To delegate is to assign responsibility and authority to someone else in order to complete the task at hand but you retain the overall responsibility for its success. Delegation of authority is very important to any organization as it empowers employees or team members. It is essential in sharing authority and duty among individuals within an organization. Without it, it will be difficult to establishing a formal organization.
The Importance of Delegation is because it leads to:
Efficiency: Efficiency arises when duty is transferred to people with skills that match the role. Let the team members carry out routine activities for themselves while you plan and strategy is for the next step. This will ensure you have adequate time for planning, less stress and improved efficiency
Development: Team leaders have skills and abilities that can be passed down to other team members. The best way to do this is to teach them the new skills and then delegate duties to them for them to utilize the already learnt skills. The importance of delegation is in team development as well; as you can outsource team development to experienced members of your team thereby increasing their mentoring skills as well as decision making.
Empowerment: To empower is to allow others become experts at what they do even if they surpass your ability. This encourages personal development of team members leading to the overall team success.
Leadership: A good leader does not do, he plans and coaches. After coaching, team members will take roles assigned to them and accomplish with or without supervision. When tasks are completed, new tasks can be taken with maximum confidence.
Delegation is not only directed downwards but upwards as well. Whichever the direction tasks are assigned, it is important to follow up on progress and propel the team for success.