph.D

 Outline
• Introduction
• What is delegation
• Importance of delegation
• Areas to delegate
• When not to delegate
• How to delegate
• Barriers to delegation
• Conclusion
Introduction
• An important component /aspect of the manager’s work
• A manager must of necessity delegate a great deal of work to others
in the organization
• An ongoing activity in an organization-A process
• Delegation is the assignment of duties and authority to subordinate
officer
• Transfer of responsibility for the performance of specific task and
/or for the making of decisions in a general or specific areas of
management activity to another
Importance of Delegation
• Fundamental to organizations –the whole concept of organization is
based upon delegation
• Assistance to management-managers and supervisors at all levels are
able to free themselves for the most significant tasks. It gives ample
time for managers to do the things which only they can do
• Work load are more evenly and fairly distributed- the work load is
spread over the available personnel so that no one is called upon to
do more work than he can reasonably accomplish .Thus the work is
done more quickly and more efficiently and bottlenecks are avoided
Importance of Delegation
• It makes fuller use of peoples skills and abilities which would
otherwise be wasted. Development of ability.
• It enables the subordinates identify themselves more closely with the
objectives of the organization. Thus improves responsibility
• It increases the total capacity of the organization without increasing
resources
• It gives staff generally more job satisfaction and opportunity to learn
and ensures that capable people able to act in the absence of the
manager
 Delegation- what to delegate
• Routine tasks- when you are not inclined to do them yourself e.g screening mails etc
• Tasks for which you don’t have time- group of activities not necessarily routine but of
comparatively low priority. When you have time you prefer to do them yourself. When you don’t
have time they may be passed along to a capable subordinate
• Problem solving- Can properly turn over a problem situation to a subordinate. This may be a low
or medium term priority area and where there may be one or more of your subordinates with a
particular knowledge or expertise or skill in the area that qualifies him to take on the task. In
addition he may be motivated to give it special attention since it will represent a challenge for him
• Changes in your own job emphasis- For the average manager, job content changes over the
years albeit slowly and/or rapidly. In response they understand that new elements in their
activity require more of their time. To make time the manager must as practical matter delegate
old aspects of his responsibility to subordinates
• Capacity building-May be used to increased to the capability of individual subordinates and the
staff as a group. A means to train and develop the skills of subordinates
When not to delegate
• The power to discipline –the backbone of manager’s authority
• Responsibility for maintaining morale –You may call upon others to help carry
out assignments that will improve ,You cannot ask anybody else to maintain it
• Overall control: No matter how extensive are the delegations, ultimate
responsibility for final performance rests on your shoulders
• The hot potato: Don’t ever make the mistake of taking of passing one along,
just to take yourself off the spot- tricky, controversial, political issue on our
hands or awkward situation
• Some jobs which are too technical and may be beyond a subordinate’s skill
• The duty involves a trust or confidence eg handling confidential information or
dealing with the personal affairs of one of your staff
Delegation-How to delegate
• Select and organize the task- A manager has the authority to approve,
recommend. It is necessary to make a list of duties which one can reasonably be
delegated. This may depend on the amount of time devoted to each task and
technicality of the task. Determine the specific authority you will give to the
delegate for a specific activity. Generally delegate much of numerical and technical
task as much as you can
• Select the appropriate person -Select the appropriate person based on
qualifications, attitude and has time. Don’t over delegate to overwhelm the
employee or or under delegate which can result in a waste of his capacity.
• Instruct and motivate the person-Adequately prepare the person. Give clear
instruction (s) procedures and guidelines preferably in writing. Details of the
assignment, instructions to his/her understanding, sufficient growth opportunity,
to motive the officer
How to Delegate
• Maintain reasonable control-Essentially a matter of communication between the
manager and the employee. Degree of control and assistance. Avoid over control to
reduce no sense of responsibility. Under control can also result in unproductive
directions, can be costly errors or time consuming. Set reasonable deadlines or
completion of portions of the tasks. Prepare to follow up.Focus on showing your
employee how to solve their own problems
• Self assessment- Necessary to assess your performance with the following : Do you
assign tasks only to before the employee could to developany competence;Do you
maintain too much or little control,was I OVERLY SEVERE with the mistake of the
employee, Am I giving proper creditto the employee for getting the job done; Am I
keeping the more interesting tasks for my self,delegating only the mundane or
unchallenging activities ,Have I slacked in my own work as I delegated ceratain activities
away or have I used the time saved to increase my emphasis on managerial activities
Barriers to Effective Delegation-
Delegator
• Preference for operating oneself
• Demand that everyone knows all the details
• I can do it better myself fallacy
• Lack of experience in the job or in delegating
• Insecurity
• Fear of being disliked
• Refusal to allow mistakes
• Lack of confidence in subordinates
Barriers to Effective Delegation-
Delegator
• Perfectionism, leading to over control
• Lack of organizational skill in balancing workloads
• Failure to delegate authority commensurate with responsibility
• Uncertainty over tasks and inability to explain
• Disinclination to develop subordinates
• Failure to establish effective controls and to follow up
Barriers to Effective Delegation-
Delegatee
• Lack of experience
• Lack of competence
• Avoidance of responsibility
• Overdependence on the boss
• Disorganization
• Overload of work
• Immersion in triva
Barriers to effective delegation-
situation
• One- man show policy
• No toleration of mistakes
• Critically of decisions
• Urgency, leaving no time to explain (crisis management)
• Confusion in responsibilities and authority
• Understaffing
Conclusions

• Most difficult part of learning to delegate is learning to accommodate

differences
• People are not the same
• The manager must be prepared to accept and live with the
subordinate methods and decisions
• Over time the benefits with outweigh the losses