Delegation can be one of the most critical skills of effective management. Delegation is the downward transfer of formal authority from supervisor to subordinate. The employee is empowered to act for the supervisor, while the supervisor remains accountable for the outcome. Delegation of authority is a person-to-person relationship requiring trust, commitment, and contracting between the supervisor and the employee. Good delegation skills saves the supervisor time and energy to perform at a higher level, maintains and builds others' esteem and skills, and gets more work done in less time. On the other hand, supervisors do not delegate because of the attitude that no one would get the job done like they could, inexperience and lack of practice or training on how to delegate, the fear of making mistakes, and the impatience of not taking the time to explain and teach others how to perform the task. Poor delegation will create frustration and confusion and hinder others from achieving the task or purpose.
Effective delegation is an important tool that supervisors fail or hesitate to use. Delegating can be a major challenge for new supervisors to learn because they are concerned about giving up control and struggle with having confidence in the abilities of others to get the job done. Too often managers delegate the wrong activities or have no interest in what they delegate. Therefore, they lose control over the process or function that they are held accountable for completing. Delegated tasks should be specific, measurable, realistic and ethical, time bound, and monitored and recorded.
The first step in delegating is to identify what should and should not be delegated. Establish objectives and specify th ...