Unfortunately some managers use delegation as a way to pawn responsibility off on subordinates and avoid circumstances involved with not achieving a goal. These are bad management practices and should not be tolerated by upper level management. Not taking responsibility for their actions can lead managers to have a dissatisfied workforce that is not willing to accept delegation of important assignments.
There are multiple advantages and uses for management delegating tasks. As managers move from lower to mid to upper level management they take on more responsibility and larger workloads so saving time is a critical factor in delegating, most managers are required to focus on higher-level activities and it frees the manager to devote more time to the companies mission and less time to completing tasks that can be done by subordinates. The manager who effectively delegates frees their time so they can attend to planning activities, setting objectives and monitoring performance within their area of responsibility. Delegation is also an excellent opportunity for lower level managers and subordinates to receive some training toward advancing themselves within their organization. It allows on the job training of what higher-level managers must accomplish in order to do their job effectively.
Some managers are reluctant to distribute their workload or have less than adequate delegation skills. Delegation is a skill that subordinates should learn by having tasks delegated to them prior to becoming managers or upper level management. If a manager is reluctant to delegate work they may feel that they should not need to depend on someone else to get the job done or that they do not need to pass off responsibility. They have to realize that they are not passing off responsibility or depending on someone else to get the job done, they are freeing themselves to do managerial tasks. Managers who delegate should always follow the proper steps to delegate. Not delegating enough authority or resources can make it impossible for a subordinate to accomplish their task or lead to an inadequate end product.
Following the steps of proper delegation are essential to being successful at it. Figuring out what needs to be accomplished (defining the goal) should be the first step in the delegation process. During this step the person who will be delegating responsibility figures out exactly what they will be requesting so they know what they are talking about when they approach the subordinate who will be delegated. As discussed earlier, there is no point in delegating to someone lacking the knowledge or skill to accomplish the task, this is where the second step of delegation comes in, selecting the person to delegate to. Selecting the proper person to delegate to can make all the difference in accomplishing the task and possibly gaining the subordinate more advancement potential. The tasking should match the skill level of the person that is chosen. Soliciting suggested approaches from the person to be tasked with the project is the next step. Whether to make the subordinate feel like part of the team or gain insightful knowledge, which the subordinate may very well have, this step can help everyone involved to understand the tasking that is to be done. Allotting the resources needed to complete the project can make or break the project. If proper resources are not allowed then the project can either not be done or will only be done to the limit of the resources that were allowed, which in most cases is unsatisfactory. Scheduling checkpoints for review to make sure that goals are being met and following through on those checkpoints to make sure that satisfactory progress is being made are the final steps in the delegation process. Not following the steps of proper delegation can lead to poor or inadequate goals being achieved and dissatisfaction among management and workers alike.
Delegation should be used in some stages of management more than others. The planning and organizing stages of management require the most delegation for research into how to accomplish them and put plans into action. The leading stage of management requires some delegation to thin a managers workload. The controlling stage of delegation should require little to no delegation by a manager.
