How to properly delegate work to subordinates. Personal management Basics of delegation of authority

A leader is not only the best specialist, but also an organizer of the work of others. He must be able to organize the work of employees, distributing specific tasks among them. This form of relationship between a boss and a subordinate is usually called delegation. The effectiveness of the work of his department and, consequently, the quality of the work of the leader himself depend on how well the manager masters the art of delegation.

One manager we know spoke about this in the following way: “If I need to evaluate the quality of a manager’s work, then first of all I am not interested in the personal characteristics of his character or even his professional qualifications, but something completely different. I want to know only one thing - how his subordinates work. When I see ordinary employees in front of me, the quality of their work is constantly improving, then I understand that they are working under the supervision of a good leader.”

Leadership and delegation are synonymous. A leader who cannot or does not want to use delegation methods is not a real leader. Until he learns to do work with the hands of others, the threat of the collapse of his work will constantly hang over him.

Basic purposes and situations of delegation

A subordinate can do a given job better than a superior. There is nothing paradoxical or unnatural in the fact that a manager in some narrow areas is weaker than a specialist. The main qualification of a leader, in which he must be head and shoulders above any subordinate, is the ability to mobilize and coordinate, to apply all the abilities, skills and knowledge available to his subordinates. A mature leader is not afraid of delegation.

Excessive busyness does not allow the manager to deal with this problem himself. No one, even the most capable leader, is able to do all the work alone. In this sense, delegation is a means of combating turnover.

Delegation of authority can be a method of training promising employees and forming a talent pool from them.

Delegation allows the manager to free up time and energy in order to deal with the most important, primary and promising tasks.

Delegation can be used as a technique for studying the team and individual subordinates. By entrusting his employees with certain management tasks, the manager gives them a chance to demonstrate their abilities. In addition, temporary relationships of subordination of some employees to others make it possible to identify the most efficient groups, likes and dislikes between team members, i.e., an informal structure. When using delegation as a psychological tool, great care and caution should be exercised.

Delegation with skillful behavior of the boss is perceived by subordinates as special trust. This is one of the types of moral encouragement.

It is required to improve the quality of decisions as much as possible. This is achieved due to the fact that decisions are made at lower levels, where the necessary information, experience and skills of narrow specialists, which have not yet had time to be distorted, are concentrated.

It is necessary to mobilize hidden productivity reserves. In this case, the “boss trust effect” is triggered. A person who is trusted and relied on by his boss is, in many cases, ready to do a lot just to “not lose face.”

Delegation Rules

Transfer your powers not for reasons of prestige, but solely for the good of the cause.

Use delegation as a means of increasing subordinates' self-confidence.

Be prepared to support your delegates.

Consider the possibility of making not the most accurate or simply erroneous decisions and include these amendments in your plans. There is a range of tasks that must be solved accurately. You need to be able to identify such tasks and not delegate them to subordinates.

Transfer functions and powers directly to avoid the “broken phone” effect.

Criticize carefully. When making mistakes in performing delegated functions, analyze the objective essence of the error, and not the personal shortcomings and miscalculations of the subordinate. Demand not an apology, but an explanation of the circumstances that led to the mistake and constructive suggestions for correcting the situation.

Having delegated certain powers to a subordinate, do not interfere with his orders until you see the possibility of serious complications.

Take responsibility for all decisions your subordinates make in accordance with the authority delegated to them.

Delegation errors

Inability to explain. How the subordinate has absorbed your initial instructions determines whether he will cope with the task for which you have delegated responsibility for solving it. Instead of asking “Did you understand everything?” It’s better to ask: “Have I explained everything to you clearly enough?”

Fictitious delegation. Do not try to delegate to subordinates the powers that they already have in their position. This will only discredit both you and your instructions.

Error in delegate selection.

Grouchiness. Never express your dissatisfaction with the way things are going unless you have a clear business proposition.

Incontinence. In such a delicate matter as delegation, excessive expression of emotions is dangerous. Composure and even treatment of colleagues is necessary at all stages of delegation.

Delegation of functions and powers to a group without defining individual responsibility: “Seven cooks cannot make soup.”

Fear of “losing” authority. If you don't know something, say so directly. Truthfully admitting that you don’t know how to solve a particular problem won’t deal as much of a blow to your authority as you might think.

The most important and most dangerous mistake is to delegate the unifying function of leadership to subordinates. The supreme coordinator of the activities of many people is the leader. Delegating this type of function is a very dangerous path, which is fraught with major disruptions in the rhythm and consistency of the work of the entire team.

Instructions for the delegation procedure

Before assigning any specific task, write down the content of the delegated authority. Keep your entry as short as possible. Just indicate the goal and deadline. Think over a plan for completing the upcoming work. Make a list of what a subordinate must know to successfully complete the task assigned to him.

Determine the time it will take to complete the task, and write down everything you will need to know to ensure you actually complete the job.

Prepare the assignment, including reporting as a mandatory requirement. The task must be absolutely clear and clear to your subordinate. Give complete instructions in writing. The simplest instructions are given orally. Make sure the instructions are understood. Establish what reports you will need and when. Be very clear about your rights and responsibilities.

Give your subordinates a role model - this should be your personal example. Show how the results of their work will affect the overall work.

Monitor how junior staff react to the transfer of some of your authority. Are there any signs of friction and shirking from completing assigned work? When the first such signs appear, confirm the transfer of authority and maintain trust in the person to whom you transferred it.

Be prepared to offer any assistance the delegate requires, but do not interfere in his affairs until he asks you to do so. When the need arises to check the work of a delegate, do not do it too explicitly. Offer your help only when it is really needed, without offending your subordinate. Develop in your subordinates a sense of legitimate pride in a job well done.

Evaluate each person's performance and continue to delegate further until you achieve full use of each employee's personal abilities. Use praise and constructive, friendly criticism when warranted.

How quickly are the results of the completed work needed? If results are needed immediately, it is hardly worth delegating. The more time there is, the more likely delegation is.

How good is the communication system in your organization? The more clearly the information system works and job responsibilities are defined, the easier it is to delegate.

Before you delegate responsibility for any task and the authority required to do so, you must be clear about what results you expect from your subordinates, and when and in what form these results should be achieved and reported to you. Achieve complete clarity on these two issues and, based on this, build control.

Clear control over work results and strict discipline are the main prerequisites for effective delegation.

Delegation is not a way to evade responsibility, it is a form of division of managerial labor that allows you to increase its efficiency. Delegation makes the manager's job easier, but does not relieve him of the responsibility to make final decisions, the responsibility that makes him a leader.

Please note that with inept delegation, the Peter Principle and its consequences come into play, in particular, consequences No. 1 and No. 20:

For every position in the world, there is a person somewhere who is unable to fill it. If there are enough promotions, he will take this position.

In a hierarchy, the ability of a competent subordinate to manage an incompetent superior exceeds the ability of an incompetent superior to manage a competent subordinate.

expert Alexander Viktorovich Libin, candidate of psychological sciences, senior researcher at the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Authority represent a limited right to use the resources of the organization and direct the efforts of some employees to perform certain tasks (in fact, command people).

There are two types of authority: 1. Linear authority is authority that is transferred directly from a superior to a subordinate. Linear authority provides the manager with legitimized power to influence subordinates. Delegation of linear authority creates a hierarchy of levels of management of the organization.

