Alpha

Partners

DELEGATION
SKILLS FOR
PROFESSIONALS
Presented by Olufemi Mosaku-
Johnson
www.alphapartnerstrainings.com

Alpha Partners Trainings

 Distinguish between delegation & empowerment
 Utilize principles of effective delegation
 Develop and execute plans to empower others

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The process of transferring the
responsibility for a specific task to
another member and empowering that
individual to accomplish the task
effectively.
 Refers to the assignment of a task - It is work
focused
 It is not turning over work that the manager

dislikes
 Empowerment is focused on the individual
 Increases productivity and the organization’s

ability to achieve goals

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 More involved,empowered workforce
 Increased productivity and quality
 Reduced costs
 More innovation
 Greater commitment
◦ Assignment of duties and responsibilities:
Narrowly to broadly defined
◦ Delegation of formal authority: Limited
(centralization) to extensive (decentralization)
◦ Constraints: Extensive (implementation within
narrowly defined policies, procedures and rules)
to limited (discretion in decision making and
implementation)
◦ Resource support: Rigidly limited to broadly
available

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◦ Sustain status quo & avoid risk to press
development & accept risk
◦ Downward initiative process vs. upward initiative
process
◦ Theory X vs. theory Y axioms broadly defused in
the organization

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 Increases manager’s discretionary time
 Develops subordinate capabilities
 Demonstrates confidence in delegates
 Enhances commitment of delegates
 Improves decision making
 Increases efficiency

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Things to consider when delegating:
 Qualifications of subordinate
 Necessity of employee
commitment
 Expansion of employee capabilities
 Evidence of shared values and
perspectives
 Sufficient time for delegation

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 Lack of confidence
 Fear
 Vanity
 Insecurity
 Self -importance
1. Decide what to delegate
2. Decide who will do the task
3. Assign responsibility
4. Grant authority
5. Establish accountability
Deciding when: Deciding to whom: Deciding how:
•Subordinates have •Involve no one •Begin with the end
needed information •Consult with other
in mind
•Commitment is crucial individuals, but decide •Delegate completely
•Common values are shared alone •Allow for participation
•Sufficient time •Consult with a team •Match authority
is available but decide alone with responsibility
•Subordinates •Let the team decide •Work within the
capabilities will •Participate as a
structure
be expanded member of the team •Provide support
•Focus accountability
on results
•Delegate consistently
Effective outcomes of delegation: •Avoid upward
•Readily acceptable assignments delegation
•High morale and motivation •Clarify consequences
•Organizational coordination
and efficiency
•Increased problem solving abilities
•More discretionary time for managers
•Stronger interpersonal relationships
•Successful task completion Copyright (c) 2005 Prentice
Hall 12
 Begin with the end in mind
 Delegate broadly
 Allow participation in delegation
 Work toward parity between authority and

responsibility
 Work within the organizational structure

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 Provide adequate support
 Focus accountability on results
 Delegate consistently
 Avoid upward delegation
 Clarify consequences of tasks, especially

rewards

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  Manager / Supervisor Benefits
◦ Reduced stress
◦ Improved time management
◦ Increased trust

 Employee Benefits
◦ Professional knowledge and skill development
◦ Elevated self-esteem and confidence
◦ Sense of achievement

 Organizational Benefits
◦ Increased teamwork
◦ Increased productivity and efficiency

Source: http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/how-to-delegate-effectively/
  Manager / Supervisor Benefits
◦ Reduced stress
◦ Improved time management
◦ Increased trust

 Employee Benefits
◦ Professional knowledge and skill development
◦ Elevated self-esteem and confidence
◦ Sense of achievement

 Organizational Benefits
◦ Increased teamwork
◦ Increased productivity and efficiency

Source: http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/how-to-delegate-effectively/
  Manager / Supervisor Benefits
◦ Reduced stress
◦ Improved time management
◦ Increased trust

 Employee Benefits
◦ Professional knowledge and skill development
◦ Elevated self-esteem and confidence
◦ Sense of achievement

 Organizational Benefits
◦ Increased teamwork
◦ Increased productivity and efficiency

Source: http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/how-to-delegate-effectively/
  Manager / Supervisor Benefits
◦ Reduced stress
◦ Improved time management
◦ Increased trust

 Employee Benefits
◦ Professional knowledge and skill development
◦ Elevated self-esteem and confidence
◦ Sense of achievement

 Organizational Benefits
◦ Increased teamwork
◦ Increased productivity and efficiency

