Intermediate

 

Benefits of Delegation

Strategies to Delegate Efficiently and Achieve Results

Being a competent manager means delegating responsibilities to team members. It can be challenging for many managers to do this, but there are techniques to produce positive outcomes and therefore be more successful.

If you’re a manager, or in a similar position of authority, delegation can be the answer to optimising your efficiency and maintaining balance during clearly defined schedules or excessive workloads. The concern is that many managers do not know how to delegate efficiently or are not able to do so until they have to.

Delegating tasks is a technique that, like any competency, can be learnt and developed over time. Put these delegation techniques into operation and observe as the productivity of the company increases:

Delegation Techniques in Detail

(a)   Delegating to Others

The major challenge facing many aspiring managers and executives is the reluctance to let go of their own jobs. Often they are so committed to doing their own job that they hesitate to let anyone help. On many occasions, they presume that no one else has the expertise or abilities required to perform the task adequately.

But whatever the circumstance may be, the first goal needs to be to understand how to let go. Gain confidence, delegating only certain small tasks and increase gradually slowly. Get to understand your team members better and build confidence in you and your team. Take small steps and acknowledge that you should inevitably have to let go of the task if you really want the team to succeed.

(b)   Clearly outline a goal structure

Start creating a goal structure for tasks as part of the let-go process. Naturally, this method can differ based on your experience, the company and your task categories, but it should establish four main objectives, depending on the amount of commitment and the level of skill that a task involves. The most highly qualified category may include tasks that you add to your own agenda, while those in the least experienced categories can be allocated to someone else. The level of commitment should inform you which tasks are more relevant to the delegate.

Developing a clear goal structure would help you identify and recognise, and accurately assign the scope of the tasks.

(c)    Adapt to the capabilities of the team members

As a manager, you’re going to have to understand the complexities of your team members. You should understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team member, including their immediate and potential level of competency. When delegating, have a look at the team and delegate assignments to the team member who has the most qualified knowledge for the task.

It may seem like a straightforward decision, but so many managers assign tasks to the team member with the least responsibilities or even the most accessible.

It’s crucial to be transparent. For obvious reasons, delegating the same activities and tasks to the same team member would ultimately improve the team member’s ability to execute those tasks.

(d)   Provide guidelines

If your role is transparent to you, ensure that any task you assign includes guidelines. Provide the details when you have particular requirements about how the task is to be completed. Be specific about it whether you have a definite timeline or goal.

With the information and specific guidelines, most communication inconsistencies can be eliminated, and the tasks successfully performed. You and the team members will indeed embrace that as a responsible approach.

(e)   Developing learning capabilities

If someone on the team is unable to complete a task on the to-do list, the task should not be assigned. This is not feasible. The majority of skills can be developed – many quicker than others – and therefore don’t hesitate training as part of this procedure of delegation.

While it will take longer to delegate the first few tasks than saving time, due to prepare your appointed team member, consider it a transition. By passing on knowledge, you are laying the groundwork to delegate all the relevant tasks more effectively to your team members.

(f)     Reassure and evaluate

When a task is assigned, expect your team member to do it on their particular provisions. It, therefore, enables them to perform the responsibility in the manner they see fit. Nevertheless, don’t hesitate to check in and ensure that the task goes as expected from time to time. For instance, since you created the new task a week earlier, trust that your team member will be in control.

However, send a clear and concise e-mail checking to make sure they haven’t come into complications or strayed off the task. This creates greater confidence, trust and avoids communication gaps or misunderstanding among the team member.

(g)    To strengthen delegation development, use feedback mechanisms

Feedback is the critical factor of the delegation process which functions across all directions. When the team members have completed a task successfully, remind them by rewarding them personally and giving them sincere appreciation Do not be reluctant to challenge them constructively if they have not completed the task successfully.

Encourage your team to communicate how you delegate – that’s a crucial moment for you to decide whether you have provided enough details to see the task being executed acceptably or allocated the proper task to the correct team member.

It is not always easy to delegate and it is not always clear that the process is effective, but the earlier you begin the quicker you can complete the task. Be mindful that the procedure is never flawless but reap the reward to make continuous improvement enhancements.