2. Staff powers are powers based on the performance of a specific function.

Delegation of authority is a business methodology in which employees are given authority and responsibility for decisions at the level at which they operate. Delegation of powers assumes that the manager is not an authoritarian leader who makes decisions alone, but delegates part of his powers to subordinates, while simultaneously training them. Delegation of authority is based on the understanding that problems are best solved by the people working on the problem themselves, and not by higher management1. This argument is reasonable because the higher you “rise” in an organization, the less you know about work problems. Delegation as a term means transferring tasks and authority to a person who accepts responsibility for their implementation.

Delegation is the means by which management assigns to employees tasks that must be completed to achieve the organization's goals.

Delegation is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied management concepts. To effectively implement delegation, it is necessary to understand the associated concepts of responsibility and organizational authority.

There are two concepts of the process by which authority is transferred: 1. According to the classical concept, authority is transferred from higher to lower levels of the organization.

2. If a subordinate does not accept authority from the manager, then there is no transfer of authority.

Authority is the limited right to use resources and command people. Within an organization, these limits are usually defined by policies, procedures, rules and job descriptions. Individuals who exceed these limits exceed their authority, even when necessary to perform delegated tasks. The limits of authority are expanded towards higher levels of management of the organization. But even the powers of senior management are limited. Most of the manager's powers are determined by traditions, mores, cultural stereotypes and customs of the society in which the organization operates. People obey orders from a boss in part because it is socially acceptable behavior. These factors, on the one hand, limit powers, and on the other hand, support them. The restrictions placed on powers are often violated in practice. To better understand this, we need to consider the difference between authority and power. Authority and power are often confused with each other. Authority is defined as the delegated, limited, inherent right of a given position to use the organization's resources. In contrast, power represents the actual ability to act or the ability to influence a situation. You can have power without having authority.

Delegation is an absolutely necessary action. Whether the manager wants it or not, whether he likes it or not, whether he knows how or not, life forces him to delegate. We can say that this is an objective necessity. If a manager knows how to distribute tasks among subordinates, it means that he has mastered one of the basic commandments of a manager: “I should not obey the work, but the work should obey me.” Why is delegation necessary? For at least two reasons:

1. The daily amount of work that a manager has to do always exceeds his physical and time capabilities: every day he must do more than he can, and this is normal. And assigning affairs and tasks to his subordinates allows the manager to complete a larger amount of work;

2. It is natural that a subordinate is able to do some work or cope with some task better than the boss. This is not something to be feared, but rather encouraged and cultivated. A good manager is not one who can do any job better than his subordinates, but one who manages so that each subordinate does his job in the best possible way.

There are five reasons why managers are reluctant to delegate:

1. Misconception - “I will do better.” The manager in this case comes to the conclusion that he will do this job better than his subordinate, and seeks to replace his subordinates without clearly fulfilling his functions.

2. Lack of ability to lead. Such managers, as a rule, solve only immediate, current problems and practically do not deal with long-term problems, on the solution of which, in essence, the effectiveness of the manager’s work depends.

3. Lack of trust in subordinates. Lack of trust in subordinates creates an adequate attitude on their part, which leads to a loss of initiative and entrepreneurship; employees will constantly be guided in their work by the actions of their leader. The socio-economic consequences of this style of work are not difficult to predict.

4. Fear of risk. Subordinates, performing the task of the leader, will not feel responsible for the problems that arise in their activities, knowing that they will not have to answer for this.

5. Lack of selective control necessary to warn the manager about possible danger. To delegate authority, the manager must develop a control mechanism to obtain information about the performance of subordinates. Obtaining such information allows you to direct activities towards achieving the goal1

At the same time, there is no need to create illusions that subordinates are striving to increase responsibility and expand its boundaries. On the contrary, in most cases they avoid responsibility and even put forward countermeasures to limit it. There are several such principles.

1. The subordinate believes that it is better to ask the manager than to solve the problem himself.

2. The subordinate is afraid of criticism for mistakes made, since greater responsibility increases the possibility of making a mistake.

3. The subordinate lacks the information and resources necessary to successfully complete the task.

4. The subordinate's workload is sufficient and he cannot do more.

5. The subordinate is not sufficiently qualified and he does not have confidence that he will be able to complete the assigned work.

6. The subordinate is not offered additional incentives due to increased responsibility.

Of course, delegation takes time. But if it is carried out effectively, then the manager wins more time than he spends. So the above fears are a consequence of the inability to delegate, and nothing more. After all, effectively organized delegation gives a lot.

1. Delegation is a way to motivate employees.

2. Delegation gives the manager the opportunity to find out the abilities of employees, their level of qualifications, and determine their potential.

3. And finally, delegation allows you to find time to solve strategic problems and tasks of group A, without letting others out of sight. In other words, it will not be an exaggeration to say that the ability to delegate is the ability to do something with the hands of others, i.e. lead.

When refusing to implement a mechanism for delegating authority, managers most often tend to put forward the same reasons. It is not difficult to get around these objections if you analyze the real reasons.

Delegation errors. Knowing them can help you develop your own delegation style and figure out how you can improve it. 1. Inability to instruct. How the subordinate understood the instructions determines whether he will cope with his task. Instruction: shows the significance, importance and responsibility of the task being assigned and thereby sets the employee up for a quality solution and a serious attitude towards the matter; allows you to avoid the temptation to explain failure by saying that “I was poorly instructed.”

2. Fictitious delegation. This is a situation when those tasks, functions and powers that subordinates have by virtue of their job responsibilities are delegated. To prevent this from happening and to prevent you from discrediting yourself by your actions, before delegating, familiarize yourself with the job responsibilities of the employees. And if there are none, develop them. This is useful and even necessary from many points of view. Surprisingly, it is true: many employees do not know well (or know only in general terms) their job responsibilities. One can hardly talk seriously about the organization of work in such a team.

3. Error in choosing a delegate. No one is immune from this error, but following the rules of delegation will reduce the possibility and consequences of this error to a minimum.

4. Orientation not on business, but on personality. Grumpiness, lack of restraint, excessive emotionality in such a delicate matter as delegation are unacceptable. And composure and equal relations with subordinates are necessary.

5. Delegation of functions and powers to a group of employees without defining individual responsibility.

6. Fear of “losing your authority.” If you don’t know something, it is better to consult a specialist. As for employees, you can truthfully admit to them that you do not know how to solve this problem. This will not cause a strong blow to your authority.

7. The most dangerous mistake when delegating is to delegate the unifying leadership function to subordinates. The main coordinator of the activities of subordinates is the leader.

Basic requirements for delegation of authority. First, let's find out what can be delegated and what cannot. In any case, you need to delegate:

1) routine work;

2) specialized activities (i.e. those that your employees can perform better than you);

3) solving private issues;

4) preparatory work (projects, etc.).

In general, in each case, check any of the tasks ahead of you for the possibility of delegation. Be guided by an extremely simple principle: everything that employees can do, employees should do.

First, try to evaluate the possibility of delegating such types of work as the following:

a) preliminary formulation (but not final approval!) of goals, plans, programs and projects on which you must make decisions;

b) participation in your place in meetings at which your projects and proposals are presented.

Never are not subject to delegation:

1) such functions of a manager as setting goals, making final decisions on strategic issues; control of results;

2) employee motivation;

3) tasks of special importance;

4) high-risk tasks;

5) unusual, exceptional cases;

6) topical, urgent matters that leave no time for explanations or double-checking;

7) confidential tasks.

When to delegate? In daily work situations - always, as often and as much as the work environment allows. In addition, delegation should be used when the work situation has changed significantly and there is a need to redistribute functions and powers.

