Pros and Cons of Task Delegation
At the office, everyone has different tasks to complete and deadlines to meet. However, with so many people working under such tight time constraints, it can be difficult for them all to stay focused and productive. This article discusses the pros and cons of task delegation at work according to pain management specialist Jordan Sudberg.
Pros of Task Delegation
The following are the advantages of task delegation:
1. Time Saver – By delegating specific duties, you allow your subordinates to take control of those areas of responsibility they understand best, which means less time spent re-assigning jobs with limited understanding and experience.
2. Better Work Quality – In most cases, successful task delegation leads to higher quality results. Because the person receiving the delegated task will likely only delegate tasks, they know how to handle them well. The best way to ensure high-quality results is to give them clear expectations of what is expected.
3. Establishing a culture of trust: Delegating tasks allows supervisors to establish a trusting relationship with their employees. When employees know their boss trusts them to perform certain tasks, their confidence level increases, and communication becomes easier.
4. Creativity: Creative thinking is an important part of innovation and business success. To encourage this mindset, you should not have too much direct involvement in the projects. Delegation allows freedom to explore new ideas without fear of losing authority as a supervisor.
5. Efficient Teamwork: Another advantage of task delegation is its ability to foster a strong sense of teamwork. By setting boundaries around each other, coworkers can begin to communicate clearly and effectively.
Cons of Task Delegation:
However, handing a job over to another individual isn’t always the best solution. Here’s why:
1. Insufficient Training or Skills: Although delegating tasks could save you time, it could also mean that you end up delegating something that your direct report doesn’t know how to complete, thus wasting both your and your subordinate’s valuable time.
2. Lack of Experience: If the employee receiving a delegated task lacks sufficient experience in whatever area of responsibility, then it’s quite possible that they could ruin the project from the beginning by making careless mistakes and damaging its reputation.
3. Lack of Authority: When delegating responsibilities within the company, it’s important to remember that your subordinates have authority over them. Even though they’re acting under your name, doing so might confuse your colleagues; after all, they probably don’t quite know what you’ve delegated to them.
4. Morale Issues: There can be serious morale issues when you try to assign duties to someone who seems unqualified to perform them. Employees may feel as if they’re being forced into roles that aren’t suited to them, which could create conflicts between them and their managers — particularly if they’re unhappy with these decisions.
5. Perfectionism: A perfectionist supervisor could have trouble delegating some jobs because they assume that every assignment must meet their strict standards. Sometimes people are too hard on themselves and think they’re never good enough to do something well.
According to pain management specialist Jordan Sudberg, task delegation is a great way to save time and get more done. However, it is important to delegate tasks correctly so that you do not end up micromanaging your team members, which can lead to low morale and poor work quality.