ASSIGNMENT AND DELEGATION

Nothing is more frustrating for staff than a lack of clarity in their scope of work or knowledge in the
degree of freedom allowed to carry out their work. While change of assignments is important in
terms of developing staff knowledge and skills and maintaining interest, constantly changing
assignments is chaotic. It increases stress and workloads for staff and is demotivating. Similarly,
managers who assign tasks and then micromanage task completion impede performance and job
satisfaction.

Good managers look at the work to be done (amount, complexity, deadlines) and the various
competencies of the staff. When there are gaps, the organization may decide to outsource the work
to a volunteer or a paid consultant as a short-term measure while planning to develop the existing
staff competencies (or recruit new staff) for the longer term. Otherwise, staff are assigned according
to their competencies, interests, workload, and development goals.

It is important for managers to clearly state what the assignment is, the timeline, and any others who
should be consulted in completing the assignment. Sometimes this may be a board member or
committee; other times it may be staff, external stakeholders, or any combination of these. It should
also be clear whether and when the manager is to be updated on progress and whether this involves
meeting/discussion, written reports or both. It is also important to be available when staff need to
discuss the work.

Delegating to others means passing to them the responsibility to get the work done. It should not
relate to the manager’s need for control. It should, however, include the right degree of support from
the manager or others and should be empowering. Appropriate delegation helps develop staff
competencies as well as confidence and builds morale and motivation. Clarity of expectations and
open lines of communication assist with this.

Effective delegation involves:

 Selecting employees who have the ability to do the job
 Making sure expectations are clearly understood
 Clearly defining the employees' authority and responsibility
 Monitoring progress and establishing feedback mechanisms
 Establishing deadlines and milestones
 Empowering employees by giving them the latitude to use their own imagination and initiative
 Rewarding employees for the positive results they produce
 Providing constructive feedback

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Delegation transfers authority from the manager to the employee. The employee is responsible for
the work they do, while the manager is accountable for their decision to delegate. An employee who
feels they do not have the knowledge or skills to undertake the work should not accept the
delegation unless there is a guarantee of opportunity to gain the requisite competencies or the
support of other qualified persons to complete the work.

Appropriate delegation focuses more on outcome than process; i.e., what to accomplish and not how
to accomplish it. It supports both growth and performance. Employees are evaluated on how well
they perform their work and managers need to be evaluated on how well they assign and assist
employees in successfully completing their work.

REFERENCES
 University of California, San Francisco. Guide to Managing Human Resources. Chapter 9:
Delegation.

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