Delegating Work

by Harvard Business Publishing, Tom Brown

You know you need to delegate some of your work so that you have time to focus on the things that require your expertise. But it’s not easy to do. Delegating Work quickly walks you through the fundamentals of:
• Establishing a productive environment
• Assigning the right work to the right people
• Conducting an effective hand-off meeting
• Monitoring without micromanaging


About HBR's 20-Minute Manager Series:
Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic.

Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives—from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Management

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2008

About the author

Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) is a publisher founded in 1994 as a not-for-profit, independent corporation and an affiliate of Harvard Business School (distinct from Harvard University Press), with a focus on improving business management practices. The company offers articles, books, case studies, simulations, videos, learning programs, and digital tools to organizations and subscribers.
HBP consists of three market units: Education, Corporate Learning, and Harvard Business Review Group. Their offering consists of print and digital media (Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review Press books, Harvard Business School cases), events, digital learning (Harvard ManageMentor, HMM Spark), blended learning, and campus experiences.

Reviews

[علیرضا محبی · Rating 2 out of 5]

پایین تر از سطح توقعم بود...

[Adam Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brief, accessible orientation on delegation and how to start. Not comprehensive, but just enough to get started.

[Electra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good book on the series. Step by step tips and hints, backed by some good if somewhat simplistic examples. Concise but informative.

[Anshul Goel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just read the book again. I read it when I became Manager and started managing people. I decided to read this again after 3 years to know if I am missing on anything. Book helped me highlight multiple areas of improvement for me which i am going to focus on going forward while I go ahead and delegate work more effectively.

The books goes on to suggest why one should delegate, what (& what not) to delegate, how to delegate and other Do's and Don'ts.

It's a must read book for every manager.

[J Siew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple but practical advice, bite sized and easy to understand

[Harithsa Vishruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and very informative book. Starting from the reason to delegate work - to improve productivity and efficiency - to reviewing the completed work that is delegated. This whole process includes preparing, making amd monitoring the work of delegation.

Interesting pointers that help increase team's ability to tackle work that requires to be completed in given time with precision. Finally my words are it is not about you working your ass off to contribute to the success of your organisation or team. You should make others work and contribute to the over all growth then only you can set yourself as an example to your peers and direct reports.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a version suitable for Goodreads:

A concise and practical guide that delivers exactly what it promises - clear, actionable advice for managers looking to improve their delegation skills. The content is well-organised and accessible, with helpful examples that make it easy to apply the concepts quickly. While it may not delve deeply into complex scenarios, its brevity is a strength for time-pressed readers. A solid, no-nonsense resource.

[Dhruv Sharma · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book quickly walks you through the fundamentals of establishing a productive environment, assigning the right work to the right people, conducting an effective hand-off meeting and monitoring without micromanaging.

However I expected more from Harvard Business school press on such an important management topic. It is concise, practical, but not particularly imaginative.

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, clear, concise, with a collection of suggested further reading (articles & books) at the end. Helpful framing of what to think about when you're thinking about delegation. Will I even remember I read this mini guide? Hard to say. I hope some of it soaked in.

[Saeed Nasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتيب رائع يأتي بك إلى الهدف، تستطيع قراءته في مدة قصيرة جدا. وانصحك بشدة أن تقرأة اخي العزيز

[Cigdem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforward advice on delegation.

[Dave Corun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet, full of valuable advice and reminders.

[Salma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is straightforward and very specific to the topic. My new position requires delegation skills & this book gave me insights and tips on delegating work to my team!

[Heather Turell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This helped me build on a leadership training I am working to develop. The content is very easy to read but at times a bit too simplistic.

[Obeikan Publishing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delegating is charging somebody with a specific task to do at a specified time and according to required specifications; and investing them with full authority to see the task through. Delegation is therefore, an indispensable managerial skill-though often neglected or overlooked- that every top executive should have.
This book claims to give you the right access to delegating tasks, and how to lay the necessary groundwork for a successful delegation. It will ultimately assist you in determining the tasks that can be delegated, and to ovesee their implementation.
Though the process of delegating work may require some practice or training, the rewards or the dividends are worth every minute expended in trying to master this valuable skill.
In order to prompt the reader to acquire and hone the basics of delegation, the writer expounds the objectives of delegation in his typically readable and clear style. Then, he enumerates the benefits executives can reap from it. All of which is unfolded with the experience, persuasiveness, and in a style worthy of Thomas L. Brown who published hundreds of articles and several groundbreaking books on this subject.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short and very informative book about delegation. As anyone who is working in any type of organization knows, he/she cannot do all the things that call for successful execution. It really takes a team.

However, for the team members to get the necessary skills they need to be successful and grow in their respective organization they must learn and experience more than what their job entails.

This book by Harvard Business Press teaches readers on how to properly delegate tasks. There are things a team leader or manager must consider before he/she can assign tasks to his subordinate.

I would recommend this book to any managers who want to get tips and advices quickly.

Even if you are not a manager in a traditional sense of the word, you can benefit from this book if you are a parent. Parents will easily find the tips here very helpful especially when they are asking their kids to do something.

[Chris Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS EBOOK IS A PRE-PUBLISH DATE VERSION, PROVIDED FOC FOR A CANDID REVIEW

This is like other Harvard Business Review Press 20 minute books; No Nonsense, common sense and practical. The guidance is told in straight forward language and enables a new manager to develop strategies of their own. It's a starting place, or a reminder, but not very pragmatic. I would have liked to see more on the subject of delegating to the right people, matching the task to the expected growth of the individual.
The resources at the back of the book could be helpful, although I didn't delve further myself.

[Wasim Alatrash · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب جيد ومختصر تحدث فيه الكاتب عن التفويض بخطواته منذ اللحظة التي تبدأ بها بالتفكير بتفويض الأعمال الى أخر مرحلة وهي الرقابة والتغذية الراجعة..

الكتاب جيد، لم يعجبني فيه أخر موضوع وهو المراقبة حيث أثر الكاتب الحديث على نقاط جانبية كحل المشكلات والتفويض العكسي وغيرها من المواضيع واغفل خطوات المراقبة ومتابعة العمل ومعرفة تقدمه خصوصا مع الأعمال التي تمتد لما يزيد عن الشهر. ففي هذه المشاريع يجب أن تكون هناك معايير لمراقبة تقدم العمل بشكل أوضح.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average book on tips for delegating

[surfurbian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing groundbreaking. That is to be expected as most business activitiy is not "rocket surgery". A solid overview that offers helpful reminders.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, but a bit light for HBR. Seems like this was originally a blog post turned into a book for monetization purposes and it wasn't work the money.

[Oli Ogbonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but concise

[Praveen Kancharlapalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guidelines for delegation, informative, practical and how-to-do book.