50MINUTES.COM - Effective Delegation

• Issue: how can I effectively entrust my colleagues with tasks and responsibilities?
• Uses: delegating tasks to your colleagues allows you to save time on a project, but also to motivate them and cultivate their talents in order to give the project the best possible chance of success.
• Professional context: project management, team management, etc.
• FAQs:
  • I dont feel like I have too much work, do I still need to delegate?
  • When is the right time to delegate?
  • When I delegate, am I abandoning part of the project?
  • Can I entrust my colleagues with any kind of tasks?
  • Once a task has been delegated, do I still need to deal with it?
  • What tools can help me to organise my delegating?
  • What risks are linked to delegating?
  • How can I make sure my coworker will accept this task positively?
  • Can delegation be revoked partway through a project?
  • Do I need to formalise my delegation in writing?

For many people, delegating means losing control. Out of fear of disturbing other people or a lack of confidence, or simply to ensure that a project is carried out in line with their own expectations and conditions, they try to undertake the assignment alone. However, in this situation the danger of being overwhelmed by the number of tasks to complete and of not accomplishing the goal set, or even of experiencing burnout, is never far away.

To avoid this kind of situation, a good project manager will have mastered the art of delegating effectively. Indeed, their role is not to keep a stranglehold on each component part of the project, but to oversee the project as a whole. Entrusting as many tasks as possible to other people will allow them to avoid overload and stress, which could hinder the accomplishment of the project, and to focus on the most important activities. Furthermore, delegating lets them demonstrate trust in the members of their team. The team members will feel involved, which will motivate and empower them. Everyone wins!

However, the decision to delegate should not be taken lightly or hastily, as this risks harming the project and dissuading you from delegating again. Do not be afraid to rely on your colleagues and learn the rules to follow and the behaviour to adopt towards your teammates in order to delegate without fear and successfully carry out your project.

Delegation is influenced and facilitated by the kind of management used within the company. Management can be:

• Directive. This management style is very structured, and involves precise instructions and orders. The employee generally does not have any real decision-making power, which is not very motivating. This is not strictly speaking delegation, but rather the transmission of orders concerning a task to be carried out.
• Explanatory. This aims to mobilise employees. Orders and instructions are precise and accompanied by explanations and justifications of the decisions made. Colleagues have a low level of autonomy, which can slow down the process of project development.
• Participative. This style is based on relationships. Although it may seem somewhat disordered, it proves relatively efficient. Decisions are made in consultation with colleagues, which motivates them and encourages them to become invested in the project.
• Delegative. This kind of management, based on the managers trust in their team, relies on responsibility, independence, initiative and decision-making. Team members then feel valued and invested in the project.

Each management style has its strengths and weaknesses. The whole art of good team leadership is being able to switch from one style to another depending on the person you are dealing with and the situation. Obviously, the delegative style is best for encouraging delegation between a supervisor and their team.

Many managers have lost faith in delegation and will find a thousand excuses to avoid it: Its too much responsibility for employees, The task wont get done correctly, Explaining everything would take too long. In doing this, they quickly forget a small but vitally important detail: delegating responds to the law of division of labour. The division of labour, which was theorised by Adam Smith (British Enlightenment economist, 1723-1790), involves dividing up a single complex task into several tasks which will then be carried out by different specialists. Logically, a person focusing on a specific task will be more efficient than another person who is trying to handle several tasks. As such, through the division of labour, delegation increases productivity. It would be a shame not to make the most of it!

A project manager is not superhuman: they cannot do everything at once, as they risk not concentrating on the important tasks and making mistakes. The ability to delegate is therefore a real skill to acquire to optimise their time management and avoid being overloaded, or even overwhelmed. By entrusting tasks to their colleagues, managers can focus on tasks that are specific to their role. To do this, they must accept losing some time at the start in order to save time in the long run. This management strategy is often advised as part of burnout prevention.