Lesson 25: The art of delegation

ludzie2

The topic for today is ‘’delegation of work’’


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lekcje angielskiego przygotowuje firma Skrivanek_logo

 
 
 
Task 1:
Read the text below to get the general idea:

Being a manager involves dealing with many people and a lot of tasks almost simultaneously. It means doing things or completing the job within limited time and performing duties under constant pressure. Being a manager also means feeling stressed due to heavy workload , tight deadlines and busy schedules. So why not think of delegating at least some of the job to a subordinate?
Delegation is primarily about assigning responsibility to other people in order to carry out projects, and making the best use of your time as a manager. It does not mean, however, that you are no longer accountable for the project. The person delegating a task down the corporate ladder still remains in charge and control of the final outcome. Some superiors believe that the best idea is to delegate work to the lowest possible organizational level, because those are the most appropriate people to deal with the task, since they are the closest to the matter. Others, however, think that the individual to whom you delegate work should be a key member of your company, because in case of your absence they will make sure that the job is planned well, carried out precisely and completed in due time.
Effective and successful delegation of work implies giving people freedom to do the job their way but also allowing them to be creative and resourceful to their best abilities. By meaningfully involving people in the project, an efficient supervisor is capable of motivating people and developing their skills and creativity.
It is said that delegation of work is the art which can be learnt. It can bring benefits and enhance productivity. Poor delegation, on the other hand, may cause frustration and confusion to the involved parties, but definitely the art of delegation is worth trying, at least.
 
Task 2.
 
Mark the sentences below as true (T), false (F) or (DS) the text does not say anything about it:
1. Managers have to deal with many things at the same time. …….
2. Effective managers need to practise multi-tasking. ……
3. By delegating work managers can save a lot of their time. ……
4. The lowest-level workers in the company hierarchy are most suitable for delegating tasks. ……
5. The person delegating a task is still responsible for it. ……
6. Key company managers are unable to perform delegated tasks. ……
7. Work delegation involves a lot of control and monitoring. ……
8. Successful delegation means active involvement of people in the project. ……
9. The art of delegation is not an indispensable thing to learn. ……
10. Poor delegation might lead to misunderstandings in the company. ……
 
Task 3
 
Watch the video ‘’The art of delegation‘’ and gap fill the summary below:
 

 
According to Malcolm Smith delegation is a (t) ………………………. subject. It is important to think about the actual use of time and whether it (a) ………………….. value or not. What matters here is also a sense of (d) ………………………. because if you know where you are going others might (f) …………………… you. It is exactly what (s) …………………………. and (v) ………………………… is about. If you know where you are today and where you want to be, you get it; but do your employees get it right?
Malcolm Smith also believes that a manager’s style of (l) …………………….. is usually very (d) ……………………………. or (a) ………………………….. at first, but it may change later. Mangers often start by telling people what to do, but afterwards they prefer (s) …………………………. ideas to somebody else. It takes more time in the beginning, because it (i) …………………………. consultation and endless team-work, but in the end it proves to be effective especially in times of (p) …………………………… However, in times of (c) ……………………. you run out of (p) ………………………………….. time and therefore managers have to (d) …………………………….. knowing that people will probably do the job less well than they. What is in question is the amount of (g) …………………….. you keep as a manager. If your employees are (i) ………………………. or (u) …………………………………., the level of grip you keep is quite high. Right down to the other spectrum is (l) ……………….. grip, when you think that your subordinates are (e) ……………………….. or quite competent. So, it is not about the delegation, but it is grip versus competence in fact.
 
KEY
 
Task 2.
Mark the sentences below as true (T), false (F) or (DS) the text does not say anything about it:
 
1. Managers have to deal with many things at the same time. …T.
2. Effective managers need to practise multi-tasking. ..DS
3. By delegating work managers can save a lot of their time. …F.
4. The lowest-level workers in the company hierarchy are most suitable for delegating tasks. ..T
5. The person delegating a task is still responsible for it. …T..
6. Key company managers are unable to perform delegated tasks. ..F…
7. Work delegation involves a lot of control and monitoring. ..DS
8. Successful delegation means active involvement of people in the project.T
9. The art of delegation is not an indispensable thing to learn. …F..
10. Poor delegation might lead to misunderstandings in the company. …T.
Task 3
Watch the video ‘’The art of delegation‘’ and gap fill the summary below:
 
According to Malcolm Smith delegation is a (t) ……THORNY…. subject. It is important to think about the actual use of time and whether it (a) ……ADDS…….. value or not. What matters here is also a sense of (d) ……DIRECTION……. because if you know where you are going others might (f) …FOLLOW……… you. It is exactly what (s) ……STRATEGY…. and (v) ……VISION… is about. If you know where you are today and where you want to be, you get it; but do your employees get it right?
Malcolm Smith also believes that a manager’s style of (l) ……LEADERSHIP….. is usually very (d) ……DICTATORIAL…. or (a) ……AUTOCRATIC…….. at first, but it may change later. Mangers often start by telling people what to do, but afterwards they prefer (s) …SELLING……. ideas to somebody else. It takes more time in the beginning, because it (i) ………INVOLVES……. consultation and endless team-work, but in the end it proves to be effective especially in times of (p) ……PLENTY……… However, in times of (c) ……CRISIS……. you run out of (p) ……PHYSICAL….. time and therefore managers have to (d) ……DELEGATE……….. knowing that people will probably do the job less well than they. What is in question is the amount of (g) ……GRIP….. you keep as a manager. If your employees are (i) ……INCOMPETENT…. or (u) …UNSKILLED…., the level of grip you keep is quite high. Right down to the other spectrum is (l) …LOW….. grip, when you think that your subordinates are (e) ……EMPOWERED….. or quite competent. So, it is not about the delegation, but it is grip versus competence in fact.

 
 
Image courtesy of Diamanti/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Z przyjemnością poznamy Twoją opinię

Skomentuj

Wystarczy 5 sekund aby być zawsze na bieżąco.

Zapisz się do naszego newslettera tutaj:

Informacje o najciekawszych artykułach i nowościach w świecie HR.

Dziękujemy za zapisanie do naszego newslettera. Od teraz będziesz na bieżąco ze światem HR.

Share This
HRstandard.pl
Login/Register access is temporary disabled
Compare items
  • Total (0)
Compare
0