It happens:

f when the personnel structure changes (new appointment, promotion, dismissal, etc.);

f during reorganization or restructuring of a department (company, division);

f in crisis situations;

f in the event of the emergence of new areas of activity or changes in competence.

It goes without saying that delegation is not a simple assignment or reassignment of a task, but an assignment of a task that is correlated with the capabilities and abilities (as well as workload!) of subordinates. Employee workload is the most important regulator of your delegation activity.

Delegation Rules

1. Transfer your powers not for reasons of prestige, but solely for the benefit of the cause. Business, its benefit, and not ambition are the criteria for delegation.

2. Use delegation as a means of increasing subordinates' self-confidence. This is no less, if not more, important than solving the assigned task itself. 3. Be prepared to support the person to whom you delegate the task. Even the most independent and competent employee needs the support of the boss, if only to be sure that the boss still considers him independent and competent.

4. Keep in mind that, having received a task, a subordinate may not make the most accurate, and sometimes erroneous, decisions. Of course, there are tasks that must be solved flawlessly, but these are precisely the ones that should not be entrusted to others.

5. Delegate directly, without using transfer links, to avoid the “broken phone” effect. Remember the law of “splitting” and distortion of the meaning of management information, which can do a disservice.

6. In cases where employees make mistakes in performing delegated functions, objectively examine the essence of the matter, the essence of the mistakes, and not the personal qualities, shortcomings and miscalculations of the subordinate. After all, in the end, it is you who choose him to solve this problem. So criticize carefully, demand not an apology, but an explanation of the reasons that led to the mistake, and constructive suggestions for correcting the situation.

7. Having delegated a task and corresponding powers to a subordinate, do not interfere in the course of its solution without fairly compelling reasons, i.e. until you see that serious complications may arise.

8. Take responsibility for all decisions made by your subordinates who have received the necessary authority from you. In case of success, give it to a subordinate - the direct executor of the task; in case of failure, take responsibility for yourself. You can be sure that it will be appreciated.

Control questions

1. Define the concept of “managerial work”.

2. What are the main properties of managerial work?

3. What do “time management” mean?

4. Give a classification of managerial work for various groups of workers.

5. Name the elements and types of decisions made by the manager.

6. What is delegation of authority?

7. List the main features of delegation of authority.

Task 1. Which groups of management personnel include workers in the following positions: shop managers, section managers, accountants, technologists, foremen, labor economists, design technicians, head of the planning department, assistant secretary, draftsman, cashier, shop power engineer, archivist, deputy HR director, sociologist? What type of mental labor are they primarily engaged in?

Task 2. What form of regulation will you propose for the following elements of the organization of labor of specialists and technical performers?

f list of work performed;

f organization of workplaces;

f working conditions;

f employee qualification level;

f organization of labor processes and methods of performing work of a creative nature.

Task 3. Which of the following factors will improve the intensive use of management personnel and which of them will simultaneously influence the reduction in the number of management personnel:

f advanced training of a specialist;

f expanding the combination of positions;

f reduction of losses and unproductive costs of working time;

f increasing the technical equipment of labor;

f consolidation of production sites;

f bringing the number of specialists into compliance with established standards;

f merger of some departments.

Internet resources

1. http://www.budgetrf.ru – Budget system of the Russian Federation.

2. http://www.chelt.ru – Magazine “Man and Labor”.

3. http://www.marketing.spb.ru – Encyclopedia of Marketing.

The essence of delegation

To implement the strategy and effectively achieve goals, a properly constructed organizational structure is necessary. The process of constructing the structure of an organization, identifying the essential relationships among people, tasks and activities is called organizing. This is one of the main functions of management. When creating and designing an organization, it is necessary to determine by what criteria employees will be grouped, what types of work to perform, what divisions the organization will consist of, how to distribute powers and responsibilities between management levels, how to properly organize a system for exchanging information and coordinating activities.

Formal organizational relationships between people are established with

by defining powers and their delegation, establishing responsibility in performing tasks.

Delegation is the transfer of tasks and powers to a lower person who

accepts responsibility for their implementation. It is the means by which management assigns to employees the countless tasks that must be completed to achieve the organization's goals. If an essential task is not delegated to another subordinate, then the manager must perform it himself, and this is in fact

impossible. Mary Parker Follett, one of the classics of management, noted that the essence of management lies in the ability to “get others to do things.”

Purposes of delegation:

· unloading of senior managers, freeing them from turnover, creating the best conditions for solving strategic problems;

· increasing capacity, activating the interest and involvement of lower levels in the management process.

The delegation process includes the following steps:

ü assigning individual specific tasks to employees;

ü providing appropriate powers and resources to subordinates;

ü establishing responsibility for completing tasks.

Responsibility represents the obligation to carry out existing tasks and be responsible for their satisfactory resolution. Responsibility means that the employee is responsible for the results of the task to the one who delegates authority to him, but a superior superior does not have the right to transfer his responsibility to his superior to a subordinate.

Requirements for rational delegation and responsibility:

· the principle of unity of command - an employee receives tasks and is responsible for their implementation to one immediate superior;

· the principle of compliance - the assigned tasks must correspond to the existing authorities;

· principle of sufficiency – the scale of responsibility should not exceed the individual capabilities of the employee;

· the principle of motivation – expansion of responsibility should be motivated by increased pay and influence.

Authority is the limited right to use an organization's resources.

direct the efforts of subordinates to perform certain tasks and make decisions.

Authority is delegated to the position, not to the individual. When he switches to

new position, he loses the powers of the old position and acquires the powers of the new one. There are always limits to authority, they are determined by policies, procedures, rules, job descriptions, whether written or communicated orally. Authority should not be confused with power, which refers to the real ability to act or the ability to influence a situation.

If authority determines what a person holding a certain position has the right to do, then power determines what he can do. You can have power without having authority.

Situation 1. An employee is hired to install printed circuit boards for VCRs. During the inspection of finished products, defects in the installation of printed circuit boards were discovered.

Situation 2. The surgeon instructed the nurse to transfuse blood to the patient during the operation. The patient died because the nurse selected the wrong blood type for transfusion.

Situation 3. As a result of an engineer's error, components for

production of lifting mechanisms, therefore the plant’s obligations to ship finished products were not fulfilled on time.

Line and staff powers

Line authority- These are powers transferred directly from

Staff powers- this is the right of staff staff specialists to advise or assist line managers in decision making. The types of staff powers are determined by the type of staff apparatus and the strength of its power and influence in the organization.

• Why delegation of authority is necessary.
• What are the types of delegation of authority?
• How to implement effective delegation of authority.
• What levels of delegation of authority exist.
• What to consider when delegating authority.

The ability to competently delegate work tasks is becoming increasingly important in the work of managers due to increased competition in the market, because there is less and less time left to make important decisions. Managers are forced to make a choice: either accept that the quality of the decisions they make will decline, or try to reduce their number.

When it becomes necessary to delegate authority

Many managers are convinced that no one can do their job better than themselves. Thus, they take on many tasks and tasks on their shoulders, without resorting to delegation of authority and working 12-15 hours a day. The disadvantage of this managerial behavior is the lack of time to concentrate efforts on solving essential tasks: analysis of key information and strategic development of the company.