Choosing the Right Candidate For the Task

When you’ve chosen to assign a task, consider the prospective applicants for the particular role. Points to be considered should include:

• What is the person’s previous experience, expertise, knowledge, and perception?
• What training or support could they require?
• Will you have time and resources to fulfill the preparation requirements?
• What is the ideal style of work of the team member?
• Could they do better on their own or do you need more assistance and encouragement?
• How autonomous is the team member?
• What would the team member expect from the job?
• How would the team member and the task suggested fit with their long-term ambitions and expectations?
• What is the suggested team member’s actual work schedule?
• Are there more obligations for the team member?
• Do you need to rearrange other tasks and work schedules to delegate this task?

You will realize that it takes longer than you though to successfully complete the activities when you first start delegating to team members. You will become a mentor and will also benefit from the team member to whom you entrusted.

You’ll find that they will become knowledgeable and trustworthy immediately when you have appointed the member you want to delegate to, and when you delegate accurately.

In addition, strive to assign the least amount achievable. Those connected to the task will perfectly adapted to the role because they know the specifics of the daily activities more precisely. This will also improve the productivity of the company and allows methods of teaching.

Delegation Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

• Identify the level of responsibility in your team.
• Offers an incentive for team members to develop and learn.
• Assign tasks even though one of the team members has a higher ability level than you.
• Continually update your team on the key fundamental objectives so they understand what’s most crucial.
• Specify your requirements by stating how much time and effort you foresee team members to participate.
• Delegating could give one of the team members an opportunity to excel.
• If you don’t have ample time and somebody else does.
• If you want to inspire others and reassure them that you trust them.
• Provide team members with the guidance they need to achieve better results
• Let your team know even if you’re just coming up with ideas so they realize when it’s time to get to work.
• Be patient – Allow everyone to gain experience.

Don’ts

• Delegate when a team member doesn’t really feel comfortable or optimistic about a specific task.
• Assume others to be able to interpret your thoughts.
• Be a perpetrator of “drive-by delegations.”
• When the performance of a team member, although adequate, is not exceptional.
• Disregard the time it would take to execute projects – not everything can be accomplished in the time you expect.
• Keep a very close eye on progress.
• Assign tasks that require your specific skills.
• When a team member is willing, not on the basis of a presumption, but after lengthy analysis.
• Underestimate the abilities of your team.
• If an individual is inexperienced or unskilled at a task.
• Assign tasks where someone refuses to be responsible for their own preparation and efficiency in a specific work environment.

Maintaining Leverage

As you work through the actions, if the brief is incomplete, it can go wrong. Spend more time explaining:

• What makes them the perfect choice for the job?
• What are their duties during the project/task?
• The priorities you’ve set for the project/tasks.
• All requirements and schedules
• The support available to them.

Establish a timetable for development progress reports, and any other task development details for the team member’s. It’s important that the team member realizes that you want to be notified if there are any concerns and that you’re available for any questions or guidance as the project progresses.

It is known that, as managers, you should not be micro-managing. This should not imply, though, that we must surrender responsibility entirely.

In delegating efficiently, we need to distinguish the difference between allowing team members the freedom to use their skills awhile overseeing and encouraging them closely enough to ensure that the task is performed accurately and effectively.

Remember, to achieve the right result of the delegation, much like a game as a coach, you establish awareness of the rules, offer the game plan, but you can’t go to the field after the game to over-manage any team player movements.

Another way to motivate development is to ask for key deliverables when delegates come to you with a challenge and then assist them in analysing the solutions when trying to make a decision.

The Value of Maximum Recognition

Put aside a reasonable amount of time to revise of all the job assignments. Only consider quality tasks and comprehensive tasks, if feasible. When you embrace tasks that you are not comfortable with, it may impact the team member because you may not allow the time to delegate the task correctly and can have an effect on developing their skills. Worse than this, you’re embracing a new assignment that you’ll actually struggle to finish yourself. This not only overburdens you, but it also ensures you don’t have opportunities to do your own job effectively.

 

When you get good work, make sure to acknowledge and reward the achievement. As a manager, you can make a commitment to congratulate members of your team if you are impressed with their success. This initiative on your behalf will go a long way toward growing the self-confidence and productivity of your team members now and in the future.

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Conclusion

Delegation can seem to be more trouble than it’s worthwhile upon first glance, but by delegating successfully, you will significantly increase the amount of work you can complete.

When you plan a timetable, you focus on tasks which have a major importance to you, and team members engage on delegated tasks, you have a template for performance.

To successfully delegate, select the best tasks to delegate, find the right people to delegate to and delegate in the effective manner. There’s a considerable amount of this, but then you’re going to do so much better once you’re successfully delegating! Not one person can do everything. Effective managers also focus on delegation to complete large and complicated tasks.

