Granted, this makes it a more complicated process than simply handing over to the most competent person. One of the skills of an executive is the ability to sense the readiness of persons to have their ability tested. For a time, this may mean delegating to a less-competent person, for experience often is necessary to build competence. Delegating a gradual increase in responsibility and commensurate authority is one way of testing and enlarging an individual s skills and abilities. Delegating brings new perceptions into a situation new skills are developed and the overloading of the most competent person is kept to a minimum.
Effective delegation depends upon the nature of the relationship between the persons involved.
It is far more than the simple process of giving orders. The most trying aspect for the person doing the delegating has to do with the paradoxical nature of the process, which is that responsibility and accountability are delegated yet retained. Delegating is not simply unloading the burden. The delegator still has responsibility for the results. For this reason, there has to be a special relationship.