Managers, by delegating, provide a framework and structure for employees.

Employees know what is expected and what has to be done. It remains the manager’s responsibility to ensure each team member plays his part to the full. Managers must select the right people for the right jobs, and assign them tasks that suit their skills and abilities.

When a manager delegates he/she retains control and authority, and will still be held responsible and fully accountable.

Delegation is not empowerment.

“I try hard not to use the word empowerment anymore, because of the variety of definitions given to it. Empowerment is after all only “effective delegation,” wrote Janet Houser Carter in Supervisory Management.

To delegate effectively there are three elements the manager must consider and integrate - authority, responsibility and accountability.

Authority concerns “the parameters within which a manager will allow an individual or team to make decisions and take action”, House Carter writes.

Once defined and delegated, the manager must at all times remain in control. While a certain amount of authority may have been delegated, the manager retains overall responsibility and accountability.

Responsibility relates to the scope and impact of a person’s job. Effective managers delegate tasks to individuals that are directly related to that person's experience and ability.

Accountability refers to consequences. The manager in a company, the political leader, the father of a family and every individual must accept the consequences of his decisions and actions. Without consequences, accountability does not exist.

Know your business
In order to put a winning formula together, the manager must understand and know his business. The manager must understand what skills and abilities are required and at the same time understand who the best people for the job are.

Many managers are failing today because this very basic principle is not adhered to. One minister recently stated on National Television that he had delegated a task to a consultant and the problem that now existed was the consultant's fault.

This is a very good example of abdication and not delegation. The minister in this example had given up his authority, had failed in his responsibility and had resigned his authority to another person – the consultant.

Take responsibility

There are four steps that can be applied in the task of delegation:

• Break the goal down to specific tasks and make a list, in order of importance, of all the tasks to be performed
• Analyse and make a list of the various competencies required to complete the tasks you have just listed
• List the members of the team and identify each individual's capabilities and specific skills
• Match the individuals to the tasks that need to be performed. Make sure the person with the right skills is allocated to the right task

Do you have the correct people with the correct competencies in the correct positions? If you do not, then you need to ask, why not.

If you do not have the right people for the job, you have to make some decisions and take responsibility for the situation you find yourself in. Outsourcing, by the way, is not the solution.

You may need to train existing staff or recruit more qualified people. Training is usually the best option - it is cheaper and you know more about the individual you want to train – his abilities, talents and work ethic.

Delegating tasks
Each individual role should be clearly defined and every employee should be aware of their responsibilities, authority and accountability.

Delegation requires that you accept responsibility. Accept that when you delegate you cannot blame others for your actions and for the choices you made.





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