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Delegation

Handing a task, and the authority needed to finish it, to someone else, while you stay responsible for the result.

What It Means

Delegation is giving someone else a piece of your work along with the authority they need to get it done. You hand over the result you want, and they decide much of how to reach it. The person who delegates stays responsible for the outcome, which is why the University of Michigan's checklist includes keeping an eye on progress after the handoff.

Try It: Delegate One Task, Step by Step

Follow one handoff through the University of Michigan's seven steps. The task is an example: ordering the office's supplies each month.

Step 1 of 7. The result. Supplies arrive by the 5th of each month, within the $400 budget.

How People Say It at Work

  • "Can I hand this off to you?"
  • "You don't need to check with me under $400."
  • "I delegated it, but I'm still the one answering for it."

The Breakdown

The seven steps, from the University of Michigan's Delegating Checklist

  1. Define the result you want, rather than listing tasks.
  2. Pick the person, weighing more than one thing, such as their skills, experience and what they want to learn.
  3. Decide how much authority they'll have, and tell everyone who needs to know.
  4. Give them the training and guidance they need, and leave room for their own thinking.
  5. Assign it with a deadline and say when you want progress updates.
  6. Monitor progress. You're still responsible for the result.
  7. Afterward, ask what each of you learned.

Try it today. Pick one task you do every week that someone else could learn, and write step 1 for it in a single sentence.

Where it goes wrong. Harvard Business Review notes that a handoff often fails because the person doesn't know how much authority they have. Say it outright: what they can decide alone, and what needs a check with you first.

Good to Know

Buhata's suggestion: hand over the authority, the information and the time along with the task, since a task handed over without them tends to come straight back to you. Start with work that's clear and repeatable, and keep the decisions you're accountable for until the person is ready for them.

FAQ

What's the difference between delegating and assigning work?

Assigning gives someone a task. Delegating hands them a result to achieve along with the authority to decide how, while you stay responsible for the outcome.

How do I know how much authority to give?

Match it to the task and the person's experience, then say it plainly, for example a spending limitCredit limitThe most your card company lets you owe on a credit card or line of credit at one time. See more or which decisions need your sign-off. HBR's tip says unclear authority is a common reason handoffs backfire.

Is the manager still responsible after delegating?

Yes. The University of Michigan's checklist reminds managers that they remain responsible for the result, which is why it includes monitoring progress.

Do It in Buhata

Tasks and Team Space

Put the delegated job in Tasks in your Team Space with the new owner, the deadline and the authority limit written in the task.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Managing up

    Working deliberately with your boss to get the best results for both of you and the organization, by understanding how they work and what they need.

  • One-on-one meeting

    A regular private meeting between a manager and one person who reports to them, used for check-ins, feedback, problems and career growth.

  • Constructive feedback

    Specific, fact-based feedback that describes what someone did and its effect, so they can keep doing it or change it.

  • Scope creep

    The uncontrolled growth of a project's scope, when work gets added without anyone adjusting the time, budget or people to match.

  • Standard operating procedure

    A written, step-by-step set of instructions for a routine task, so it's done the same way every time, whoever does it.

  • Burnout at work

    Exhaustion, cynicism about your job and a drop in how effective you feel, which WHO links to chronic workplace stress that hasn't been managed.

Work, career and remote life

Sources

University of Michigan Human Resources, "Delegating Checklist"; Harvard Business Review, "When Delegating, Make Accountability Clear" (tip, 2016); Harvard Business Review, "To Be a Great Leader, You Have to Learn How to Delegate Well" (2017)

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