Delegation

The act of allocating work, often by a line manager, to others whilst giving them a defined degree of decision-making in carrying out the task. For example, the actual equipment used and/or the sequence of activities needed to achieve the work outcome may be delegated to an individual or team, so the manager steps away from this activity, but the manager would still be responsible for the work. The person, or team to which the decision making has been delegated will be accountable to the manager for their actions, but the manager, in turn will also be accountable for their decision in delegating in the first place.; they cannot pass on their responsibilities to others.

The act of delegating can help to motivate and develop staff capabilities, broadening their ability to deal with changing workplace situations and can allow a manager to basically manage more effectively, making best use of their and the organisation's available resources.

Delegation can be beneficial when workload is excessive and to ensure outcomes are achieved, or at least not extensively delayed, then someone, or a team, can take some of the pressure of an individual or another team. Before any work is delegated it is essential that the individual or team to whom the work is to be delegated are capable of achieving what is required, otherwise there is little point as this will lead to failure and will reflect poorly on the decision-making judgement of the manager.

Delegating work will require a manager to explain what is actually required to avoid ambiguity, the timescale in which it needs to be achieved, the reason for it, the extent of decision making allowed (for example, the purchasing of additional equipment or material may not be permitted, only existing resources used) and progress and problem reporting procedure.