Delegation Refers to the Distribution of Tasks,

Delegation refers to the distribution of tasks, duties and responsibilities to junior employees according to their abilities. According to Bateman & Snell delegation is "the assignment of new or additional responsibilities to a subordinate" (pg. 266).Manages and leaders in every organization need to understand that time is money. The more precious their time is, the less time they have to attend to each and every project themselves. For this reason, they must possess the art of delegating and delegating effectively at that.

Delegating to just anyone is not the main purpose of assigning work. A manager who understands that a task cannot be done by him and requires someone else to complete him would need to focus on the art of delegating effectively by matching the requirements of the projects with skills and abilities of the potential candidates for that job. For example if a manager needs to prepare a spreadsheet that would allow a quick grasp of company's profits over the last six years cannot assign that task to just about anyone because the person chosen for the job must have adequate knowledge of Excel or related software and must also understand the intricacies of presenting financial data. A manager who understands the importance of delegating sensitively and intelligently would also need to be very well aware of strengths and weaknesses of his subordinates.

It is important that tasks be assigned according to skill sets and abilities and this is called effective delegation. But this is not where effectively delegating ends. Managers also need to communicate their expectations and requirements of the project very clearly. It needs to be understood that without effective and clear communication, even the best minds would not be able to accomplish a task as perfectly as the manager had anticipated. Hence clear communication is the second key step of effective delegation.

It is also necessary while delegating work that some leverage must be given to employees so they have enough room to exercise their creativity and express their individuality. Managers cannot possibly give a free hand to every employee for every prpject but if they know that a certain employee can work best when he is given room for expression then manager must give the employee some authority too so he can make some decisions on his own.

Appreciation and positive feedback are also important as they keep the employees motivated. But while delegation is important and so is effective delegation, it must not be forgotten that the most critical thing is to understand the difference between the tasks that can be assigned and those that cannot be delegated. Some tasks cannot be assigned because either they are too important or too confidential. Secondly some tasks are special-skill and expertise projects which may have been assigned to the manager because of his unique knowledge in certain area. For this reason, such projects must stay with the leader/manager and must not be delegated.