Let's give a simple example that will illustrate the importance of delegation of authority and the difficulties associated with it. Let's assume that a manager spends about 15 minutes creating a report in Excel. In order to select an employee, instruct him to independently compile this report and explain how to do it, you will need to spend several hours. Afterwards, you will have to double-check the reports generated by the employee and explain some of the nuances. For these reasons, it is easier for the manager to complete such a report himself, especially if the work schedule is so tight that it does not allow for 2-3 free hours. However, you should still decide to delegate this task to one of your employees: the hours spent on training an employee will quickly pay off, especially if such calculations need to be carried out daily. After a certain time, the employee will be able to make these calculations as quickly and efficiently as the manager, and the manager will have free time for more important matters that require his participation.

If you agree with at least half of the following statements, then you should really consider delegating authority in your organization:

1. There are often more than two people waiting for you in your waiting room at the same time.
2. Employees of your company complain that it is difficult to find you on site, they have to arrange a meeting with you in advance.
3. The stack of documents that require review and your signature is constantly growing, although you try to sign and process them regularly.
4. None of your deputies or subordinates are authorized to perform any of your duties.
5. You cannot remember important agreements that others remind you of.
6. You can almost never tell your employees, “Decide for yourself.”

You can try an experiment: when you receive a document, put a red dot on it as a sign that you have reviewed it. If this document is again in your hands for verification, add another point. Continue doing this until the document is completed. In the end, you can count the number of red dots on a document: the so-called “measles document check.” The more dots, the more indecisive you are in making decisions. Naturally, there are situations when you have to return to the same document again and again, but in most cases the final decision can be made immediately.

What types of delegation of authority are used in practice?

Strict delegation. This type of delegation of authority involves a clear formulation of the expected result and a specific description of how exactly it can be achieved. An employee who is delegated to perform a specific task is extremely limited in making independent decisions. For example, you instruct the purchasing director to negotiate with suppliers in order to obtain a credit limit (although you can solve this problem on your own). You specifically describe the result you want to get: the amount of the limit, the duration of the deferment and exactly how you should negotiate with this partner.

Soft delegation. Soft delegation of authority means b O greater freedom of action for the employee when performing the task assigned to him. This type of delegation of authority allows the boss to relieve his workload, and the employee to develop his professional skills. In this case, it is important to indicate the range of possible actions for the subordinate. This method of delegating authority can also be used by managers as testing in order to better study the employee’s abilities.

Delegation is the opposite. Try switching places with a subordinate: let him set the range of tasks for himself, determine deadlines, make a request for the necessary resources, and also think about his own reward. With this method, employees can sometimes set themselves very ambitious tasks that you yourself would never dare to set for them. As a rule, the results are very good. In order to correctly assess an employee’s priorities, you can ask him questions: “What do you think you can do best? How can you contribute to the overall goals of the company?” From the outside, this method may resemble an interesting game, but the real responsibility for the results still remains with you. Try to inspire your employee emotionally so that he can determine important goals and objectives for himself.

How else is delegation of authority carried out?

Transferring valuable information. When a manager needs to delegate a task that requires valuable information to be handled, he is often overcome by doubts about how much he can trust his employee with important data. A way out in this situation may be the use of information technologies, which will minimize the unauthorized dissemination of valuable information. You can ensure that employees responsible for a certain task have limited access to corporate programs. They know only what they need to complete their task. For example, if any products are purchased in China, then only the employees of the Chinese office know the original cost of these products, colleagues in Moscow work with the prices at which these products are sold, and warehouse workers do not have any information about the cost of the products.

Delegation of powers at another level can also be used: for those cases when the owner of an enterprise wants to completely transfer management of the company to a trusted employee and receive only profit from the company’s turnover. In this case, he is forced to transfer all the data to one specialist who can take over the management of the business. To successfully delegate managerial powers, you should consider the motivation for the new manager and offer conditions under which he will not have the desire to share valuable and secret information with third parties. As a rule, a high level of salary, bonuses and a certain percentage of company shares guarantee the manager’s high interest in the successful and responsible conduct of business.

It should be noted that there are no universal methods in delegating authority: each manager can determine for himself which delegation method is suitable for a particular situation.

How to delegate authority to save 25% of your working time

The commercial director regularly receives assignments from the company's top management, plans the work of employees, and communicates with clients. To cope with a huge flow of information and develop a business, it is important to manage time rationally and not waste energy on routine matters. To do this, you need to correctly delegate tasks to subordinates and monitor their implementation. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the commercial director will be reduced to zero. .

Check with the checklist from the electronic magazine “Commercial Director” whether you are effectively distributing tasks among your subordinates.

How does the delegation of authority work?

The entire process of delegation of authority consists of 4 stages:

• Understanding WHAT needs to be delegated.
• Determining which employees can be delegated.
• Explaining to the employee exactly HOW the task should be performed.
• Monitoring how the order is carried out.

Stage 1. WHAT to delegate

Identify a list of tasks that need to be completed, and analyze each task according to two criteria: importance and urgency. Try to select tasks for analysis that have a similar scale and deadlines. Do not include diverse tasks in one list for delegation of authority.

The number of tasks in the list should not exceed 50. If there are many more tasks on your list, try to enlarge them: combine several tasks into one, avoiding unnecessary detail. To prioritize your delegation, divide your list into 4 groups based on importance and urgency (see table).

Certain tasks that a manager solves may not be very urgent or important, but require his direct participation. Such tasks cannot be delegated; time must be allocated in the work schedule to solve them. It is important to correctly combine business planning with delegation of authority. To do this, you should pay attention to how “important and urgent” and “important but not urgent” things relate. If you know how to plan competently, then you will have fewer “important and urgent” things to do.

Delegation of functions depending on importance and urgency:

	Urgent tasks	Non-urgent tasks
Important tasks	It is better not to delegate such matters. Try to be responsible for the organization, execution and control of the result. If necessary, you can involve assistants.	Engage in organization and control (especially during the start-up phase of the project), and execution can be delegated.
Unimportant tasks	Organization and execution can be delegated (until the matter becomes urgent and important), and you yourself only deal with control.	Such matters should be completely delegated. If you don’t have someone to delegate to, use the “three nails” rule.

According to the “three nails” rule, you should deal with non-urgent tasks if you remember about them at least three times. Let's say there are three nails driven into the wall. When a matter first comes to your attention, you hang it on the first nail, remembering it again on the second, and when this matter is mentioned for the third time, you start working on it.

The manager must leave the following tasks in his area of ​​responsibility:

• formulation of goals;
• making decisions that are of great importance for the company;
• monitoring the company's performance;
• motivation of key specialists;
• work with key business areas at this stage of the company’s development.

Anything beyond these tasks should be handled through delegation. This way you will free up time for more meaningful and important tasks. Be sure to delegate the following:

• everyday routine activities: business correspondence, telephone conversations, ordinary meetings;
• preparatory work: analytical reviews, long-term planning, budgeting and financing. All this information should be delivered to the manager with ready-made conclusions and proposals;
• activities of a highly specialized nature: everything that specialists can do better than a manager.

Stage 2. WHOM to delegate to?

When choosing a specialist to delegate authority, pay attention to the following parameters:

• Personality. How does the employee perceive new assignments? Is it hard work? Is there a desire for professional growth?
• Workload. Does the employee have enough time to complete the assignment as efficiently as possible?
• Skills and experience. Does the specialist have the necessary knowledge? Does he have experience in solving similar problems?
• Ability to carry out assignments. Will the employee be able to complete the assignment?

To begin with, it is best to give the employee a test task that he can complete in a short period of time. It will allow you to understand whether this employee is suitable for delegating authority to him or not. It is important to choose exactly the employee who was able to complete the assignment better than others. If an employee is currently working on another important and urgent task, then you should not give him additional workload: in this case, there will be no result at all, or the task will not be completed 100% efficiently. You should not delegate an important and urgent task to a newcomer to the team: he may not feel confident enough, and he may also not have enough information to carry out the assigned work efficiently.

