Delegation – a crucial but sadly neglected management skill

The purpose of this paper is to explain the importance of the concept of delegation, highlighting the lack of attention to it in management textbooks and identifying the key skills involved in effective delegation.

The authors use their background as lecturers and authors in management combined with their management and consultancy experience to do a literature search of the topic of management and use their experience to comment on how the understanding and practice of delegation can be improved.

As a result of a thorough search through the standard business studies textbooks, the authors found little coverage of the topic of delegation. They found many examples of failures of delegation, sometimes with catastrophic results. Despite the evidence to the contrary, there seems to be a general and highly over-optimistic assumption that an understanding of delegation and good practice can be taken for granted.

Evidence has been collected about the alarming lack of attention to this critical management skill. The authors have attempted to remedy this by a clear explanation of the skills involved and the potential consequences of neglecting it. The core concepts include accountability, the rationale for delegating authority, associated skills and obstacles and how they can be dealt with; and the overlapping concept of empowerment. Case studies of recent world events illustrating the need for good governance and risk assessment are included.