Digital Library: Delegating effectively

Delegating effectively

Delegation refers to the transfer of responsibility for specific tasks from one person to another.

To delegate means to give a particular job, duty, right, to someone else. A manager should delegate responsibilities on employees, teams, among others.

Delegating is the ability to effectively assign tasks, responsibility and authority to others. Effective delegation contributes to personal development, people ultimately become more fulfilled and productive. The hallmark of good management is effective delegation.

The meaning of “to delegate” is to let go some of your power in favor of another person who usually reports directly to you. Delegation of authority means using the power of other people to help you deal with the two most common leader challenges: shrinking resources and increasing demands.

Managers need to be able to communicate clearly with their employees when delegating. They have to explain why an employee has been assigned a task, what the task is, and what the expectations are. All of this requires clear, effective oral and written communication skills.

Delegation is a vital management skill. Delegation occurs when a manager assigns specific tasks to his/her employees. By delegating those tasks to team members, managers have free time to focus on higher-value activities.

Delegation involves expertise in:

• what to delegate;
• to know employees strengths and goals;
• to contextualize the task delegated in the organization goals;
• to provide the right level of authority and the necessary resources;
• to establish a transparent channel of communication;
• to empower people when failure happens;
• to be patient;
• to give and ask for feedback;
• provide the right credit when it happens.

Delegation may be complicated. The two main areas of skills needed for a successful delegating are:

1. To know what level of control the manager wants and needs, which requires a high level of self-awareness. Good managers/leaders are intrinsically self-aware and understand/know how they like to work.
2. To know the level of delegation to use and to communicate it clearly to employees. This requires strong interpersonal communication skills, verbal communication skills and barriers to successful communication.

Significance in Times of Crisis (e.g. pandemic)

Crisis is an extreme form of change, and delegating effectively is critical – address the urgent needs is the work of management – to make immediate choices and allocate resources. Leadership, by contrast, involves guiding people to the best possible outcome over that period of time. The focus has to be on what is likely to come next and preparing to face it. What means seeing beyond the immediate to anticipate the next three, four, or five obstacles. The best leaders skillfully navigate the rough waters, saving lives, energizing organizations, and inspiring communities. If delegation is made properly and for the right reasons, it helps foster a climate of trust and creates growth opportunities for all. Therefore, one of the most important skills of client-centered help and support on social level is a sufficiently high level of delegation.