Stage 3. HOW to set a task

In the process of delegating authority, try not to just hand out tasks to employees, but explain the meaning and value of each task for the common cause. It is very important to explain what the task is and give a specific description of the expected result. It is also important to indicate the time limit for completing the task and designate control points for determining intermediate results, which should also be clearly described. In addition, the employee must be aware of what resources and powers are at his disposal and what obviously losing ways to solve the problem he should avoid. The best approach would be to jointly draw up a work plan that clearly states the goal and describes the desired result of the work. In the process of developing a plan, ask the specialist what stages of the task he sees, what may cause him difficulties in solving the task, what remains unclear to him. All this will help determine how clearly he understood his task.

Stage 4. Monitoring the execution of orders

It is equally important to discuss the results and establish “feedback” with the performer - this can help the employee avoid mistakes and increase the efficiency of his work.

When delegating authority, a manager must be prepared for many questions from subordinates, especially in the initial stages of work. You should answer questions in detail and clearly, find time for meetings and personal communication with employees, as well as to monitor the implementation of delegated tasks. The manager must take the initiative and ask if everything is clear and understandable in their work. Not every employee dares to directly contact their manager, especially with those issues that, as it seems to him, are not important, but may interfere with the quality performance of the assigned work.

Levels of delegation of authority

One of the most difficult steps for a manager is to learn how to delegate managerial powers to his deputies and subordinates. It is this problem that becomes an obstacle for many managers on their path to success in big business. It often happens that a manager one day realizes that he is unable to run his business on his own, and therefore hires a qualified and expensive specialist as a manager, to whom he assigns a high salary. Another option: the manager transfers all responsibility for the result of the work to his subordinates: “That’s it, from now on, decide everything yourself...”. In this way, he hopes to free up his time to do what really matters. Naturally, in both the first and second cases, the manager very quickly realizes that the new manager is not managing the company correctly, and his subordinates cannot cope with the entire burden of responsibility on their own and, out of habit, constantly ask the manager for advice.

The problem here is that many managers want to change the paradigm “I decide all issues myself” with one decision to the paradigm “all issues are solved by others”, bypassing the intermediate stages. But this is impossible.

Managing delegation of authority and responsibility can help you avoid this common mistake. The process of delegation of authority is divided into 7 levels, which help employees smoothly get into the swing of things without making mistakes that would most likely be made with a one-time delegation of authority.

1. Tell (tell or order).
2. Sell ​​(sell, explain).
3. Consult (consult).
4. Agree.
5. Advise (recommend).
6. Inquire (find out, take an interest).
7. Delegate (delegate).

Let's look at each of these levels of delegation of authority in more detail:

Tell (order)- The manager makes a decision to be implemented by his subordinates, based on personal considerations and motivation. The decision itself is not discussed.

Sell ​​(sell, explain)- the manager makes a decision, informs his subordinates about it and tries to explain why this particular decision is made and not another. In this case, the manager is open to discussion with his subordinates; they can ask any questions regarding the decision made and express their concerns. Despite this, the decision was made finally and irrevocably. With such actions, the manager makes his employees feel the importance of their opinion and allows them to be more involved in the work and life of the company.

Consult (consult)- The manager tells his team what decision he plans to make and asks the employees' opinions about it. In this way, the manager shows his subordinates that he respects their opinion and involves them in the process of elaborating the decision. The manager actually takes into account the opinions of subordinates, listening to the arguments of employees. But he still makes the decision on his own.

Agree- The manager invites subordinates to discuss the decision that needs to be made. After each employee expresses his opinion, the manager sums up all of the above. The leader’s task is to start the process and define the scope of the discussion. The team's task is to develop and make a decision. As a result, the decision is made by the team under the strict supervision of the leader.

Advise (recommend)- The manager invites employees to make decisions on their own, but gives them some advice and recommendations from his side. The solution found is a decision made by the team, but not by the manager.

Inquire (find out)- the manager simply gives instructions to make a decision, without giving any advice or recommendations, but asks to be informed about the decision made.

Delegate (delegate)- the manager gives instructions to make a decision. He is not interested in what kind of decision was made - he has more important and significant things to do at the moment.

The levels of delegation of authority are distributed so that active participation in problem solving on the part of employees gradually increases, and control on the part of the manager gradually decreases. This gradual weakening of control allows the manager to remain confident that the decisions made by employees independently will be correct. Going through stages from the first to the seventh with his subordinates, he will be able to verify this more than once. For subordinates, such a system of delegation of authority will help them better understand and understand what is required of them, and will allow them to learn to independently develop and make the right decisions.

What to consider when delegating authority

If a manager is an independent and purposeful person, then, as a rule, it is very difficult for him to decide to delegate his powers. He is convinced that he himself can do the work efficiently and professionally, but he has no confidence in the competence of his subordinates. Therefore, there is concern for a possible unsatisfactory or negative result of the work. Many leaders are familiar with such fears and mistrust. In this case, it is important to find the strength to overcome fears and decide to delegate managerial powers through the realization that otherwise the manager’s performance will only decrease.

To facilitate the process of delegation of authority, you can try to start by assigning tasks that are simple and unimportant for the strategic development of the company. Afterwards, regardless of the results, you can assign several more tasks, analyzing the previous work and sorting out the mistakes that were made. For the purity of the experiment, it is better to give such tasks not once, but several times. Do not forget that subordinates are a mirror of the leader. A strong leader also has a strong team of assistants, but a weak leader is afraid to hire strong specialists as assistants, fearing that they might take his place or that he will look unfavorable against their background. A talented leader is able to adequately analyze the situation in his team and select truly suitable employees who can cope with the assigned tasks. A leader who is unsure of himself and his abilities will be in constant fear that without his control everything will fall apart, which will indicate that he was unable to select a really good and reliable team for himself. If the manager has a well-chosen team of specialists, then some of the work and tasks automatically become the responsibility of the employees, freeing the manager from routine matters.

In addition, the manager should remember the following important principles of delegation of authority:

1. Provide resources. Make sure you provide the employee with sufficient resources. It will be very useful to contact the employee directly with a question about what resources he needs (administrative, including) to complete the assignment.
2. Don't interfere with the performance. Try to clearly decide for yourself in which cases you allow yourself to interfere in the process of solving a problem, and in which cases you do not. At the same time, it is important to understand that subordinates to whom powers and tasks have been delegated must be aware of their responsibility for the high-quality and effective execution of assignments.

If an employee has not solved a problem and turns to you, get him to make personal suggestions for solving the problem, rather than offering your own. For example, you can answer him: “Imagine that I died. What would you do to solve this problem?

5 quotes from great and successful people about delegation

Delegation of authority also has its dangers: dividing the work process into a large number of separate small tasks and delegating them to many employees, there is a risk of going too far and losing a holistic vision of the process, the actions of employees may no longer be effective and beneficial.

- Bill Gates

The greatest progress in the development of the productive power of labor, and a great deal of the skill, skill, and intelligence with which it is directed and applied, appears to have been the consequence of the division of labor.

- Adam Smith

If we decide to pursue a customer-oriented policy in our company, then we cannot rely on book rules and instructions from corporate offices. We must hold the people who are our company for those 15 seconds responsible for ideas, decisions and actions. If they have to go up the chain of command to solve an individual's problems, those 15 golden seconds will fly by without a response and we will miss the opportunity to gain a loyal customer.

