How to lead you company towards success using agreed objectives and work delegation

Source: Practical Guide to Human Resources Management by Fleet Street Publications (Pty) Ltd

Effective leadership is about guiding your employees along the path to success.

The table below outlines three proven management techniques. By using these techniques, you can focus on your actual tasks as a leader i.e.

–         setting objectives

–         planning

–         decision making

–         organising

–         managing communication

–         monitoring

 

The 4 most common mistakes in setting objectives 

1.      Dictating objectives rather than agreeing on them: the employee will not be entirely convinced of the validity of the objectives.

2.      Setting objectives that are too high or too low: the employee will be overworked or bored, respectively.

3.      Inaccurate description of the objective, so you (or the relevant supervisor) and the employee might develop different interpretations of the aims.

4.      Creating inconsistent objectives that result in conflict, e.g. the purchasing department wants to achieve low prices by ordering larger quantities, while the storekeeper wants to keep stocks down.

 

How to delegate properly

1.      List all you activities.

2.      Identify all genuine leadership activities, because these cannot be delegated.

3.      Consider to whom you could delegate the remaining tasks.

4.      Check if this delegation requires agreement from the other authorities in the company.

5.      Inform your employees about the proposed delegation.

6.      Clarify all the details with each employee.

7.      Empower the employee by giving him the necessary authority to achieve the relevant tasks.

 

Management in exceptional situations

When you delegate you should give your employee well defined discretionary powers, e.g. purchasing authority up to a certain limit.

Within the discretionary powers the employee is not allowed to refer tasks back to you. He may consult you only when the defined limit will be exceeded. 

Tip: Check in each situation if the objectives and the discretionary powers should be revised.

The table below outlines three proven management techniques.

Management technique	Objectives	Method	Requirements of the company	Potential problems
Management by objective	Freeing up of your time so that you are not involved in the detail of achieving the objectives. Achieving a high degree of autonomy and creativity for the employee. Promotion of co-operative partnerships between employees.	You and your employees develop a comprehensive system of objectives together. The part objectives of each employee are interconnected, so that by achieving their own objective, they will contribute towards achieving the overall objective	Comprehensive concept of the objectives; Constant review of objectives; Definition of discretionary powers; Implementation of control measures; High degree of responsibility by the employee	Conflicting objectives can frequently arise; Inaccurate descriptions of objectives can lead to misinterpretation and subsequent conflict.
Management by delegation (Harzburg Model)	Freeing up of your time by delegating routine activities, responsibilities and decisions to your employees. Increasing the responsibility of the individual. Increasing initiative and enthusiasm. Decentralized decision making.	Delegation of clearly defined areas of work with the appropriate transfer o f authority and responsibility to the employee.	Job descriptions with clearly defined areas of delegation and decision-making; Effective communication system; A well functioning monitoring system; Willingness of all supervisors to delegate; Willingness to exercise co-operative leadership; Suitably qualified employees.	Human nature poses a potential problem, as you may be tempted to interfere with delegated authority; Logistical problems associated with very detailed job descriptions; Inflexibility within the company.
Management by exception	Freeing up your time by delegating routine activities, responsibilities and decision to your employees. You only intervene in exceptional circumstance if there is a negative deviation from thee objective. This is typical in a hierarchical structure. Objective: create highly motivated employees.	You only intervene when extreme deviations from the agreed objective become apparent.	A functional planning and monitoring system; Exact definition of responsibilities and decision-making authority; Establishment of standard to recognize deviations; A well-functioning communication system.	Intervention tends to occur only in situation of negative deviation from the objective, which results in employee demotivation; Where is the dividing line for exceptional deviations?