Effective Delegation

Delegation is widely acknowledged to be an essential element of effective management (Yukl, G. 1994). Delegation is basically a process of assigning responsibility, sharing authority, and producing accountability in organizations. It is a managerial instrument that allows managers to nurture subordinates to capitalize the subordinate’s potential and ability to meet organizational goals and objectives. As a form of employee involvement in decision-making, delegation describes a category of leader behavior that entails assignment of new responsibilities to subordinates and additional authority to carry them out (Yukl, G. 1998). Managers usually find it easier to speak about delegation of

Delegation is one of the most important management skills as it empowers the team member to make decisions. However, the person who delegated the work remains accountable for the outcome of the delegated work.

Delegation is a formal process through which a regulated health professional (delegator) who has the authority and competence to perform a procedure under one of the controlled acts delegates the performance of that procedure to another individual (delegatee) (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2014).

In nursing, delegation helps in making use of the talent or skills of another person. One nurse transfers interventions which are under his/her practice roles to another to another member of the healthcare team who lacks such powers authorized under their scope of practice. Delegation can only take place if it is in patient’s best interest.

Delegation of authority is the act of assigning powers or authority to another entity. In this paper, I will summarize a situation where I experienced delegation of authority, and explain how it correlates to the content of Chapter Six, (Bagley & Savage, 2010).

Knowledge, skill, and independent decision making. The purpose of delegation was put into perspective when Corazzini et al.

The one who will delegate or prioritize tasks must be knowledgeable, skilled and competent in knowing their staff. Delegation consists of knowing the team members scopes of practice and appropriately assigning tasks for those in the team to complete in a given situation. Delegation entails knowing who can be delegated what task, proper communication of said task, and more importantly follow up of assigned task. In nursing, delegation requires the nurse to have knowledge of what he/she can delegate and to whom they can delegate. Effective delegation requires clear, concise and direct orders.

For the busy manager, there never seems to be enough time in one day to do everything. You can create “To Do” lists, plan ahead, abide by a calendar, but in healthcare, an industry that is constantly changing, new tasks arise in response to external and internal environmental changes very quickly. In order to adapt to these changes, a skilled manager must know how to delegate. Merriam-Webster defines delegation as “the act of giving control, authority, a job, duty, etc. to another person”. The National Council of the State Board of Nurses defines delegation as "the transfer of authority to perform a nursing task from one person to another, while retaining accountability for the outcome.”Definitions may vary, but the significance of strategic delegation within an organization is tantamount to the very people who work within it. Delegation is a layered process that has implications for employees, managers, and the greater organization. Empowering staff through delegation is a such a challenge, that a leader with effective delegation skills is essential to the success of any organization. Effective delegation has the potential to boost staff morale, develop more competent employees, and gives managers time to address management level duties. In this paper we will discuss the basic, and most important elements of delegation and the impact it has in the workplace.

Lack of commitment – Team members never buy it to the decisions due to their opinions never truly being heard.

Delegation is the responsibility of the knowledgeable and educated nurse. The nurses understanding of the level of skill the person posses is imperative to the successful act of delegating. Once the skill is performed it is the responsibility of the professional nurse to evaluate if it was completed and documented accurately. “Professional nurses use nursing judgment in delegation” (CNN, 2015).

There are many examples of poor leadership behavior in today’s workplace. Inadequate leadership can be detrimental not only to a team within an organization, but also to the entire organization itself. I believe it is vital for upper management to ensure that their leaders are properly trained and aware of how to handle certain situations and employees. When a leader’s weaknesses are overlooked, large problems occur.

He had also used delegation of authority as means of empowering his subordinates. His decision to appoint Regional Directors with an autonomous decision making authority in their respective region can serve as a good example of delegation of authority.

The company can increase employee responsibility through delegation. If they are responsible for a task a person is more likely to ensure that it gets done and done well, even more so if the task contributes to a team effort and they can expect to receive recognition for their contribution.

Delegation and empowerment involve authority to complete a task or accomplish a goal; they do not assign or transfer responsibility in any way. Management must always take care to remember they are ultimately responsible for tasks they delegate. As tasks are completed the manager must review the delegated work and ensure that it is complete, done properly, and meets your high standards. If you as the manager are satisfied then recognize those who accomplished the task but if it not acceptable then do not accept the work and do it yourself (Mind Tools, 2007). When managers delegate or empower their staff they must clearly articulate the

Delegation of tasks was surprisingly easy as all the team members were very supportive and passionate. (Prive, 2012) Identifying the strength of my team is also a key factor in placing trusts in delegating tasks to the right person. It was also my duty to be fair to all group members of the workload they were handling. For an example, we would as a group evaluate and assess sub-tasks to see it needed more than one person to work on it.