-Jan Carlzon

In order to influence another person, recognize a quality in him that he does not have, and he will do everything to prove that you are right.

- Winston Churchill

You need to be aware of yourself and seriously engage only in what you can achieve. For other tasks, you should find a talented manager and pay him a good salary. Naturally, situations may always arise that require the mandatory participation of a manager - there is no escape from this, and you need to work. However, if this work promises to be long, it is best to find someone with whom you can share it. It is for this reason that I always strongly advise or force managers to hire assistants when I see that they cannot cope with the work on their own.

- Evgeny Chichvarkin

What problems may arise when delegating authority?

As practice shows, delegation of authority is a skill that is not very well developed in most managers. This can be explained by the fact that top managers approach the issue too simply: “There is a task and there is a subordinate, you just need to combine them and...” But all this does not work that simply, and difficulties often arise. Below we will outline some of the common mistakes.

Problem 1: Wrong delegation format selected

The format of delegation of authority is determined by how carefully the information transmitted to employees is processed. We can highlight the delegation of authority by managers at the level of idea, thesis, goal, task and at the level of a specific event.

• Delegation at the idea level. The manager tells the subordinate: “It seems to me that Kazakhstan has a promising market. Please think about how we can reach him.” You can call it throwing in an idea. Where are the guarantees that the task will be completed efficiently? Only on condition that the employee demonstrates his professionalism and is motivated to complete the task, and also if everything is clear to him down to the details. Giving an order in this way is a serious mistake. Reasons for justification include lack of time and/or reluctance to explain everything in great detail. What can you answer to this? If you don't have enough time to manage, do something else. If you don’t want to explain the details of the task in detail, teach your employee to understand you and your ideas perfectly.
• Delegation at the thesis level. The essence of delegation of authority at this level is that the manager tries to give instructions in a narrower form: for example, he orders an analysis of a specific aspect of the market using one methodology. In other words, he voices not only the problem itself, but also suggests general ways to solve it.
• Delegation at the goal level. A goal is something that can be expressed in numbers and specifically described. The goal must be realistically achievable, and the resources necessary to achieve it must be calculated. On the other hand, achieving the goal using the technology that the company has does pose some challenge. After all, the goal should not conflict with other company goals. It follows that your main task is to define clear goals for the delegation of authority, that is, to communicate specific parameters that the person entrusted with the task will have to focus on.
• Delegation at the task level. In this case, you should break the goal into smaller components. A task is understood as what needs to be solved in order to achieve a goal. In order to competently delegate authority to an employee, the manager must be able to plan and decompose goals.
• Delegation at the event level. Here it is assumed that the manager conveys to the subordinate not only what should be done, but also explains how.

To choose the right and appropriate format for delegating authority, a manager needs to have a good understanding of the capabilities and level of motivation of his subordinates.

Problem 2: Staff resistance to delegation

This problem may arise due to the fact that employees are afraid of being fined for possible mistakes and errors. In order not to encounter resistance, you should explain the essence of the task to the employee in as much detail as possible. The more extensively and generally the task is formulated, the higher the responsibility. And vice versa: the more detailed and detailed the task is explained, the less uncertainty and fear remains before its implementation, and the stronger the confidence that it is actually possible to achieve the desired result. Sometimes it happens that, feeling responsibility as a burden for himself, an employee cannot complete his task well and efficiently.

What can be done in such a situation? A leader must try to see the difference between a misdemeanor and a mistake.

• The first is a mistake in a situation where the algorithm of actions was fully explained to the employee.
• The second is a mistake in a situation where the subordinate did not have an initial program of action to complete the task. The employee himself is responsible for the misconduct, and the manager is responsible for the mistake.

In addition, you cannot punish an employee if his actions were incorrect, but were carried out within the scope of his authority. For example, a manager gave a task to a subordinate: “Buy studs for the spindle.” The employee completed the task, but the pins turned out to be the wrong ones. Who is responsible for the mistake? Supervisor. Because the manager did not make sure that the task was understood correctly and did not control the purchase process. He could ask a subordinate to consult with him before placing an order.

Problem 3: Reverse delegation

It often happens that an employee refuses a task that was assigned to him during the delegation of authority. This is also called reverse delegation (the popular expression among managers is “bring the monkey”). What should the manager do in this case? Invite your subordinate to a conversation and ask him the following questions:

• What exactly is your problem? Try to describe it clearly. Very often, an employee begins a conversation with general phrases: “You understand...”, “Here I come...”. A specific question is necessary to encourage the employee to think about the essence of the problem.
• What does the problem entail? What consequences might arise?
• What resources are missing to solve the problem? Time, finances, human resources?
• What are the possible ways to solve this problem? If an employee has only one way to solve a problem, the manager must make sure that this is truly the only possible approach to solving the problem. It is also important that solutions must be proposed in accordance with the set of limited resources that the company has.
• Which solution is the best in your opinion? Why do you think so?

Establish the following rule in the company: if an employee does not have specific and clear answers to these questions, he cannot contact his manager. You can even record a list of these issues in some regulatory document. It may also happen that if an employee can answer all these questions, then he will automatically no longer need to contact his manager.

Problem 4. Incorrect organization of meetings with employees

In order to put effective delegation of authority into practice and learn to conserve the precious resource of time, create a rule: “Come not with a problem, but with a solution.” Determine the following for yourself:

• how much time you can devote to an employee;
• what powers can be delegated to him;
• What do you want your subordinate to understand from your communication with him?

The subordinate must confirm that he understands the assignment, determine in what ways he will communicate with you, and indicate whether he has enough resources at his disposal to work on the assignment.

What mistakes do managers make when delegating authority to subordinates?

Wanting to issue an order to delegate authority, a manager often encounters difficulties that can be both psychological in nature and simply associated with not knowing who exactly should be chosen for the assignment and how to do it in the best way. A variety of reasons can become an obstacle to effective delegation of authority: lack of trust in subordinates; fear that employees are not competent and qualified enough; reluctance to share experience, accumulated knowledge, information; confidence that no one can cope with tasks better than the leader himself; fear of loss of authority.

No room for error. The manager may reason like this: “This employee will not cope with the task as well as I can do it.” May be so. But the manager, with all his desire, will not be able to make decisions for all his deputies at the same time. People should be allowed to make mistakes (by calculating in advance the cost and fatality of the mistake). As a rule, those who have been excellent and responsible performers and who do not have confidence in their employees experience difficulties in delegating authority. In this case, the manager should spend time searching for those employees who deserve his trust. Otherwise, you should seriously think about whether it makes sense to run the business alone.

Expert opinion

Practical example - how not to delegate

Dmitry Sedykh,

Deputy General Director of Engineering Center Energoauditcontrol LLC, Moscow

I remember one case when the owner of a serious holding decided to delegate management powers to one hired manager. At the same time, he reserved the right of veto and repeatedly resorted to it, changing the decisions made by the new manager. A situation arose that top managers began to take advantage of this: if they did not like the new decision made by the chief manager, they turned to the owner. The owner realized the mistake only after he was forced to part with the second general director.

A similar story happened with the owner of another holding when creating a management company. The owner independently made decisions that were within the competence of managers. At the same time, he did not always inform them of the decisions made. This led to the fact that many managers decided to leave the management company, and those who remained concentrated their efforts on purely executive functions and servicing the business units included in the holding. This is a clear example of partial delegation of authority.

Incomplete delegation. Some managers are of the following opinion: “Let the employee prepare me several options for solving the problem, from which I will choose the most optimal one.” This is an example of incomplete delegation of authority, when the employee is not responsible for the decision chosen by the manager. If you really want to delegate a task to your subordinate, then you need to do it completely, giving the employee freedom to choose the necessary solutions. The main thing here should be achieving results.

There is no person responsible for the result. Quite often, employees, reporting on the work they have done, list the number of actions they have taken: negotiated, put forward a proposal, purchased components. But the result of work should be expressed not in the number of actions, but in the profit received as a consequence of these actions. If in a company only the CEO himself is responsible for profits, this means that he does not know how to effectively delegate authority and responsibility. In order for subordinates to be results-oriented, it is necessary to evaluate their work according to a financial indicator, that is, the ratio of income and expenses.

Lack of resources, information, authority. This error is especially common. The employee reports to his manager that there is a problem and there is a way to solve it, but there are not enough resources and authority to implement this solution. Without delving into the essence of what was said, the manager, who is in a hurry, gives the go-ahead: “Do it!”, without allocating the necessary resources and authority. After some time, the manager wants to see the result from the work of his subordinate. Will the employee come to the manager again with a problem, much less with a solution?

Expert opinion

By delegating authority, I lost 8 million rubles

Artem Regart,

owner of the Regart group of companies, Moscow

About three years ago I started working in a new direction - management consulting. Responsibilities related to managing the production and sales of reflective materials were assigned to the Director of Logistics through delegation of authority.

Where is the mistake. At that time, the logistics director had worked for the company for 10 years. I did not feel that I should have been overly controlling because I trusted this employee. In 2015, there was a reduction in funding for the road industry, and sales figures fell sharply. I was forced to cut the salaries of my team, including the director. He was unhappy with this fact and decided to take action to earn extra money. He founded a company in the name of his girlfriend, then he rented a warehouse and began exporting our products using fake documents, using his official position. The warehouse deliberately created the appearance that the required amount of products was stored, but in fact, a certain amount of containers for the goods remained empty. The logistics director told clients and uninitiated employees the legend that a new branch of our company had opened and a new warehouse had opened. Six months later, I noticed a sharp decline in our sales figures. Around the same time, clients began contacting me with questions about our new warehouse and branch. The security service, on my orders, conducted a check. The investigation showed that the logistician organized an entire team: he was helped by warehouse workers and even one client. These actions caused the company damage of 8 million rubles. I did not file a lawsuit because I understood that I would not be reimbursed for this amount, and I did not want to engage in litigation for many years. I fired the criminal and all the employees who were in cahoots with him.

Conclusions. As a rule, managers do not have enough trust in newcomers. However, as practice shows, danger can also come from old-timers, because they are very familiar with the internal processes taking place in the company. This story prompted me to create a security system:

• Each employee is required to sign a liability agreement.
• Inspections are carried out once a week: without warning and randomly.
• If a shortage is revealed during the inspection, the amount of the loss is divided among all employees of a given department or area. They are obliged to reimburse the retail cost of the missing product without discounts.
• The warehouse operates an electronic system for monitoring the movement of goods. Thanks to it, you can see where the shortage occurred: during shipment or during payment. In the second case, the accounting department is financially responsible for the shortage.

What powers cannot be delegated?

There are some tasks that cannot be delegated to any employee. For example, motivating key and important employees of the company. This should be done by the leader personally.

It is also important to understand that you should never shift responsibility onto your employees. According to some, when delegating an assignment to an employee, it is enough to say: “You are responsible for this,” and all responsibility passes to the employee. Of course, this can be said, but in any case, the manager is responsible for the result of the work: either to himself, if he is the owner of the business, or to the shareholders, if he fulfills his duties as a hired manager.

Information about the experts

Dmitry Sedykh graduated from the Moscow Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation, master's degree from the Financial Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation, received an executive MBA diploma from the Institute of Business and Business Administration of the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation. Trained at Rotterdam School of Management. Before Engineering Center Energoauditcontrol LLC, he worked at Vinny Mir LLC as a commercial director and at Vinorum-Service LLC as a general director.

LLC "Engineering Center "Energoauditcontrol" is engaged in the development, implementation and maintenance of automated systems for electricity metering, dispatch control, and process control in projects of any degree of complexity. The company's main customers are the largest Russian consumers of electricity: JSC Russian Railways, JSC Gazprom, JSC AK Sibur, State Unitary Enterprise Moscow Metro, energy sales and generating enterprises. The number of personnel is 300 people.

Artem Regart, owner of the Regart group of companies, Moscow. Field of activity of Regart Group of Companies: production of reflective materials, management consulting. Territory: head office and warehouse - in Moscow; branch - in St. Petersburg; production - in China. Number of employees: 15. Market share: 70% in the road safety materials industry (as of 2014).

It is important for organizational leaders to organize the work of employees in such a way that it brings the greatest return and fully reveals their potential. To do this, you need to know how to practically implement delegation of authority, used to improve the performance of the company without harming the current state of affairs.

Definition

Delegation manifests itself as an equal division of rights and obligations between the subjects of the system. Its principles were formulated at the beginning of the twentieth century by P. M. Kerzhentsev.

Delegation is the granting of authority to perform tasks to an accountable person while at the same time entrusting him with responsibility for the result obtained. Delegation allows for the proper distribution of tasks among employees and is used in achieving the ultimate goals of the organization.

Responsibility is the employee's obligation to do the assigned work efficiently and to bring it to a satisfactory completion. Employees are responsible in the area of ​​their activities to their superiors.

Powers (authorities) act as limited rights to use resources attracted to perform certain tasks. Each position in an organization comes with specific powers. A change of post also leads to a change in the employee’s powers.

Application

Delegation is the transfer of certain powers and responsibilities to company employees and the equal distribution of various functions between them. An act is performed that defines the official delegating tasks as a leader who is able to quickly resolve all current issues and skillfully use the employees who best cope with each specific type of task.

Goals

Delegation of authority is used to achieve certain goals by the organization, such as:

• connecting the “human factor” - increasing the activity and interest of lower-level employees;
• increasing the efficiency (efficiency) of workers due to improving their qualifications and acquiring new skills;
• unloading of senior management with freeing up time for solving strategic, operational and management issues.

Delegating tasks

The following types of tasks are suitable for delegation:

• routine;
• unimportant issues;
• preparatory work;
• specialized work.

But not all tasks can be delegated to ordinary employees. The duty of every manager is to resolve those tasks that can affect the future activities of the organization.

These include issues of a confidential nature, non-standard strategic problems, and unexpected situations that require prompt resolution.

Thus, the following are not delegated:

• defining goals;
• management of subordinates;
• risky tasks;
• unusual work;
• making strategic and management decisions;
• performing confidential tasks;
• development of organizational policy.

Requirements for subjects of delegation

In the process of transferring instructions, both bosses and employees may encounter a number of difficulties. Effective management of delegation of authority is possible only by analyzing all existing and potential obstacles affecting the administration and control of current activities.

Problems that sometimes arise with the director or head of a department and interfere with delegation:

• fear of losing an existing position and accompanying power;
• doubt about the preparedness of other employees, low assessment of their performance;
• inflated self-esteem, excessive ambition;
• lack of self-confidence, fear that his actions will be misunderstood.

Problems that are sometimes identified among employees when performing assigned tasks:

• doubt about the correctness of the solutions used;
• lack of experience;
• fundamental disagreements with the boss;
• reluctance to manage other performers, especially in terms of imposing penalties.

