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INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
JUNE 2011
VOL 3, NO 2
5.2 Time Suitability is the essence of Skillful Delegation
Regarding time suitability every managers must decide when it is appropriate to involve their
subordinates in performing tasks or making decisions. The answers to the following five basic
questions can help a manager to decide. These questions are appropriate whether the assigned
task will be delegated to one person or a group of persons:
a. Is subordinates background information or expertise sufficient?
Subordinates in many cases may actually be better qualified than their managers to make
decisions and perform tasks because they are more familiar with customer preferences,
hidden costs, manufacturing processes, and so forth. They are closer to the actual day-today
operations.
b. Are subordinates committed to the success of the Task/project clearly?
Participation in the decision-making process increases commitment to the final decision.
When employees are to given some latitude in performance of a task (e.g., what, how,
when they do the work), they must be involved in the decision-making process to ensure
their cooperation. While their participation will increase the time required to make a
decision, it will substantially decrease the time required to implement it.
c. Are subordinates’ capabilities matching with delegation?
Delegation can quickly get a bad name in a work group if it is viewed as a mechanism used
by the boss to get rid of undesirable tasks. Therefore, delegation should be consistent and
should reflect an overall management philosophy emphasizing employee development.
Enhancing the abilities and interests of subordinates should be central in delegating tasks.
d. Are subordinates sharing with other the common Values?
If subordinates do not share a similar point of view, unacceptable solutions, inappropriate
means, and outright errors may be perpetuated, requiring close supervision and frequent
monitoring. Articulating a clear vision and set of objectives for subordinates is crucial.
Managers have three things about the job to tell to those to whom they delegate it: what,
how and why. Research has found that important people are always told why, but less
important people are often merely told what and how. Subordinates can tell how managers
rate them by the message they deliver. It must include why.
e. Is sufficient time for an effective job of delegating?
It takes time to save time. To avoid misunderstanding it is imperative that managers spend
sufficient time explaining the task and discussing acceptable procedures and options, as
well as arranging opportunities to check on progress and ask questions (Varma &
Aggarwal, 1999; Robbins & Coulter, 2002).
The above five considerations allow managers to make informed decisions about when to
delegate. They also are useful in deciding which form of delegation is most appropriate for a
decisions or a problem. That is, having decided to delegate a task; managers must then decide
whether to involve only a single individual or a team of subordinates. If the decision is made to
form a team, it is also important to decide how much authority it should be given (for example,
to only investigate the problem and explore alternatives, or to make the final decision), and
whether the manager should participate in the team’s activities. The following analytical frame-
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