Managing and Delegation

Being Controller of Finance for XYZ Corporation has enormous responsibilities when it comes to management. Can delegation using the proper techniques in management help the controller in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the Finance Department at XYZ?

"Delegation is a process by which a project manager examines the various responsibilities and tasks at hand, and rather than assuming and completing those tasks and responsibilities on his/her own, that manager decides to assign the work to others" (Right Track Associates, 2000). The controller of Finance at XYZ Corp., lets call him Joe; serves many purposes to the companies overall corporate outlook. However, the responsibility can be overwhelming at times for him.

Office managers perform many administrative duties. They compile data about their department and present it to top managers. They write progress reports. They make sure that office equipment runs properly. When it is needed, they request new equipment. In addition, office managers keep records, order supplies, and help plan budgets (Minnesota Department of Education, 2004).

THE DILEMA

Joe has a problem with delegation and does not seem to incorporate all four functions of management into his management techniques. It is clear that he has too many duties to perform and is having trouble being able to plan, organize, lead, and control. These four functions should be the main aspect of his job. Delegation takes the ability to analyze and plan, and in order to be successful at this, Joe must be able to have self-confidence in what he does. The problem is, is that he does not have the awareness to understand the functions of team dynamics in his department and does not trust others to work on projects he so desperately tries to finish himself.

Joe is a very hard worker and overwhelms himself with projects. On average, he spends about twelve hours a day at the office. He comes in at 8 a.m. and does not go home until eight or 9 p.m. He does not hand out work accordingly, and does not hold department meetings as much as he should. Team meetings would help him delegate and plan projects, and divide the work and hand.

Another problem Joe has is he does not recognize his employees and their potentials to complete projects correctly. One of the reasons he does not recognize employees is because he does not go around and view the work that they complete. Lower-management usually views the work and he never gets the chance to foresee any of it. This problem has much to do with lack of awareness. Joe needs to execute methods that are more effective and learn how to monitor employee progress. It seems as though no one ever moves up while under Joe's supervision. There just is no employee recognition at all.

SOME SUGGESTIONS

Obviously, Joes is afraid of delegation. Joe started with the company more than sixteen years ago in the Customer Service department and eventually moved up to where he is today, Controller of Finance. Joe never had proper management training. He is not aware that he needs to apply certain functions toward his management techniques. Joe needs instructions on how to manage in order to move forward with his position and taking a management course should help a lot. A management course would also make him a more reliable manager. I

The first thing he should do to delegate properly is to come up with a plan. Five terms are important to know when it comes to planning:

* Goals

* Strategies

* Objectives

* Tasks

* Resources

Goals are specific accomplishments that are to be completed. Some strategies that Joe can establish are methods in which he can complete his goals. Objectives need to exist to establish methods for strategies, while others (employees) to get the plan off to a start contribute tasks. Finally, "resources include the people, materials, technologies, money, etc., required to implement the strategies or processes" (McNamara, 1999).

Before choosing tasks suitable for delegation, Joe should make a list of questions he should ask himself. First, he should consider what he could delegate. He should look at his responsibilities as a whole and assess the risks that go with it. Second, he should consider whom he could delegate. Joe should jot down employee names and list some essential talents that they can contribute toward projects. Third, he should think about how he could prepare the employees for delegation. Employees should be aware of his plan of action and what is expected for the future. Finally, he could ask himself, how he could protect himself and the project that has to be completed by his workers. Employees should be aware that although they are helping him complete the work, that he is still held accountable for it.