Management and Delegation

Management and Delegation

Delegation is the reassignment of responsibilities to other employees within an organization. A manager will often delegate assigned tasks to lighten his or her work load and to free up time to allow them to focus on more important objectives or to be able to use their time more effectively. They may also delegate responsibilities in the event that the manager will be absent from work for a period of time. Delegation helps eliminate the work that is important but time consuming and can be performed by other employees. Delegating not only helps reduce work loads but can also motivate employees. According to Chris Pearce (Pearce, 2007, pg. 19) “Delegating tasks or processes to team members allows you to use your time effectively and benefits others by encouraging them to develop new skills”. Delegating responsibilities can also be a savior to a company’s business.

In many company’s, planning a vacation or a maternity leave of absence can be extremely difficult for a key manager. Panic often sets in and thoughts of whom will perform the work and how the business will continue with the manager absent will often arise. It often seems that business will come to a halt or encounter problems but effective delegation aids in the business continuing without missing a beat. Whether the manager is planning a vacation or planning to take a maternity leave of absence the function of planning is very important. The manager’s functions and responsibilities must be clearly defined and concise planning of whom will carry out the responsibilities and how the duties will be divided up must take place. The skills of the other employees involved in the delegation process will also need to be considered. It is very important that the employee receiving the new responsibilities have the abilities to carry out the functions effectively and efficiently. When a manager takes a vacation or leave of absence, business does not stop, it must continue....