Delegation Paper

Good management is practiced in many forms and in great diversity of business situations. There are basic principles of how to manage, but they would be applied differently in different situations. Although delegating is one of the most difficult aspects of any management job, there are many important benefits derived by the organization as well as the manager when tasks and responsibilities are properly delegated. Through delegation, you can ease the job of managing and thereby increase your own effectiveness and that of the work group. Following are specific benefits that the manager, team member, and organization derive from delegation. Delegation is a skill of which we have all heard – but which few understand. It can be absent or a crisis requires people to assist with tasks not regularly part of their jobs, they will already be familiar with the assignment. Delegation prepares more individuals for promotion or rotation of responsibilities. And it allows you to appoint someone to supervise the work group when your are absent (Zeldman,1999,p101).

If a leader does not learn the art of delegation, then he will never find himself coaching a dream team. Leader’s who can’t or won’t delegate create a bottleneck to productivity and success. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, you must learn to delegate. No leader can be effective if they fail to delegate. the book, Don’t Do. Delegate! Jenks and Kelly write, “All managers face a paradox: They need to produce results beyond their individual capabilities.” As a manager, you are paid to help others be productive. The only way to do that is to delegate some tasks. Effective delegation is a key management tool and represents a basic skill needed for the long-term success of any organization. Successful delegation will, as night follows day, bring great benefits to management, the individual manager and the workforce. Delegation is one of the dynamic factors at the heart of good management which helps a workforce to improve, grow and develop but, like any good tool, its’ use requires careful be taken by people closer to the task.(loadstone 2005 p1)

People need to understand how their work contributes to the organization and appreciate the need for change. They must accept new work tasks, methods, and techniques and see change as an opportunity to develop so their effectiveness and productivity is enhanced and they become a more valued asset. This is the bedrock philosophy promoting effective use of delegation skills. Therefore, use of delegation skills is not simply a matter of convenience, but a way of life. If used correctly, delegation skills are a most profound vehicle for self as well as subordinate development, resulting in a productive, satisfying and rewarding team environment. (Anas,1994, p 28).

Delegation can be used either as an excuse for dumping failure onto the shoulders of subordinates, or as a tool for motivating and training team members to realize their potential. Management delegation is a difficult subject for me to write about within my organization because of the disorganization of that delegation and the manager is responsible for it. Too often tasks are delegated inappropriately or irresponsibly rather than effectively. The Controller of our company, also my direct supervisor, who is responsible for day to day operations of the accounting/finance department as well, lacks the skill of effective delegation.

Effective delegation must include the ability to plan, organize, lead and control as well as the ability to listen to feedback from other employees, pay close attention to those employees not meeting deadlines before loading more work on them. Being understanding and open to the fact that not everyone is perfect and sometimes those you think are best suited for the task, aren’t. Managers should be willing to adapt to change and able to change as needed. With some guidance and motivation I think each of my managers will some day become better leaders. So basically I can sum this paper up by saying the one and only skill is copperation and team work among the manager and also the workers. I wish I had something to say on how delegation could used more effectively in our current organization, but before we start to perfect it, we need to start using delegation in the first place!!!

References

Loadstone. Delegation in Management.. July 18, 2004. Monday, 31 January 2005

Anas A. (1994). Management 1500 Prentice,28

Zeldman, A.(1999). Operating a small business. Pecton printing, 101