The below selection comes from a paper I wrote in my Consulting and Auditing course. The paper talks about an audit that I completed on a large special event venue. Throughout my audit I identified specific areas that needed to be improved upon. I then gave suggestions, based on my knowledge of communication consulting, as to how the organization could improve on these areas. This selection discusses the companies lack of delegation skills, and my suggestions as the consultant on ways to improve delegation skills. Performing the audit of this organization gave me valueable hands-on experience, and allowed me to apply advanced knowlege of my discipline in the consulting stage of the audit.
Selection
Another area that needs immediate improvement within the organization is the delegation skills of the owner and manager. The owner and manager do not delegate work tasks or decision making to employees who work behind the scenes at the facility. I believe this problem is rooted in their belief that only they can do the tasks well enough, and they just do not trust their employees to do the job effectively; however, “Not delegating a task because you think that you would do it better than anyone else is a poor excuse. Doing this will just make life difficult for yourself” (Delegation). The owner himself told me that he or the main manager make all decisions for the organization. The only time they do not make the decisions is when it comes to something the client preferred or it was a matter where a third-party professional had to be hired to handle it (Landon). Management seems to show an obsessive-compulsive behavior when it comes to making in-house decisions and it does not appear that they consider the feelings their employees have in these matters. This has become a problem behavior pattern as employees’ feelings play an important role in the success of an organization” (Definition).
The lack of open communication between management and employees when tasks are being assigned and completed is another significant problem. Throughout the organization most of the employees within the various subcultures communicate openly and productively, however when is comes to the management subculture there is less of an open communication climate. This group seems to stay together and share as little information as possible, with people outside their subculture. This has become a major problem area for the organization, because their subculture has become “a barrier to the transfer of knowledge within the organization” (class discussion). The management’s unwillingness to delegate and lack of interest in the input of other employees has begun to make the facility an organization that “exiles innovation, creativity- and anyone who wants to do things differently” (Woodbury). This type of attitude is especially harmful to the future of the facility because the event business thrives on innovation and creativity. Clients want to see something new, different, innovative, and creative! Therefore, if management is stamping out all of these kinds of ideas they will loose valuable clients to other organizations who offer these things.
“Delegation is one of the most important management skills” (Delegation Authority). It “can be used to develop your people and yourself – delegation is not just a management technique for freeing up the boss’s time” (Delegation Authority). Poor delegation leads to a lack of team motivation and morale, confusion, conflict, and tension throughout the organization (Delegation), and most importantly fails to achieve the task or purpose itself (Delegation Authority). However, learning to properly delegate tasks has several advantages that will help management and the organization as a whole. “Higher efficiency, increased motivation, development of team skills, and better distribution of work through the group” (Delegation), as well as saves you time, develops your people, grooms a successor, and motivates” (Delegation Authority). “Delegation is a very helpful aid for succession planning, personal development – and seeking and encouraging promotion. Its how we grow in the job – delegation enables us to gain experience to take on higher responsibilities” (Delegation Authority).
As the consultant, I will suggest that the facility’s owner and manager undergo training on delegation, more specifically a training session on the “SMARTER” acronym. The SMARTER acronym is a quick checklist for proper delegation of tasks including: Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time bound, Ethical, and Recorded (Delegation Authority). I would also suggest management study the leadership theory of Followership. This theory will teach them that all of their employees fit into different roles, and that many actually are effective followers. Meaning they can think for themselves and they could be very productive and valuable to the organization if they were just given the opportunity. This is exactly what the Men’s Wearhouse has discovered, they realize that with proper training and a great amount of trust, most employees can be effective followers and can soon take on major leadership positions on their own. In fact, “98% of regional district managers started in store positions” at Men’s Warehouse (Fortune).