Considering this, many people are either reluctant to delegate, or hesitant to do so. Yet it could be helpful to both you and your team. It will keep you from being overwhelmed and opening up opportunities for more significant tasks and it will allow team members and the ability to take on more responsibilities and develop new skills.

You would first need to define which tasks you can and how to manage in order to delegate effectively.

You must also present your team member with transparent and specific guidelines about what the task entails and your goals and what support you have to offer. Finally, it is important for you, in order to meet your goals, to take the time to evaluate the task you assign.

While delegation helps in the beginning, it will positively impact both you and your team in the long term. When you make delegating work more accessible, you can usually see that the efficiency, productivity and engagement of your team members is increased.

Key points to consider when delegating:

The distinction between a successful, efficient team or a failed, unproductive team may be created by establishing an effective delegation mechanism. To build a competitive team, take 9 basic steps:

Step 1: Establish the Responsibility

• Verify through your own opinion that it is appropriate to delegate the responsibility.
• Will it satisfy the delegate criteria?

 Step 2: Select the Team Member or Team

• What are the justifications for your delegation to this team member or team?
• What is the team member going to achieve from it?
• What are you going to accomplish from it?

Examples
1	Every week, strive to delegate job checklists to a different team member to do and then simply follow up from previous tasks.
2	Ask the team member to provide up to three (3) examples of how to improve the business performance and strategies of how the business could change any practises.
3	Discuss with the team member, once the checklist is complete, and advise them about the other areas to concentrate on, or maybe how they would see the feedback differently.
4	If you are optimistic and helpful, the ‘client vision’ of the organisation will be established, which is remarkable for everyone and clients included.

Step 3: Evaluation, Skills, Preparation and Training Needs

• Is the other team member or team capable of successfully completing the task?
• Do they comprehend what needs to be achieved?
• If not, you need to re-evaluate your delegation skills.

Step 4: Demonstrate the Cause

• Explain that the task or responsibility is assigned.
• Demonstrate why it is assigned to that specific team member
• What is the significance and importance of the task?
• Where does it actually work into the broader scheme of things?

Step 5: Articulate Results Expected

• What ought to be accomplished?
• Clarify comprehension by gathering feedback from the other participant.
• How should the task be evaluated?
• Make sure you are well aware how you expect to determine if the tasks are performed efficiently.

Step 6: Consideration of Required Resources

• Analyze and decide on what is appropriate for the task to be completed.
• Take into account persons, location, facilities, amenities, capital, materials and other activities and services related to the task.

Step 7: Commit to Targets

• When does the task have to be completed?
• If it was a continuing task, when are the deadlines for evaluation?
• When will the findings be due?
• What are the goals if the task/job is complicated and has components and different stages?

You may have to validate clarification of the prior comments with the other team member, at this stage and get suggestions and explanations. Whilst also convincing you that the tasks are executed, this aims at improving the commitment of the team member.

The procedures of verification and monitoring shall be accepted with the other team member. Neglecting to approve this in advance would make this supervision look like a lack of confidence behaviour.

Step 8: Assistance and Connection

• Consider of who else wants to see what’s going on and let them comprehend.
• Engage the other party to acknowledge it, so that they can see beyond the reality of the situation.

Do not leave the team member to advise their own peers of their responsibility. Alert the team about any challenging procedure or protocol problems. If the task is relevant and has an appropriate description, notify the specific manager.

 Step 9: Feedback on Outcomes

It is important to let the team member know how they are going and if they have accomplished their goals. If they haven’t, you have to check with them why things weren’t going as planned and address the issues. You have to handle the implications of lost opportunity and pass on the credit for achievement.

 

What is Delegation?

Delegation is where the manager or team leader delegates the responsibility and authority to a team member to complete an assigned task.

The significance of delegation is that it contributes to the following:

1. Productivity – Productivity transpires as tasks are assigned to team members with capabilities that complement the role.
2. Development – Managers have skills and knowledge that can be transferred to team members.
3. Empowerment – encouraging people is enabling them to become professionals at what they do, even though they lack your knowledge.
4. Leadership – there is no effective leader; they prepare and mentor.