When difficulties arise, a competent manager must first deal with personal obstacles that impede the effective regulation of work, and then carefully study the problems of the subordinate. An analysis of the situation will indicate possible management errors and will allow you to make informed and informed decisions, for example, in terms of replacing the performer or removing excess load from him, or in terms of working through difficulties of a psychological nature, both yours and the performer’s.

Delegation process

Each manager should strive to ensure that, when organizing the work process, evenly plan out work responsibilities across the entire team, while using power and not relinquishing responsibility for the process of completing tasks.

Delegation in an organization is divided into several stages:

Stage I - transfer of instructions to the executor;

Stage II - providing the contractor with powers and resources;

Stage III - formulation of the employee’s obligations indicating the required result of implementation.

When monitoring the activities of subordinates, the golden mean is important. Excessive care can lead to stagnation in work and lack of initiative of the employee. If you do not control the process, the result will be critically far from the desired due to the uncoordinated flow of work. It is necessary to establish feedback in advance and achieve respect and high authority among employees.

Often, administrators sin by shifting unwanted and uninteresting work onto their subordinates, especially if they themselves are only superficially familiar with the topic. But this is not always correct, since the boss is still responsible for the progress of the work. If the manager himself has no idea what results should be expected at the output, how can he control the activities of his subordinate? The answer is obvious.

Experienced management prefers to assign employees tasks that are slightly more complex than what they previously performed. Such tasks help to fully reveal the potential of subordinates. However, in this case, it is better to draw up orders on paper to increase the employee’s motivation.

When distributing authority in an organizational system, it is extremely important to consider the following aspects:

• powers must fully comply with the set plan for completing the task, it is the goal that determines the scope of powers, and not vice versa;
• the powers of all employees must be correctly linked into a single complex without the emergence of contradictions and ensure the balance of the entire structure;
• All authority must have a clear and specific meaning so that employees can always understand what is required of them and what resources are made available to them.

Proper management of authority increases the efficiency of the entire organization. Employees acquire a clear understanding of the work assigned to them and the goals set for them, and thanks to this they achieve the best results.

Advantages

In general, the delegation process is characterized by the presence of two positive aspects:

1. The manager's time is freed up to solve problems that require personal participation. There is an opportunity to concentrate on planning the company’s growth prospects and administration strategy.
2. Delegation is one of the best ways to motivate creatively developed and active employees who want to develop and learn. Can be used for training before obtaining a higher position. Helps employees develop new knowledge, skills and abilities used for more successful activities.

Principles of delegation

For a structured approach to delegation, it is advisable to adhere to the principles below. Otherwise, failure to comply may lead to difficulties in management and, accordingly, to unsatisfactory operation of the system as a whole.

Principle of functional definition

It is based on each manager’s full and clear understanding of the structural integrity of the organization: what rights and responsibilities are vested in each subject of the system, what information and service connections are held between them, the direction and results of their work activities. In other words, an experienced administrator always knows what to expect and from whom exactly.

Scalar principle

Based on a clear division of job responsibilities. Each performer must know to whom he should directly report for the results of his work, and whose activities he must independently regulate. This principle indicates the chain of service relationships between subordinates and managers of the entire organizational system. The more expressive this line is, the more effective management and communication between employees is. Any subordinate needs an accurate understanding of who delegates authority to him and to whom to delegate issues that are not within the scope of his competence.

Principle of level of authority

Combines the two above principles. Each employee must clearly understand the scope of authority delegated to him and solve problems on his own that correspond to his level of power, and not transfer these issues to higher management.

Otherwise, a stalemate may arise when managers are forced to again deal with issues that have already been delegated to subordinates. When using this rule, there should be not only a transfer of authority, but also a delegation of responsibility.

Expected results principle

Shows that all activities of the organization require careful planning. All tasks must have clearly defined goals and specific expected outcomes. Otherwise, the manager simply will not be able to competently distribute tasks among employees, without having a full idea of ​​whether subordinates have enough authority for the work delegated to them.

Principle of unity of command

It is based on the close relationship between the performer and the manager. The higher the level of cooperation, the stronger the subordinate's sense of personal responsibility and the less likely it is to receive conflicting orders. It is important that a task is delegated to an employee by only one boss in order to avoid confusion and a situation where “the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.”

The principle of unconditional responsibility

Although when delegating an assignment to a subordinate, authority and responsibility for the results of the work done are simultaneously transferred, this is not a reason to relieve the manager of the obligations imposed on him. It is the boss who decides to delegate the task, so he remains responsible for the work activities of his subordinates and the completion of the task. Performers are responsible for the work done, and managers are responsible for the actions of their subordinates. This principle is of particular importance when delegation of government powers and others with a high level of power is carried out.

The principle of correlating powers and responsibilities

Indicates that the delegated powers must correspond to the obligations assigned to the subordinate. If the scope of authority is less than the responsibility, then the performer will not be able to fully perform the work delegated to him, but if it is higher, then a situation may arise that the imposed powers are useless or abuse of official position.

Every administrator must competently organize the delegation of authority and responsibility. The principles discussed above will help him with this.

Types of powers

In the organization's system, various types of powers can be allocated in accordance with current goals and requirements. They are determined by the activities of departments and their overall functionality.

Linear

These powers are directly transferred from the manager to the executor and further according to the scheme. A boss with linear authority is able to make decisions within the boundaries of his competence without prior agreement with other bosses. The sequential arrangement of these powers forms a hierarchy of levels of administration.

At the same time, delegation of authority and responsibility occurs only if the principle of unity of command and, at the same time, the norm of controllability are taken into account. As for the principle of unity of command, it was discussed above.

This principle shows that each employee is dominated by only one manager, and the employee reports only to his immediate superior. And the standard of control is the number of employees reporting to a specific manager.

However, with a significant increase in the number of chains in the management scheme, a significant slowdown in the operational exchange of information is observed. Because of this, there is a need to introduce other powers into the organizational structure.

Staff

To determine what categories of staff powers exist, you must first analyze the types of staff apparatus, of which the following are distinguished:

1. The advisory apparatus is used to solve specialized problems. Can work either temporarily or permanently.
2. Service - used to perform specified services (an example is the human resources department).
3. Personal - a subcategory of a service device. Formed when the boss hires an assistant or secretary. All members here have high formal power.

Accordingly, the powers that can be transferred to any of the apparatuses are divided:

1. Recommendatory - used by the advisory staff, whose rights are limited to professional recommendations.
2. Mandatory approvals are expanded to include managers reviewing their decisions together with the staff.
3. Parallel - used in cases where the apparatus can override management decisions, used to prevent gross violations. For example, the use of parallel authorities is justified when making purchases of large amounts, when two signatures are required.
4. Functional - they are at the highest level, they can both allow certain actions and cancel them. Their use has become widespread, especially in areas such as employment control and accounting methods.

The use of additional devices helps to significantly simplify the management structure in companies with a large number of employees. Thanks to the close and properly structured interaction of all entities of the company, the performance of the organization as a whole increases. For effective leadership, it is necessary to take into account other aspects: principles of delegation of authority, requirements, features, types, etc.

Using delegation is important for any leader. It helps to competently organize the work process, clearly dividing the rights and responsibilities of all employees. It is much easier for performers to work when they know what is required of them and what results they must achieve. In addition, delegation is an important factor that is used to increase the efficiency of each employee and free up additional time for the manager to solve strategically important tasks, which, accordingly, leads to an increase in the output and productivity of the entire system.