Delegation in the Workplace

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DELEGATION IN THE WORKPLACE

Delegation in the Workplace

University of Phoenix

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Every company has assignments that are delegated on every level within a business. Delegating is defined as giving authority and responsibility to a subordinate or an employee on a lower level. At The Plumbing Warehouse, delegating is a very important part of getting the price changes done on time. However, when leading and controlling are involved, the delegation process could use a few minor improvements. Every company must have effective delegation skills in order to be prosperous.

The manager in the pricing department of The Plumbing Warehouse keeps the department alive through the delegation process. Initially, the orders come from the different companies and from there, the manager delegates to her subordinates. With each company’s price changes being different, every task will not be the same. Some changes are very easy to make and some changes are the most difficult to figure out.

The manager’s delegation technique plays a big role in how smooth price changes occur. The instructions on what needs to change should be very precise. For example, just because the manufacturer’s list cost may change does not mean that the trade cost will change along with it. The difference must be delegated from the manager to the subordinate in order to be processed correctly. Precise instructions have to be given in order for the companies to make a profit. There is no room for error when making changes to the company’s prices. However, at The Plumbing Warehouse, delegating within the leading and controlling principles could use some improvements.

Leading can be defined as inspiring and encouraging team members to achieve high performance levels. When discussing delegating and leading in regards to The Plumbing Warehouse, the two really are rarely used together as a benefit. Assignments

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that are delegated from the manager are distributed many times without instruction or direction. When that occurs, the process can be delayed because of mass confusion. When that happens, mistakes will most definitely be made. The easiest thing would be to relinquish the actual email to the pricing agent outlining the assignment along with the task from the manager. The subordinate would be able to hear and read the orders, therefore, making the task much more understandable from the beginning. In the pricing department, the process goes a little different at times. The manager does not make the subordinates feel confidant about doing the job at hand. Being a pricing agent can be boring, but it is even worse when confusion is a threat.

Controlling at The Plumbing Warehouse is definitely lacking delegation skills because the manager has problems with letting go. Any issue is controlled because she feels the need to handle everything.

Once you have decided to delegate a task, let your assistant get on with it.

Review the project on the agreed reporting dates, but do not constantly

look over their shoulders. Recognize that your assistants may know a

better way of doing something than you do. Accept that there may be

different ways of achieving a particular task, and also that one of the best

ways of really learning something is through making mistakes. Always

accept mistakes that are not caused by idleness, and that are learned from

(“Delegation Skills,” 2004).

Delegation does not exist if control cannot be relinquished to the employees or subordinates to handle the task at hand. If a manager is delegating tasks to the

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employees,