Disclaimer: These communications are intended for the employees of HB Global. We recognize that the general public will have access. The views expressed in these communications represent Bob Whalen in the context of HB Global and may not apply to broader audiences.
We’ve talked a lot lately about the concept of Radical Autonomy. This month we will dive into one of the practices that is foundational to successfully implementing Radical Autonomy in our organization: delegation.
Delegation is the act of assigning a task or a project to a member or members of your team. However, there’s more to delegation than meets the eye, especially since both supervisors and team members are accountable for the success of the work (which we’ll talk more about next month).
For delegation to be successful, there are a few things that need to be taken into account. First, it is up to the supervisor’s discretion to determine what is being delegated and who it is being delegated to. It’s important to strike a balance in the amount and type of work assigned so the work is appropriate for the team member being delegated to.
In practice, delegation is more than the assignment of a task and moving on with your day. It’s important to be clear on what the purpose of the task is, provide sufficient training, and create an environment where two-way communication is encouraged.
Clarity of Purpose
Clarity of purpose is important for a few reasons, but it really comes down to each employee owner really understanding the impact they are making through their work. Daniel Pink further discusses this in his book Drive. A major component to enjoying our work and doing it effectively is understanding why we do the work.
One of the main reasons supervisors should be providing clarity of purpose when delegating a task or project is so that the employee owner being delegated to understands the impact that their work will have on the organization, the clients, and their community. This helps employee owners to feel more fulfilled in the work they do and helps carry out our mission of making HB Global a great place to work.
Clarity of purpose also helps employee owners to understand “what” they are doing and not just “how” they are doing it. By understanding the end goal of a task or project rather than just the steps they are supposed to be taking, employee owners can embrace Radical Autonomy and use their expertise to critically think about the most efficient and effective ways to go about the project.
The results of this critical thinking can then be brought back to the team to communicate suggestions for new ways to effectively complete the job. This allows us to get a little bit better each day as opposed to just going through the motions of completing steps that are delegated with no further context. As we’ll talk about later in the blog, communication is key to the success of this innovation in order to balance standard practices/training and Radical Autonomy.
Sufficient Training
Execution is a huge part of successfully living out the Radical Autonomy that we’re striving for throughout the organization. As a supervisor, it’s important to ensure proper training when delegating a task or project. This is particularly critical in the field where safety is also a concern.
Training can take a variety of forms depending on what is being delegated and the environment it’s being delegated in. When appropriate, the training may take place as learning on the job instead of specific instructions being provided ahead of time. In any case, it’s important that the supervisor adequately communicate the method and intent of the training to each employee owner.
Sufficient training allows our teams to execute efficiently and effectively on the task at hand. It also allows each employee owner to grow as well by increasing their knowledge and skill sets. This helps to increase the ability to practice Radical Autonomy throughout the organization.
The success of the training and subsequent execution does not, however, fall only on the supervisor. We operate as a team for a reason, and communication is the key to success on both sides.
It Takes Two
As with anything in teamwork, communication is key. While each supervisor will try their best to provide all relevant information and appropriate training up front, the employee owner being delegated to may still have questions or blind spots that they feel they need addressed. It is the responsibility of this employee owner to ask their supervisor any questions or for any clarifications needed to successfully execute the task or project.
Not only is this communication necessary up front when the initial delegation takes place, but questions should be asked and information should be relayed as frequently as necessary throughout the process. If it’s beneficial, the supervisor and employee owner being delegated to may set up a schedule to check in on progress updates or for questions to be answered.
If the employee owner executing the task or project has questions or issues that arise, it is their responsibility to relay these questions or concerns to their supervisor. It’s also important that the supervisor create an environment that is welcoming for such discussions.
Next month we’ll be talking about holding our teams and ourselves accountable for the work we complete. This is an important topic because it’s vital that we don’t just delegate a task and forget about it. As a supervisor delegating, the responsibility of the success of that task still falls on you as well.
Have your own thoughts or questions about clarity of purpose and training at HB Global? Send them to [email protected].