Despite countless pieces of research pointing to the importance of delegation, many managers resist delegating to others. Common barriers include:
Authority and control: Losing authority and control is a real fear for many managers. Giving up control is a basic ingredient of leadership – otherwise how can others develop? A leader must trust their employees when delegating activities
Time and effort: There is a common belief that “it will be quicker to do it myself”. Ironically, to free up time, a manager must make an effort and spend time training colleagues to take on new roles and responsibilities
Risk: There is a vulnerability when sharing authority and responsibility with colleagues. (“What happens if it fails? I will be blamed.”) Effective delegation reduces risk by ensuring employees are properly supported and not micro-managed
Comfort: “I like doing my job this way”. The comfort of doing the same role and making the same decisions can be difficult to relinquish. A failure to delegate activities limits the ability to assume new roles and responsibilities
Pride: Delegating an activity to a subordinate who subsequently performs it better can shake a manager’s confidence. Living with this type of fear destroys leadership
Self enhancement bias: “It’s better that I do it: I know that it will be done correctly!” This type of attitude breeds perfectionism, an overwhelmed manager and demotivated employees
Internal politics and recognition:“If I delegate my job, I will be redundant.” “Knowledge is power!” A manager may view delegation as minimising their own status and recognition by others. Unfortunately, this attitude stops the manager progressing within an organisation
Fear of responsibility: Some managers believe that their employees do not want to take on new roles and responsibilities. This is very narrow minded: most people like to have an opportunity to take on new challenges.
Responsible delegation is a calculated risk, so it is important to delegate to the right people.
Despite countless pieces of research pointing to the importance of delegation, many managers resist delegating to others. Common barriers include: