Effective Delegation Read online

  Delegate successfully

  Issue: how can I effectively entrust my colleagues with tasks and responsibilities?

  Uses: delegating tasks to your colleagues allows you to save time on a project, but also to motivate them and cultivate their talents in order to give the project the best possible chance of success.

  Professional context: project management, team management, etc.

  FAQs:I don’t feel like I have too much work, do I still need to delegate?

  When is the right time to delegate?

  When I delegate, am I abandoning part of the project?

  Can I entrust my colleagues with any kind of tasks?

  Once a task has been delegated, do I still need to deal with it?

  What tools can help me to organise my delegating?

  What risks are linked to delegating?

  How can I make sure my coworker will accept this task positively?

  Can delegation be revoked partway through a project?

  Do I need to formalise my delegation in writing?

  For many people, delegating means “losing control”. Out of fear of disturbing other people or a lack of confidence, or simply to ensure that a project is carried out in line with their own expectations and conditions, they try to undertake the assignment alone. However, in this situation the danger of being overwhelmed by the number of tasks to complete and of not accomplishing the goal set, or even of experiencing burnout, is never far away.

  To avoid this kind of situation, a good project manager will have mastered the art of delegating effectively. Indeed, their role is not to keep a stranglehold on each component part of the project, but to oversee the project as a whole. Entrusting as many tasks as possible to other people will allow them to avoid overload and stress, which could hinder the accomplishment of the project, and to focus on the most important activities. Furthermore, delegating lets them demonstrate trust in the members of their team. The team members will feel involved, which will motivate and empower them. Everyone wins!

  However, the decision to delegate should not be taken lightly or hastily, as this risks harming the project and dissuading you from delegating again. Do not be afraid to rely on your colleagues and learn the rules to follow and the behaviour to adopt towards your teammates in order to delegate without fear and successfully carry out your project.

  Effective delegation: the basics

  What is delegation?

  Handing over responsibility

  The first thing to avoid is confusing delegation with the division of tasks, because these two processes are very different. Delegating involves entrusting one or two tasks (or objectives, because actions follow on from objectives) to one or more colleagues by making them aware of their responsibilities. It does not mean abandoning a project, losing control of it, decentralising it or losing power, but rather sharing the carrying out of the project in order to achieve a better final result.

  The concept of responsibility is essential here. When you assign a task to a colleague, they must be able to enjoy some freedom to make decisions. They must be able to proceed as they want in order to reach the goal set. If they do not have this decision-making power, you will not be delegating but simply giving an order to a subordinate. However, although your colleague is responsible for accomplishing their objective, you are still responsible for the activities and decisions of the person you have delegated the task to. This is why you should have complete trust in the person you have selected and ensure some degree of monitoring to make sure that the objectives are reached.

  Temporary or permanent delegation?

  Temporary delegation is the most common form of delegation. Indeed, subordinates frequently replace the superior responsible for decisions when the latter is absent, or when their services are requested because their skills are needed. In this case, the concepts of decision-making and authority are separated: the subordinate makes decisions during the delegation period, but they are not responsible for the consequences.

  Permanent delegation involves granting long-term decision-making power in certain situations which are defined beforehand. The concepts of decision-making and responsibility are linked: the colleague must therefore take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. In this case, providing for an additional clause in the colleague’s contract is advised.

  Management styles

  Delegation is influenced and facilitated by the kind of management used within the company. Management can be:

  Directive. This management style is very structured, and involves precise instructions and orders. The employee generally does not have any real decision-making power, which is not very motivating. This is not strictly speaking delegation, but rather the transmission of orders concerning a task to be carried out.

  Explanatory. This aims to mobilise employees. Orders and instructions are precise and accompanied by explanations and justifications of the decisions made. Colleagues have a low level of autonomy, which can slow down the process of project development.

  Participative. This style is based on relationships. Although it may seem somewhat disordered, it proves relatively efficient. Decisions are made in consultation with colleagues, which motivates them and encourages them to become invested in the project.

  ‘Delegative’. This kind of management, based on the manager’s trust in their team, relies on responsibility, independence, initiative and decision-making. Team members then feel valued and invested in the project.

  Each management style has its strengths and weaknesses. The whole art of good team leadership is being able to switch from one style to another depending on the person you are dealing with and the situation. Obviously, the ‘delegative’ style is best for encouraging delegation between a supervisor and their team.

