There is a big difference between delegation and dumping. Delegation should be used to enhance your employee's future. While dumping makes your life easier.
Yes, it is possible to delegate too much, if you are trying to delegate work that you should be doing as a leader.
My point here is that too many leaders hold on to work that should be delegated to others. They tend to do this because these tasks are more familiar & more comfortable. But if the leader is doing the work others could & should be doing, then who is doing the leader's job?
Ryan
I feel that delegating too much of your work load can have a negative reaction to the quality of you as a leader because of the controlled direction of the work can become to diversified.
Some good points Benson. I like to look at it this way. I don't think you can delegate too much as to me you only delegate duties that can be done by another. If you're giving away your own responsibilities then you're abdicating, not delegating.
Ryan
I agree with most of the responses here. Yes there can be too much delegation of responsibilities by managers, dependent upon the given situation. In the situation of an instuctor and an eduction manager, the manager has an entirely different set of responsibilies. The manager has to stay "in touch" with what is going on in the class room as far as material being taught, and class control, but he must also take on new responsibilities. Budget forcasts, scheduling, amongst other duties that subordinates often do not think about.
Yes, especially in today's tough economy when many employers are looking to make budget cuts. You don't want to delegate so much that you put yourself out of a job by training all those around you to do your job. It is one thing to empower others, but it's another thing to give all of your main responsibilities away. This is a dangerous thing to do in today's world (giving away your major duties), since it makes one a non-factor in an environment where efficiencies are constantly being sought.
Yes, it's called working yourself out of a job!
Obviously this individual has a problem with ethics & this is a bad example. The one thing to remember as a manager or leader is that often we hold on to more work than we really should. We sometimes think we should hold onto certain tasks that really could be delegated & actually help others grow themselves. Definitely a fine line to be walked here.
Ryan
I once worked with an indivisual who actually did just that, he delagated all his work to hos subordinates - colleceted all the work/reports and actually presented them as his own work at the monthly staff meeting
Yes I believe too much can be delegated. Everyone has a responsibility to do their own share and pepole hate to feel like they are doing all the work and not getting credit. It builds resentment to feel that things are not fair. And a sense of what do we need you for? I loose respect for the authority figure.
You lose efficiency in your department when you delegate too many orders. You need to have a clear balance so you can remain current on issues at hand.
I believe there is such a thing as delegating too much. It might seem to make your workload lighter, but in the end you lose touch with the work you are delegating to someone else. This in turn can lead to not being fully aware of situations as they arise, losing hands on with group and not being up-to-date on situation as it arises, and therefore, having a delayed response.
Absolutely! I have seen a couple different managers do this. I always said that when I become a manager I’m going to lead by example and make sure that I’m doing the same things I expect of my employees. I don’t feel that it sets a good tone with the staff when they have to do all of your work and think that their manager is doing nothing. I’ve been on the other end of that and often thought why is that person getting paid more than me when I’m having to do all of their work. Leading by example and motivating people in my opinion is the way to go.
My short answer would be, yes. It all depends on what you define as the "work" of the manager/supervisor/leader.
If you truly find yourself with nothing to do, then yes you have delegated too much. However, it has been my experience that too many managers hold on to work that really should be delegated. Often this is due to many mangers are former star employees in their respective areas & so they are subject matter experts. Then they want to hold on to some of that work as they are really good at it & it gives them a high level of satisfaction. But this is not the work of a manager, you need to promote yourself. If this work is being delegated--great!
So again, all depends on how you define the "work" of a manager.
Ryan
I agree, delegating is to help free up time for a manager to perform other duties that may take prescedence. Not passing work off so they can sit back and enjoy the day. Inefficiency is quite a possibility if the manager is not overseeing part of what was being delegated.
Yes. If the supervisor's work is being delegated out to all employees leaving the supervisor with nothing for themselves to do, I would think the employee would get tired of doing not only their work, but their supervisor's. And when that happens, so does efficiency in the department and moral.
