The Art of Management and Delegation

1. The Art of Management and Delegation Module 8

2. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this module, you will be able to : Lab managers routinely ask technologists and technicians to perform some tasks. • Define delegation. • Discuss the role of delegation of tasks to assure best laboratory practices. • Describe some situations when delegation is appropriate. • Describe some situations when delegation is not appropriate.

3. Definition of Delegation • The act of empowering to act for another (1) or • Action of delivering or assigning a thing to a person or to a purpose; appointment or commission of a person as a delegate or representative; the entrusting of authority to a delegate.(2)

4. The Laboratory Organization The Manager’s job is to: • To accomplish goals • With people • Using resources effectively • In a quality organization Quality Improvement Projects often require delegation of tasks to staff.

5. What is Delegating? Delegating involves working with an employee to establish goals, granting them enough authority and responsibility to achieve the goals, and giving them: • Substantial freedom in deciding how the goals will be achieved • Remaining available as a resource to help them achieve the goals • Assessing the quality of their effort and attainment of the goals • Addressing performance issues and/or rewarding their performance

6. Ultimately, the Lab Manager retains responsibility for reaching the goals, but chooses to achieve the goals by delegating to someone else

7. Delegation *A critical skill for supervisors at any level. Two main types of delegation exist: • Delegation of ongoing task as part of job description or job assignments. 2) Delegation of tasks from a project within a specific timeframe.

8. Definitions • Authority: (noun): power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior or freedom granted by one in authority • Responsibility:(noun) moral, legal, or mental accountability, reliability or trustworthiness.

9. Challenges & Opportunities • Delegation can be a major challenge for new Lab Managers to learn because: • they are concerned about giving up control or struggling to have confidence in the abilities of others • Manager that can effectively delegate can accomplish goals and outcomes that meet best laboratory practices within a quality system. • E.g. quality improvement projects as part of Process Improvement

10. Delegation Delegating offers employees an opportunity to: • cultivate expertise in learning • develop their own leadership skills… skills that are critical for problem solving, goal attainment and learning

11. What Can’t Be Delegated? • Disciplinary actions for staff • Collection of sensitive management information such as discipline or personnel files • Other tasks that are specific to the manager’s educational level or qualifications

12. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 1. Delegate the whole task to one person. • This gives the person complete responsibility for doing the task • Increases the person’s motivation to do the task • Provides more focus for the supervisor when working with the person to understand what the desired results should look like.

13. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 2. Select the right person to delegate to. • Assess skills and capabilities of the person to be sure that individual can accomplish the task • Does he/she have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the task? • If not, the person might need training • Or, perhaps the task should be delegated to someone else.

14. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 3. Clearly specify the preferred results. • Give information on what the results should look like • Why those results are desired • When the results should be accomplished • What resources the person has to work with • You might leave the “how to accomplish the task” to be decided by the person. It is often best to write this information down.

15. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 4. Delegate responsibility and authority – assign the task, not the method to accomplish it. • Let the person complete the task in the manner that he/she chooses (as long as the desired results are what the supervisor specifies) • Let the person have strong input as to the completion date of the project • Make sure other lab staff understand that this person has both the responsibility and the authority to complete the task

16. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 5. The Manager should ask the person to summarize back to him/her, a description of the results preferred. • The manager should explain the request of the summary to be sure that he/she effectively described the end results to the person • This explanation helps the staff person to not feel as if he/she is somehow being treated as if he/she is untrustworthy

17. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 6. Get ongoing non-intrusive feedback about progress on the project • Request written status reports • Reports should describe what he/she did last week, plans to do next week, and any potential issues that might arise • During regular meetings with the person, provide feedback

18. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 7. Maintain open lines of communication. • Do not hover over the person to monitor his/her performance • But do sense what he/she is doing and do support the person’s checking in with you while doing the task • Ask for verbal and possible written progress updates

19. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 8. If the progress is behind schedule, the supervisor should not do the task! • Continue to work with the person to ensure that he/she perceives the task is his/her responsibility • Look for the cause of your dissatisfaction *Is it lack of communication, training, resources or commitment of the person?

20. How to Delegate for Growth and Performance of Employees 9. Evaluate/reward the person’s performance • Evaluate achievement of desired results more than the methods used by the person • Address insufficient performance and reward successes

21. Tips & Warnings • Delegate tasks at times when productivity is likely to be high such as earlier in the week as opposed to end of the week • Be available to answer questions and discuss progress • Be generous with praise for well-executed jobs

22. Tips & Warnings • Avoid thinking that it is too much trouble to delegate responsibility. Delegating will pay off over time if the task needs to be done again and again • Delegating a task doesn't mean you are no longer responsible for seeing that it's completed

23. Tips for Motivating Employees If a manager is having trouble getting the lab staff fired up about Improvement Projects, employee motivation is a key to individual performance, group productivity, and maintaining a pleasant laboratory culture

24. Tip 1: Set a Good Example • The manager’s attitude is contagious • Communication is key to making staff feel included in major decisions • More important, staff knows that they were part of the process and that their voices mattered • Employees are more motivated when they feel needed, appreciated, and valued

25. Tip 2: Focus on Employee Happiness Rather Than Employee Motivation

26. Tip 3: Make Sure Employees Share in the Company's Success • Employee performance, productivity, and motivation can all be tied to how invested a worker feels in his or her company

27. Tip 4: Create a Culture of Autonomy and Agency • Laboratories should create conditions for employees to find the joy in work itself

28. Tip 5: Encourage Staff to Voice Complaints

29. Tip 6: Give Staff Fun Volunteer Assignments • Staff can be asked to volunteer to decorate a bulletin board and put pictures of each lab staff on the board (you can ask for a new volunteer for each month) • Staff can be asked to volunteer to present a case study at a staff meeting

30. Tip 7: Start with an Energizer or Ice-Breaker • At staff meetings a manager can ask for a volunteer or two to devise a 5 minute workout for all staff and have everyone participate at the same time everyday (or an energizer)

31. Managing People: How to Build Morale & Dedication Its all in the details: • Offer inexpensive snacks one day a week or every other week with a note card with a favorite quote • Post a note on the bulletin board to ALL STAFF: “Thanks for your dedication to patient healthcare” “I appreciate your expertise and professionalism”

32. Positive Comments Motivate Everyone likes to feel needed and valued Saying “Thank You” is one of the nicest complements that staff can get.

33. Summary Delegation involves a manager helping an employee to perform a task or assignment based on goals, granting them enough authority and responsibility to achieve the goals and monitoring for progress until the task is finished.