Delegating Work (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

Routinely keeping track of the special skills of your staff members—and logging their skills into the spreadsheet discussed earlier—will help you match people to assignments

As you compare the skills required with the characteristics and capabilities of your staff members, keep these factors in mind about each person being considered:
• Growth and development. In what ways could the work address the expressed interests and needs of your staff members to try on new roles or take on stretch assignments?
• Development of new skills. Consider how an assignment might challenge a staff member to expand his competencies.
• Availability. You may want to avoid choosing an employee whose work on a more critical project would be interrupted.
• Previous assignments. Try to delegate tasks even-handedly among your staff members to help improve the skills of each, as well as to avoid the appearance of favoritism.
• Assistance required. Determine how much help would be needed from you for successful completion of the assignment and how much time you have available.
• Time on the job. Don’t give new employees extra assignments until they’re fully settled in.

What interpersonal skills

What are the activities that must be performed for the assignment, and what systems or equipment will be needed

What kinds of thinking skills are needed for this job?

Before selecting the person for a given assignment, analyze the job and determine the skills

Delegating by function. Assigning groups of tasks and projects related to one ongoing activity, such as sales, marketing, or training, involves delegating a particular function to one staff member who will provide you with regular updates within that function

you narrow your options down, consider how much of the work you’ll transfer:
• Delegating by task. Assigning specific tasks or subtasks, such as writing a report, conducting research, or planning a meeting, is the most basic approach. You’ll probably want to start here.
• Delegating by project. Assigning a group of tasks designed to achieve a specific objective is a broader approach than task-level delegation. Delegating by project—for example, developing a new employee handbook

Not all work, however, can or should be delegated. As a manager, you must retain responsibility for activities such as the following:
• Directing and motivating your team
• Aligning your team’s strategy with company goals
• Evaluating employee performance
• Helping your direct reports develop their careers
• Hiring and firing staff members
• Handling complex customer negotiations
• Performing tasks that require your specific set of technical skills

Carefully thinking through why you’re looking to delegate will help you set clear goals when you make the assignment and more easily assess how well you’ve achieved your purpose once the assignment is complete. Goals in mind, you’re ready to start flagging specific pieces of work you could delegate to others.