Delegation

Delegation is the assignment of authority and responsibility to another person to carry out specific activities. However the person who delegated the work remains accountable for the outcome of the delegated work. Only tasks that relate and enhance the individual’s personal development plan can be delegated.

In procurement delegation is a key managerial tool that allows us to encourage our team members to capitalize on their potential and ability to meet their individual / department goals and overall global objectives of the business. When making decisions delegation enables new responsibilities to be assigned to team members coupled with additional authority to carry them out.

Effective delegation can benefit the manager, individual, team and the organization. Perhaps the most important benefit for the company is a higher quality of work. Delegation can improve quality of work by allowing the employees who have direct knowledge and skills of particular products and services to make decisions and complete tasks. For instance in procurement we have Senior Buyers who specialize in certain commodities. If we have a task or project which related for example electronic components, we would look to delegate this to the Buyer whose skill set was that particular area to maximize any potential benefits to the business.

Quality can also improve through enhanced employee motivation. When delegated a task our team members will do a better job because they feel a personal accountability and sense of ownership for the outcome, even though responsibility ultimately rests with the Manager who made the delegation to the individual or team. Motivation could also be enhanced as delegation can enrich the worker's job, by expanding their skills that may be required to complete the delegated task or project.

Delegation within a team will provide a greater understanding of problems and will improve the overall effectiveness of the team. It creates greater flexibility and results in...