Delegation Within My Organization

Essay by alynnee April 2007

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Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines the verb delegate, as “to assign responsibility or authority (1).” In any organization, a manager needs to delegate as part of his or her job requirement as a supervisor. A manager may delegate for any number of reasons. One reason a supervisor may delegate is because a job needs to be accomplished and the manager is not able to do it him or herself. According to author Greg Balanko-Dickson, it should not be the only reason. He says it should be more about gaining cooperation to achieve a goal. He states that it is an opportunity for the business manager to empower the individual and motivate and encourage employees (2). The Site Director of the nonprofit organization I am affiliated with does just that. She delegates various assignments to teachers and other employees within our center, keeping in mind the strengths of each employee in an effort to achieve our goals of working with young children.

In order for delegation to be successful, a supervisor must have the necessary skills to efficiently assign responsibility to his or her employees. Delegation, of course, begins at the basic level, where the issue is trusting another to deliver (3). This can be tough because many may believe that if he or she wants something done right the first time, one needs to do it his or herself. This begins with the hiring process. An organization needs to look for potential employees who can take assign tasks and successfully complete them with minimal assistance from the supervisor. Once hired, a supervisor must train employees and empower them with the skills necessary to receive delegated tasks.

A supervisor must learn the strengths of his or her staff in order to effectively delegate to the appropriate staff member. For example, if a...