  The law of division of labour

  Many managers have lost faith in delegation and will find a thousand excuses to avoid it: “It’s too much responsibility for employees”, “The task won’t get done correctly”, “Explaining everything would take too long”. In doing this, they quickly forget a small but vitally important detail: delegating responds to the law of division of labour. The division of labour, which was theorised by Adam Smith (British Enlightenment economist, 1723-1790), involves dividing up a single complex task into several tasks which will then be carried out by different specialists. Logically, a person focusing on a specific task will be more efficient than another person who is trying to handle several tasks. As such, through the division of labour, delegation increases productivity. It would be a shame not to make the most of it!

  What are the real advantages of delegation?

  A project manager is not superhuman: they cannot do everything at once, as they risk not concentrating on the important tasks and making mistakes. The ability to delegate is therefore a real skill to acquire to optimise their time management and avoid being overloaded, or even overwhelmed. By entrusting tasks to their colleagues, managers can focus on tasks that are specific to their role. To do this, they must accept losing some time at the start in order to save time in the long run. This management strategy is often advised as part of burnout prevention.

  Delegation is also and above all recommended as part of an overall team management strategy to improve the team’s performance, make good use of the skills and experiences of all team members, and mobilise them to better motivate them. Indeed, entrusting colleagues with a task and making them aware of their responsibilities with regard to achieving an objective is very rewarding. They will feel that they are useful to the company and, as they become aware of their importance in the development of the company, they will be all the
more invested in their task. Finally, by delegating some tasks to competent people, you ensure that they will be carried out well and allow team members to develop their skills. Ultimately, the goal of delegation is to succeed together.

  Stumbling blocks

  There may be a number of elements resisting this approach:

  lack of confidence in yourself or your colleagues;

  lack of time to define the objectives to delegate and the people to delegate them to;

  lack of skills within the team;

  lack of expertise in delegation;

  fear of losing power;

  fear of causing jealousy within the team.

  These stumbling blocks create a vicious circle. There is only one way to break this circle: learning the rules of effective delegation.

  Preparing to delegate

  It is vital that you do not wait until you are already snowed under before handing some of your work over to someone else, because this requires a good amount of preparation beforehand. As is the case before any decision, you should answer the questions “What? Who? How? Why?”.

  Define the tasks

  Before diving in headfirst and delegating left, right and centre, start by selecting which tasks you can complete alone based on your workload and skills. Next, analyse the remaining tasks and sort them into those which:

  can easily be carried out by someone else (everyday tasks which have little impact on the rest of the project);

  require a particular skill;

  can be subcontracted to someone outside the company.

  Take care not to only delegate the difficult tasks: you should also offload some of the more rewarding ones, or you risk demotivating your colleagues. Finally, you obviously cannot delegate the tasks which are part of the manager’s role, such as conflict resolution, maintaining discipline etc.

  Choose the right colleague

  The next step involves choosing the person to delegate to. It is very important to choose the person who will be best suited to carrying out this task effectively. For example, it would not be productive to put an IT novice in charge of creating the company website, even if you think it would be a good experience for them.

  Here you need to know the skills, potential, current workload, motivation and career objectives of your colleagues in order to organise your delegation in a way that benefits the entire team and encourages them to do their best. This approach is a team effort: it is not only about saving time, but also about putting yourself in your colleagues’ place to help them to make progress and lead them to succeed together.

  Start by going back over the list of tasks you want to delegate, then analyse your colleagues’ profiles. Use a skills matrix to help you do this. It will give you an overview of the technical and human resources of your employees and will allow you to match each task to a particular profile.

  As such, for a project involving the implementation of a new advertising campaign, for example, ensure that the person you select has communication and marketing skills, as well as a list of advertising contacts that will be useful for the task. Once you have chosen the person, make sure they have enough time to devote to this assignment and that they are ready to get involved with the project.

  Set objectives

  Before you even think about informing the successful candidate of your decision, you must clearly define the task and the objectives to accomplish to facilitate the plan of action which is to be implemented. The SMARTE method will be useful for this.

  S = Specific. What exactly does the assignment involve?

  M = Measurable. How am I going to measure the results obtained? What will allow me to say that the result has been reached?

