DELEGATION.

   DELEGATION.

What is delegation? 

It is the assignment to another person of formal authority and responsibility for carrying out specific activities.

 (Stoner & Wankel 1987)

The extent to which a manager delegates authority is influenced by organizational culture and specific situations involved and the relationships, personalities and capabilities of people in that organization. 

Delegation has to take place either because of the need for specialist knowledge which the delegator does not possess or because of the amount of work he has to perform and which become physically impossible by virtue of its volume. 

If you have to delegate successfully, the following steps would be useful to follow.

Steps of successful delegation.

⦁ Define the task: Confirm in your own mind that the task is suitable to be delegated. Does it meet the criteria for delegating?

⦁ Select the individual or team: What are your reasons for delegating to this person or team? What are they going to get out of it? What are you going to get out of it? 

⦁ Assess ability and training needs: Is the other person or team of people capable of doing the task? Do they understand what needs to be done? If not, you can't delegate. 

⦁ Explain the reasons: You must explain why the job or responsibility is being delegated.  why to that person or people? What is its importance and relevance?

⦁ State required results: What must be achieved? Clarify understanding by getting feedback from the other person. How will the task be measured? Make sure they know how you intend to decide that the job is being successfully done.

⦁ Consider resources required: Discuss and agree what is required to get the job done. Consider people, location, premises, equipment, money, materials, other related activities and services.

⦁ Agree deadlines: When must the job be finished? Or if an ongoing duty, when are the review dates? When are the reports due? And if the task is complex and has parts or stages, what are the priorities?

⦁ Support and communicate: Think about who else needs to know what's going on, and inform them. 

⦁ Feedback on results: It is essential to let the person know how they are doing, and whether they have achieved their aims. If not, you must review with them why things did not go to plan, and deal with the problems. You must absorb the consequences of failure, and pass on the credit for success

   SUPERVISION.

What is supervision?

It is an act of controlling and guiding staff in their work. It entails being in charge of some work and being done correctly. It leads to staff development and ensures that work is done effectively, efficiently and correctly. 

Supervision is a critical aspect of a nursing. Nurses must be supervised to ensure that they practice within their legal, ethical and professional framework.