AORN JOURNAL
47, NO 1
Delegation
THEART OF LETTING GO
Ruth Davidhizar, RN; Joan Kuipers, RN
N urses in management positions hesitate to
delegate even though many of them
believe they have too much to do.
Delegation involves taking risks, and it requires
the manager to trust others. Failure to delegate,
premature delegation, or delegation to an
inappropriate staff member can damage the
manager’s credibility.
A nurse is usually promoted to a management
position because he or she has been proficient
at doing. The ability to move from doing to
delegating, however, is necessary for managerial
success. Because a manager’s expertise is judged
by the work of those he or she supervises, effective
delegation is key to managerial excellence. This
article describes why some managers hesitate to
delegate, the advantages of delegation, and how
and when to delegate.
Why Managers Hesitate to Delegate
ne reason for lack of delegation is the
manager’s hesitancy to give up control
while being held accountable for the
outcome. The manager may fear that the staff
member lacks the knowledge and experience to
complete a delegated task, and therefore, it will
not be done well. Or, the manager may feel that
doing a job differently means it is not done well.
Some managers hesitate to delegate because it
threatens their power structure. Insecure managers
may believe that they will be perceived as less
important or that their subordinates may prove
more capable than them.’ Managers who have
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been promoted because of past achievements often
need to continue to achieve to prove themselves.2
A novice manager may fail to realize that
relinquishing responsibility is not a loss of power;
the manager is still responsible for the tasks.
Many managers do not realize what should be
delegated. Unfarmliarity with the specific job tasks
d y lead the manager to be cautiousabout delegation
of that task. The desire to be liked may also
discourage some managers because they are afraid
their employees will be critical of the delegation.
Managers who prefer to d o the work themselves
rather than delegating do not function effectively.
Managers often believe they can do thejob quicker
because the time spent in explaining the task to
a staff member will exceed the time it would take
the manager to complete the task.
Ruth E. Davidhizar, RN, DNS, CS, is the
director of nursing at Logansport ( I d ) State
Hospital. She received her bachelor of science
degree in nursing from Goshen (Ind) College, and
both her master of science and doctor of nursing
science degrees inpsychiatric nursingfrom Indiana
University School of Nursing, Indianapolis.
Joan Kuipers, RN,MSN, is an assistantprofessor
of nursing, Purdue University School of Nursing,
WestLafayette, Ind She received both her bachelor
of science degree in nursing and her m t e r of
science degree inpsychiatric, mental health nursing
from Indiana University School of Nursing,
Indianapolis.