Source: http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/how-to-delegate-effectively/
 Delegating can be especially helpful in the
following situations:
◦ When the task offers valuable training to an
employee.
◦ When an employee has more knowledge or
experience related to the task than you.
◦ When the task is recurring and all employees
should be prepared or trained.
◦ When the task is of low priority and you have high
priority tasks that require your immediate attention.
 When deciding who to select for the task, you
must consider:
◦ The current work load of the employee
◦ The employee’s strengths and weaknesses
◦ The training and experience levels of the employee
1. Define the task
 Identify if the task is appropriate for delegation.
2. Select the individual
 Evaluate each employee’s strengths and
weaknesses to match the task to the individual.
3. Assess ability and training needs
 Ensure that the selected employee has all the
necessary resources and knowledge to complete
the task.
4. Explain why
 Explain the importance of the task and why the
individual has been selected.
5. State required results
 Outline what is expected of everyone involved. Give
clear guidelines that are specific and easy to
understand.
6. Identify required resources
 Identify what supplies or resources will be
necessary to complete the task before beginning
any work.
7. Agree on a schedule
 Set a clear timeline that is agreed on by everyone
involved.
8. Support and communicate
 Communicate throughout the entire process. Be
clear and specific while allowing the employees to
work independently.
9. Provide feedback on results
 Make sure feedback is provided in a timely manner
to all employees involved in the project. Provide
positive feedback as well as constructive feedback
for areas that need improvement.
 Wait to be told what to do – least delegation
& empowering
 Ask what to do – delegation &
empowerment is constrained
 Recommend then take action – more
delegation & empowerment over time and
content
 Act, then report immediately
 Initiate action and report routinely – highest
level of delegation & empowerment

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 Subordinates are given an opportunity to
negotiate the roles (degree of acceptance of
delegation)
 Subordinates should feel free to express

ideas about the parameters of the work

 Managers should be available for consultation

during the assignment on an exceptions

basis

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 Delegate the authority along with the
responsibility
 Ultimate accountability – cannot be delegated

but can be shared with the manager

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 Delegate through subordinates not around
them in the chain-of-command
 Establish the norm of delegation to the lowest

level of the organization

 Everyone affected by the decision to delegate

should be informed.

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 Provide relevant information
 Provide necessary resources to accomplish

the task
 Give credit for the task publicly
 When errors are made, focus on the ;problem,

not individuals.

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 Specify the goal not preferred methods
 Do not micromanage
 Support subordinates in the choice of their

own methods to accomplish results

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 Primary reason to assigning responsibilities &
authority is to empower employees
 Assign both the pleasant and unpleasant

tasks
 Delegate continuously, not just when

overworked

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 Knowledgeable
 Motivated
 Able
 Describe tasks/expected results
 Agree on standards and timetables
 Identify training needs
 Identify resources
 Prepare a report timetable
 Specify authority
 Occurs when the subordinate asks for help
 Manager says “Let me think about it; I’ll get

back to you later.”

 Manager now has to follow up with the

employee
 Manager signals upward delegation is OK

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 Empowerment enables other people to act: it
leaves them feeling strong, capable, and
committed
◦ “Get work done through other people”
◦ Broad participation and accountability
◦ Involvement in decision making
◦ Flexible response

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 Self-efficacy
 Self-determination
 Personal
consequences
 Meaningfulness
 Trust

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◦ Self efficacy: Limited to Extensive
◦ Self determination: Limited to Extensive
◦ Personal control: Limited to Extensive
◦ Meaningfulness: Limited to Extensive
◦ Trust in management: Limited to Extensive
◦ Growth orientation: Limited to Extensive

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 A sense of personal competence
 Belief that they have the ability to perform the

task
 Belief that they are capable of putting forth

the effort
 Belief that no outside obstacles will prevent

them from accomplishing the task

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 A sense of personal choice
 Choices about the methods used to

accomplish a task
 Choices about the effort to be expended
 Choices about the pace of the work
 Choices about the time frame

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 Sense of having impact
 Feeling of active control – brings the

environment into alignment with wishes

 Feeling of passive control – whishes are

brought into alignment with the environment

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 Sense of value in the activity
 Value the purpose or goals of the activity
 It ‘counts’ in the individual’s value system
 Creates a sense of purpose, passion, or

mission
 This is not the same as personal benefit

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 Sense of security
 Feeling that they will be treated fairly and

equitably
 Encourages the development of relationships
 Allows people to act in a confident and

straightforward manner

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Self-Efficacy (competence) Vision and Values

