The Art of Delegation

Benefits and Barriers

Overview of Delegation Theory

• Also known as Principal-Agent Theory

• Delegating involves – a 'principal'

• An individual who delegates authority over a particular policy area (or function) to another

– And an 'agent'.• The “other” person who receives the

delegated authority

• There are basically two areas of primary focus in delegation– The first focus is concerned with 'agency loss'

• Agency loss is the extent to which decisions/policy outcomes arrived at by the agent differ from the goals of the principal.

– Because of this concern for disconnects, it has lead to further theories concerning how to minimize agency loss while still maintaining the benefits of delegation.

» Such theories tend to emphasise the use of ex ante (before) and ex post (after) controls which can help ensure compliance,

– Every principal-agent approach stresses that principals and agents always have separate interests and as such a beneficial delegation will always result in some element of agency loss.

– The second focus is on 'informational asymmetries'

• Here the agent is assumed to possess an advantage in terms of expertise in the particular area which they are delegated authority in.

– After a suitable amount of time the ‘agent’ would possess expertise the area that would put them in an advantageous position relative to the principal.

– As such the agent could use this informational advantage to shape the relations between themselves and the principal to achieve more favorable outcomes

– Both of these focuses are negative and do not take into consideration trust.

• Delegation works as trust develops• Both the principal and the agent will benefit• Delegation works most effectively if certain

monitors and assumptions are put in place

• For a supervisor or manager to be able to effectively delegate, they must ensure that: – The ‘agent’ knows what they want – That the ‘agent’ will have the authority to

achieve it – And the ‘agent’ knows how to do it.

Leadership vs. Delegation

• Similar skills needed– Goal setting– Coaching– Performance recognition

• Similar aims– Accomplish organizational ends– Enhance abilities– Increase confidence– Develop initiative

• As we have seen there are drawbacks but the benefits are far greater– Most tasks can be delegated– Those that shouldn’t be

• Performance issues with employees• Your job, etc.

• So why do people fail to delegate?– Insufficient time– Job is too important to take risks– The “principal” can do it better– The “principal” enjoys the tasks– Lack of confidence in subordinates– Control– Subordinate might do a better job– Boss will think “principal” is not working

• In actuality, the reasons why “principals” say they can’t (or won’t) delegate is really a mirror of themselves

• One reason that has not been mentioned … they don’t know how.

• Delegation takes– Planning– Communication– Patience– And yes, it does take time

• The time saved in the end will be well worth the time spent in the beginning.

• It is ironic that many times the principal as well as the agent learn from the delegation process– Give some examples of where both the

principal and the agent learn from a delegated task

Important Points in Delegation

• Unless the manager can visualize and articulate what he or she wants in terms of results the process will fail

• The manager must stretch the capabilities of the staff

• The manager must let the chosen subordinate know how the assigned task fits into the unit’s major objectives and to what extent the subordinate is empowered to act in the unit’s behalf.

• The delegation should never be revoked

• The manager should never accept unfinished or unsatisfactory work.

• Completed work should be evaluated against the results requested, not against the methods of doing them

• Satisfactory outcomes should be recognized

How Well Do I Delegate?

My Delegation Profile

• Part of the process on improvement is looking back at things that were done right and wrong and analyzing “why?”– This can sometimes be difficult because,

as human beings, we don’t like to find fault with ourselves.

– If you consider delegation as a process, which it is, and take the “personal” side out of it, just look to see what part of the process failed

Think of a Time in the Past …

Eight plus One Ingredients for Effective Delegation

1. Select the right person.– Assess the skills and capabilities of

subordinates and assign the task to the most appropriate one.

– Start with smaller tasks at first so the subordinate can develop confidence

2. Delegate the whole task to one person.

– This gives the person the responsibility and increases their motivation.

– Communicate to others that this person will be the person carrying out the task

Important Points in Delegation

3. Clearly specify your preferred results.

– Give information on what, why, when, who, where and how.

– Write this information down.– Do not overly restrict the person but at

the same time give clear boundaries

4. Delegate responsibility and authority– Assign the task, not the method to accomplish

it. – Let the subordinate complete the task in the

manner they choose, as long as the results are what the supervisor specifies and it is done with integrity.

– Let the employee have strong input as to the completion date of the project.

– Note that you may not even know how to complete the task yourself -- this is often the case with higher levels of management

5. Ask the employee to summarize back to you.

– Ask to hear their impressions of the project and the results that you prefer.

– Ask for their understanding of the job.– Ensure deadlines are clear and

comprehended

6. Get ongoing non-intrusive feedback about progress on the project.

– This is a good reason to continue to get weekly, written status reports from all direct reports. • Reports should cover what they did last

week, plan to do next week and any potential issues and solutions.

– Regular staff meetings provide this ongoing feedback, as well

7. Maintain open lines of communication.

– Don't micromanage the subordinate, but sense what they're doing and support their checking in with you along the way.

– Indicate there is administrative backup and moral support available

8. If you're not satisfied with the progress, don't immediately take the project back.

– Continue to work with the employee and ensure they perceive the project as their responsibility.

– Remember you are trying to achieve some initiative in your subordinates … don’t squash it.

A Job Well Done

Evaluate and reward performance.– Evaluate results, not methods.

• Recognize successes with other opportunities and motivators

• Always credit the subordinate for the work they did when addressing others

• Address insufficient performance– Hopefully if the communication has been

adequate there will not be unsatisfactory performance

Communication

• How much of delegation do you think is tied to communication?– Actually, effective delegation hinges on

communication• Giving the right information and expectations

in the beginning.• Communicating back and forth during the

task• Providing coaching communication when

required• Communicating satisfaction and recognition

at the end.

D-E-L-E-G-A-T-E

Questions?

Handouts