Hi All,
This is Vandhiyan, with 10+ years of experience in IT industry and trying my hand at formally assimilating my experience... As part of my intro, would like to share my views on Delegation:
At one end, I strongly feel that the boss should not delegate without knowing much about the work that is being delegated. Delegation should not be an avenue just to save time. By delegating out something that could have otherwise provided a learning opportunity, the boss loses out on an opportunity to learn. Also, the activity thus completed lacks the depth that the boss’s experience could have brought in. For instance, if the ‘Response’ for a ‘Request for Proposal (RFP)’ gets delegated by a boss who does not know how to prepare it, then the boss loses out on an opportunity to learn; more than that, the organization as a whole loses out since the Response could lack depth. Depth that could have been provided by the boss’s experience (something that the boss had learned while ‘being on the ground’). Rule #1 – Delegation is not an avenue to save time.
At the other end, if the boss cannot just ‘let go of things’ then the situation is even worse. There will be a point when the boss knows the activity like the back of his/her hand but still does NOT want to delegate it fearing that the subordinate might turn out a below par quality output. Yes, most probably the first time the subordinate prepares the “Monthly Status Report” or the “Response for the RFP”, the boss might have to invest more time than it would take him/her to prepare it in first hand and to educate the subordinate on improvement areas. But there is a double edged advantage in going through the pain – the subordinate is happy in learning something new – you have a motivated sub-ordinate; the boss has extra time which he/she can invest towards activities that add value to the organization. Rule #2 -if you know something very well then it is time to delegate it and pass the baton.
Regards
V
This is Vandhiyan, with 10+ years of experience in IT industry and trying my hand at formally assimilating my experience... As part of my intro, would like to share my views on Delegation:
At one end, I strongly feel that the boss should not delegate without knowing much about the work that is being delegated. Delegation should not be an avenue just to save time. By delegating out something that could have otherwise provided a learning opportunity, the boss loses out on an opportunity to learn. Also, the activity thus completed lacks the depth that the boss’s experience could have brought in. For instance, if the ‘Response’ for a ‘Request for Proposal (RFP)’ gets delegated by a boss who does not know how to prepare it, then the boss loses out on an opportunity to learn; more than that, the organization as a whole loses out since the Response could lack depth. Depth that could have been provided by the boss’s experience (something that the boss had learned while ‘being on the ground’). Rule #1 – Delegation is not an avenue to save time.
At the other end, if the boss cannot just ‘let go of things’ then the situation is even worse. There will be a point when the boss knows the activity like the back of his/her hand but still does NOT want to delegate it fearing that the subordinate might turn out a below par quality output. Yes, most probably the first time the subordinate prepares the “Monthly Status Report” or the “Response for the RFP”, the boss might have to invest more time than it would take him/her to prepare it in first hand and to educate the subordinate on improvement areas. But there is a double edged advantage in going through the pain – the subordinate is happy in learning something new – you have a motivated sub-ordinate; the boss has extra time which he/she can invest towards activities that add value to the organization. Rule #2 -if you know something very well then it is time to delegate it and pass the baton.
Regards
V