Personal Mastery Experiences

Self-Determination
(choice) Model

Personal Consequence Provide Support

(impact)
Emotional Arousal

Meaningfulness (value) Provide Information

Provide Resources
Trust (security)
Connect to Outcomes

Create Confidence

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◦ Vision & values: Defuse to clearly defined
◦ Personal mastery experiences: Limited to incrementally
scaled (small wins)
◦ Modeling: Limited ideal models vs. broad modeling of
desired behavior
◦ Support: Limited to extensive (both psychologically &
institutionally)
◦ Emotional arousal: Passive to active (systematically
addressed)
◦ Information: Limited (need to know) to extensive (broad
accessibility)
◦ Resources: Constrained and rigid to broadly available &
flexible
◦ Connection to outcomes: Limited feedback to broad scale
feedback on consequences
◦ Confidence: Limited generation to broad generation

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 Articulate a clear vision and goals for others
 Foster personal mastery experiences
 Successfully model the behaviors you want

others to achieve
 Provide needed support to other people
 Arouse positive emotions among others
 Provide information needed by others to

accomplish their work

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 Clearly articulate the desired results
 Explain why the task is important
 Point out the personal benefits
 Connection to the organization mission

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 Specific
 Measurable
 Aligned
 Realistic/Reachable
 Time-bound

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 Provide resources needed for others to
accomplish their work
 Connect others’ work to outcomes and

effects
 Create confidence among others
 Follow the delegation model

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  Reliability – consistent, dependable,
and stable
 Fairness – standards are clear and

enforced consistently
 Caring – show concern for the

workers
 Openness – no harmful secrets exist
 Competence

Copyright (c) 2005 Prentice Hall Return 48

  Subordinates are usually more motivated if
the consequences and rewards are clearly
identified.

Return

Copyright (c) 2005 Prentice Hall 49

 Structure
Development of
(degree of
personnel at each level
delegation &
(ability, experience &
resource
education
support

Positive
or negative

Copyright (c) 2005 Prentice Hall 50

 Over time, the interdependence between
empowerment and
ability/experience/education may support a
continuous expansion of the
interrelationship, or a contraction.
 These relationships may move to an
equilibrium over time (less and less
influence each cycle),
 Or continuous expansion of influence
 Result: Implosion (deteriorating
performance), or explosion (an exponential
improvement of performance).

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 The degree that the dynamics of
empowerment creates an increasing higher
level performance turns on
 Structure, development of personnel and
buy-in of personnel at all levels.
 If there is a lack of buy-in at any level, this
potentially brings the process to a halt.
 If performance doesn’t improve over time,
the experiment in empowerment is likely to
be abandoned.

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 The empowerment process requires a
simultaneous adjustment
◦ Between higher and middle level management and
staff groups and lower management & operating
groups.
◦ Management & staff groups must shift from a
control- directing focus to a supportive- facilitating
focus.
◦ Lower level management & operating groups must
move from an implementing within formal
constraints focus to exercising decision discretion
◦ Accept the associated responsibility for success or
failure.

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 Simpler to understand and achieve than a
sustained reengineering and continuous
dynamic process of empowerment.
 In a static approach, the level of
empowerment is shaped by management
judgments of the ability and experience of
the lower level personnel
 The level of lower level buy-in on the process

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 The judgments are likely to be that lower
level personnel have neither the ability,
experience nor orientation to accept broader
empowerment.
 Initial efforts at empowerment are likely to
support this perspective
◦ A transition period is required for employees to test
out the integrity of management
◦ And to explore how they are to utilize the
expanded scope for decisions.

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 Both the process and end points are
unstructured.
◦ As greater empowerment occurs, is accepted, and
personnel develop to meet the new opportunities
and demands, this supports further
empowerment processes.
◦ This requires a continuous shift in the roles of
management and staff groups as they relax
controls, and shift to a supportive, facilitative
role.
◦ It requires on the part of lower level personnel
 Continuous growth and development to deal with the
expanded opportunities and discretion
 Acceptance of responsibilities for performance.

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 Managers that retain a theory X assumptions
about personnel,
 Or have difficulty shifting from control to
supportive roles
 Operating personnel that are unable to deal
with the unstructured environment of
continuous redefinition of roles and
responsibilities inhibit the empowerment
process.

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 Some degree of personnel turnover is likely
to be associated with empowerment.
 These who cannot deal with the demands of

empowerment drop out of the system

◦ Either by quitting, transferring or are terminated.
◦ New employees can be selected who are a better fit
and socialized in the process.

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 Thank You.
AP
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