A successful manager must have the following essential skills to be an effective delegator;

• Communication: There should be a specific description of what tasks need to be completed and provide feedback
• Trust: Persons to whom the authority or responsibility is to be assigned should be entrusted.
• Honesty: Whatever task you prepare, or assign must be transparent and available to the team.
• Time Management: Have the ability to mange your work, projects and a team.
• Mentoring: To be able to effectively train the team members in a new task or skill.
• Analytical: Have the ability to problem solve and make decisions when presented with information.

Why Should We Delegate?

Delegation is a workplace mechanism which benefits all team members in the following manner:

1. It enables team members to contribute and grow professionally in higher learning duties.
2. By increasing the variance and distributing the workload, it will make everyone’s job more fulfilling.
3. It improves the capabilities of potential leaders.
4. You evolve as a manager whilst doing tasks effectively.
5. The shared responsibility of results is established.

Effective Delegation

Effective delegation comprises of giving accountability (with or without authority) for accomplishment of responsibilities to other team members, as well as expanding the capacity and productivity of the organisation. Delegation may be reduced through:

• If you work on your own, there is only so much you can get done no matter how hard you work.
• Everyone needs help and support, and there is no shame in asking for assistance.
• One of the most common ways of overcoming this limitation is to learn how to delegate to other people.
• If you do this well, you can quickly build a strong and successful team of people.
• The best sign of achievement and a leader is to be surrounded by people who will be better than them.

For management and leadership transition, successful delegation is essential, it should not be a strategic approach to free up their work, it should be used to develop the team and achieve outstanding results. One of the most significant roles of a manager is delegation. The manager’s success could come down to their ability to assign accountability and responsibility, identifying the task, defining the outcome, balancing of authority with commitment, complete obligation, chain of direction, specifying the limitations of jurisdiction are some concepts of effective delegation for managers.

Successful delegation transforms a managers perspective from overseeing projects and procedures to mentoring team members to excel in their roles. It involves them rather than being basic operations of the business into responsible collaborators in tasks, projects and goals. Successful delegation opens up communication across the business, promoting innovation, establishes a direction and creates teamwork.

The Rendering of Successful Delegation

An “arrangement” between a manager and a team member or team is made with transparent and specific understanding of a task/s on the following points:

1. Clear and measurable outcomes need to be obtained.
2. Why the team member or team is responsible for delivering the desired results?
3. The timeframe of the project/task to be completed.
4. An arrangement between a manager and a team member is about how much authority for decision-making has been assigned. It might vary between “review prior to action” to “absolute responsibility to govern.”
5. Verification and performance monitoring for feedback and evaluations.
6. Description of the task for each team member, including the function of the delegator.
7. How and where to acquire additional resources and/or advice which may be required.
8. In order to acquire the opportunity to bring on the new task, what does the team member or team quit doing or assign to someone else?

Investing the time into developing and mentoring team members to successfully achieve growth in the performance, productivity and the organisations. It will facilitate teamwork, develop knowledge and skills and increase the engagement and dedication of team members. Successful delegation makes team members better and assures that the leadership influence is always there even though the manager is unavailable.

The Better Approach to Delegation

Delegations can sometimes seem more like a burden than what it is worth. Have you ever heard it suggested, or have you ever assumed, “It’s easier and faster for me to do this myself?”

By actively delegating, you can broaden the number of tasks you can do, involve the team and develop substantial concepts than the perspective of only one team member. The greater the possibility of the right approach, the more suggestions, because no one is the only solution.

Managers have a strategy for success, if you structure the workload so that you focus on the tasks that have the great importance for yourself. Team member are then allocated work on other significant and challenging tasks which will increase the productivity and results will be achieved quicker.

Understand, in the ability to successfully delegate, you must:

1. Choose the right tasks to delegate.
2. Identify the right team members to delegate to, and
3. Delegate in the correct way.

There seems to be a great deal to all of this, but you’re going to do so much more once you’re effectively delegating.

One of the most important management skills is delegation. The efficacy of a manager can reflect on their ability to delegate responsibility and exert influence.

Some values of successful delegation are:

• Details the responsibility
• Achieving a successful outcome
• Reliability of the Responsibility Obligation
• Understanding of Instructions
• The interpretation of responsibility boundaries.

Clear practical processes and guidelines enables you to efficiently delegate to your team members the assignments and new responsibilities, ensuring that delegation is a simple, straightforward procedure.

Efficient delegation can minimise your schedule while developing your team members, enhancing management performance and motivating team members and organisations. Bad delegation may lead to resentment, deter and discourage others and can cause failure to achieve objectives or goal set.

So, it’s a strength for management and important to improve and master their delegation skills.