Answer to Question 1
1. No Faith in Subordinates
Many supervisors do not see enough potential for success in the people who work for them.
2. Fear of Superiors
There is a risk of failure and possible criticism from superiors.
3. Desire for Personal Credit
Some supervisors with a strong need for ego fulfillment try to do all the important work them-selves.
4. Misjudgment of Time
Many supervisors are also shortsighted about time. They refuse to take time to delegate responsibility today to free themselves for more important work next week.
Answer to Question 2
(any five)
Have you clearly identified the work that you should delegate? Can it be readily explained to the person to whom you plan to delegate the work?
Does the work need to be delegated? Is it a meaningful or necessary aspect of unit operations? Will it make your workload easier? Will it provide a growth opportunity for someone else? Or is it merely busy work?
Have you chosen the right person? Does the employee want new assignments? Does he or she possess the appropriate level of competence and initiative needed to complete the assignment?
Knowing that you keep the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the work is completed, how much authority to make decisions are you willing to grant?
Will the employee be sufficiently empowered to perform the work or will he become frustrated because there are elements of the work that are beyond his control, such as decision making authority he doesn't possess?
What standards of performance will it take for you to be satisfied? How will you know if this standard has been met? How will you oversee progress and monitor the work?
What obstacles (if any) exist? How can they be overcome?
Are you willing to spend the time required to train the person so that he or she produces at an acceptable level?
Do you have an employee who has asked for more authority? Is he or she ready for additional responsibilities?