Ricky Lee, who is a manager of a contract group of a large regional office supply distributor, is given a project from his boss Anne to develop the department’s new procedures manual. This manual will outline the steps followed in the company’s negotiating contracts with vendors. Anne’s requirements are for the project to be completed by the end of the month. Ricky Lee informs Anne that he is currently working on another major project and asks Anne if he can delegate this project to Bill. Anne agrees to the delegation as long as Bill is aware of the parameters and expectations for the completion of the project. Ricky Lee must be aware of the following behaviors regarding delegation when delegating this project to Bill.
Clarify the assignment. Bill has worked for three years in the contracts department, and Ricky Lee has determined that Bill is the most qualified person to do the job. Ricky Lee had deemed that Bill has the right motivation, experience, and drive to complete the project successfully. Now it is Ricky’s job to provide clear information on what is being delegated, the results that are expected, and any time or performance expectations he may have. Come to an agreement on what is to be done and the results expected, but allow Bill to decide the best way to complete the task. He knows how he works best.
Specify the employee’s range of discretion. Every situation of delegation comes with constraints. Although Ricky is delegating the task to Bill, he is not delegating unlimited authority. Ricky Lee has to specify what those parameters are so that Bill knows the range of their discretion.
Allow the employee to participate. At this point Ricky Lee can invite Bill Harmon to give his feedback on how much of the project he feels he can be held accountable for.
Inform others that delegation has occurred. Once Ricky and Bill have come to an agreement and the task has been officially given to Bill to complete, Ricky must notify any and all personnel who...