  A = Ambition. Why is it important to carry out this task and achieve this objective? Here you need to define the driving force behind your motivation.

  R = Realistic. Is the project doable? What means am I going to put at my colleague’s disposal to ensure their success (money, training, materials, etc.)?

  T = Time-bound. What is the deadline for achieving this objective? Take into account the current workload of the employee involved.

  E = Environment. Although it is not always included (the best-known version of the method has no E), some professionals add this aspect. It involves checking that the project does not harm you or the company.

  Example

  We can better illustrate this process using an example. The director of a care home wants to organise a weekend in Alsace for 50 residents during the Christmas market period. He anticipates a budget of €500 per resident for transport and accommodation, but does not know how to finance the trip as a whole or where the residents should stay. Furthermore, he has no time to dedicate to this project. He therefore decides to delegate some tasks to his colleagues, with the main aim being to provide optimal accommodation for the residents while ensuring that they still receive the necessary care. He will entrust budgeting tasks to his financial manager, who is suited to this kind of work, and the transport and accommodation management tasks to his personal assistant. To organise his delegation, he first draws up a mental map:

  The director can also use a project evaluation grid, like the example below, which will give them a more complete overview.

  Entrusting the delegated tasks to your colleague

  Tell the person involved

  Once you have identified the person who will carry out the task, you should arrange a talk with them to inform them and explain the details of the delegation. This is also the time to establish the framework and get them motivated. For the meeting to be as successful as possible and act as a springboard for what comes afterwards, it is essential to deal with a number of points.

  Explain to the colleague the characteristics of the project, such as the aims to accomplish, the financial resources allocated to the project, the material and human means at their disposal, the deadlines set and the obstacles they risk encountering. Clearly explain what you expect in terms of results and ensure that they understand fully. For example: “In our care home, I want you to see to the organisation of the new activity for our residents”.

  You should also define with them the degree of independence they will have and the person to contact if the situation goes beyond their level of responsibility. As a general rule, the employee’s room for manoeuvre will go hand in hand with their position in the hierarchy and their skills. Managers will tend to grant more freedom to a department head than to an administrative assistant. Conversely, if the team is made up of employees on the same level, the manager will adjust the degree of independence based on how much they trust the person. For example: “You can take all the decisions involving amounts of less than €2 000. Above that, you need to consult me”. We generally distinguish six levels of independence, from the lowest level to complete freedom of movement.

  Independence and responsibility

  When individuals have little independence or little decision-making power, but are given major responsibilities, this can lead to tensions and damage the social atmosphere of the company. You must therefore take care to delegate tasks where the level of independence matches the level of responsibility. Do not ask a colleague to be responsible for a decision that you have imposed.

  Explain why you have chosen them and not someone else by mentioning some of their skills. For example: “You have several years’ experience in this sector and you have organisational skills”.

  Set out the importance of the project as a whole. This will allow them to understand why you are asking them to carry out a particular task and motivate them at the same time. To return to our example situation: “I am asking you to set up this new activity for older people, because we have a lot of requests from them and this development would allow us to stand out from other care homes”. Another example: “Adding this niche
would be very beneficial for our brand image and revenue”.

  Finally, ask them what they think and negotiate any potential points that are a problem for them.

  Advice for managers

  Do not forget to tell the whole team about this decision to delegate. Reiterate the objectives to be reached and the deadlines, and involve the rest of the group in the project’s success by making them understand that they also have a role to play.

  Follow up and assist

  Following up and monitoring are an integral part of the delegation process. The goal is to make sure that the colleague has all the information they need, that they are motivated and that they have all the means necessary to achieve the objectives at their disposal. Your role is to help them succeed in the assignment that you have entrusted to them. Here are some tips for setting up a quality follow-up process:

  Set deadlines and plan evaluations during the process to straighten things out or adjust the approach taken if necessary.

  Lend your colleague an attentive ear and be caring towards them. There is no point criticising them for a small mistake; on the contrary, you should encourage them throughout the project.

  Put at their disposal training and tools that could help them in their task.

  Monitoring not policing!

  This phase is about guiding the employee rather than closely watching them. If your colleague feels as though you are watching their smallest actions and movements, they will think that you do not trust them. They will feel useless and ultimately their motivation and work will suffer as a result. The reason you have chosen them is because they deserve it, so make them understand this by giving them some freedom.