Delegation

For other uses, see Delegation (disambiguation).

Delegation is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person.[1] In management or leadership within an organisation, it involves a manager aiming to efficiently distribute work, decision-making and responsibility to subordinate workers in an organization. Delegation may result in creation of an accountable chain of authority where authority and responsibility moves down in an organisational structure.[2] Inefficient delegation may lead to micromanagement.

There are a number of reasons someone may decide to delegate. These include:

  • To free themselves up to do other tasks in the pace of their own
  • To have the most qualified person making the decisions
  • To seek another qualified person's perspective on an issue
  • To develop someone else's ability to handle the additional assignments judiciously and successfully.[3]

Delegation is widely accepted as an essential element of effective management.[4] The ability to delegate is a critical skill in managing effectively.[5] There are a number of factors that facilitate effective delegation by managers, including "Recognising and respecting others’ capabilities; evaluating tasks and communicating how they fit in the big picture; matching people and assignments; providing support and encouragement; tolerating ambiguity and uncertainty; interpreting failure as a key to learning".[5] With organisations being such complex and dynamic entities, the success of objectives relies heavily on how effectively tasks and responsibilities can be delegated.[6]

  1. ^ Schermerhorn, J., Davidson, P., Poole, D., Woods, P., Simon, A., & McBarron, E. (2017). Management (6th ed., pp. 282–286). Brisbane: John Wiley & Sons Australia.
  2. ^ Meagher, Kieron J; Wait, Andrew (11 April 2021). "Worker Trust in Management and Delegation in Organisations". The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization. 36 (3): 495–536. doi:10.1093/jleo/ewaa008.
  3. ^ Portny, Stanley E. (2017). Project Management For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-34889-4.[page needed]
  4. ^ G. Banford, Christopher; Ronald Buckley, M.; Roberts, Foster (30 September 2014). "Delegation revisited: how delegation can benefit globally-minded managers". International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. 44 (8/9): 646–654. doi:10.1108/ijpdlm-07-2013-0191.
  5. ^ a b Treher, E., Piltz, D., & Jacobs, S. (2011). Increasing effectiveness through delegation. In A Guide to Success for Technical Managers: Supervising in Research, Development, & Engineering (pp. 89–111). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  6. ^ Smith, Cassandra C. (2012). Recognizing the Need For, Impacts and Benefits of Effective Delegation In the Work Place (Thesis). DTIC ADA558768.