What is the definition of Delegation and empowerment? – BIM Academy: Learning and Development

Superiors delegate authority to subordinates in the workplace; it’s that simple. Delegation isn’t abdication of duty; neither is it dumping tasks on someone else’s desk. Effective delegating means you care.

Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority.

There is an unprecedented need to delegate to get everything done effectively; however, there is a spectrum to delegation.

At one end of the spectrum are task-based activities that team members are asked to perform, with little understanding of the context of that task; whilst at the other end of the spectrum, delegation becomes empowerment that ultimately morphs into Shared Leadership.

While empowerment and delegation are essential concepts in business, as they involve entrusting others to take on crucial roles, empowerment is much more of a motivational strategy, whilst delegation is more of a doing activity.

When team members are empowered, they are encouraged to take personal responsibility and make decisions based on the situation they find themselves in—which means, from a customer perspective, they can take action to resolve client problems without having to escalate them to a manager, safe in the knowledge that their manager will support the decision they have made.

Great leaders empower others to succeed by setting the Guided Planning System (GPS) for the business and then rallying the team members to follow. However, team members will only follow if they:

• are aligned with the vision
• feel valued and recognised
• recognise and see value in what they can contribute

When team members understand these aspects, they can take ownership of the activities they are responsible for and ensure that the outcomes align with the business strategy, which can be very inspiring.

You delegate every day without even knowing it.