Management and Ethics

Management Delegation

Delegation can be summarized as the process of functioning and working through others to ensure the completion of a project. For proper delegation, management must possess the proper planning and patience skills for effective and successful delegation to occur.

Phases of Delegation

For effective delegation to lead to the completion and success of a project, management must have a set plan in what needs to be delegated and to know whom the task should be delegated. In planning, management must meet with the chosen person in order to describe, in detail, the assignment and reasoning for the work being delegated. In organizing the completion of a project, management needs to establish when and where to meet with personnel in order to review the progress and plan for the next stages. When a properly organized project is delegated, the amount of time is freed up from one specific person, which makes for fewer mistakes and allows for others’ skills and capabilities to develop. In addition, new ideas and opinions with how to go about completing the project are _____________.

Once a project is underway and boundaries and responsibilities have been set, management needs to properly monitor, encourage and support those around. It is very important that employees feel appreciated and that they are a part of the project’s success.

A person’s efforts and work must be acknowledged, accepted and rewarded. When management delegates work, and takes the appreciation without giving credit to the personnel who worked just as hard to achieve the successful completion of the project, even if it just is a simple “you did a great job”, the next project will not receive the same amount of attention and success.

“Sometimes delegation does mean lowering your own exacting standards and letting people find their own solutions and ways of doing things. But delegation can also give you the opportunity to give people the support they need to accomplish the job without being up to your elbows in the work yourself. Delegation is an art, a key management skill that involves a lot more than just getting the work done.” (Impact Factory 2001).

Legal Delegation

Depending on the project to be accomplished, management needs two questions to be answered: what needs to be delegated by identifying the portions of the subject of which to delegate; and who is capable of handling the task to successfully complete the assignment.

Working in a law firm, delegation of work is greatly appreciated and rewarded. Regardless how large or how small the task is given or received, with the proper planning and organization, time is boundless and helps to develop others’ skills and capabilities for future projects and growth within the organization.

There have been many instances where work was not delegated due to the sensitive and confidential nature of a case; however, smaller portions of the task were able to be delegated, hence giving value and trust to others who need and want to feel that sense of accomplishment and recognition.

Despite being in a management role, there are times when I am on the receiving end of delegation in order to make the attorney’s job easier. Whether I am given a simple task of composing a letter to opposing counsel or something of value such as researching case law for a trial brief, I know it helps to bring more clientele to the firm and enhances my promo ability. The better and more able I am to help my boss succeed, the more work and responsibility I will receive and the more he can trust that the job delegated will be handled and the next project can begin.

Currently, the firm is working on seminars and tutorials concerning risk management