Freedom to Act Model
We sometimes think of delegating as something we either do to the full extent, or something we don’t do at all. However, delegation is a continuum in which we have many choices in your range of leadership. Depending on the employee’s readiness and other factors of the situation, your decision on what and how much to delegate has various levels.
As with any business interaction, communication is critical when passing along a delegated task. The varying degrees stated in the Freedom to Act Model will give you insight to other pieces of communication that should be included.
This is a great way to develop your situational leadership.
Manager’s Option: (In his/her words)
“Decide where action needs to be taken and manage the situation accordingly. It’s your area of responsibility now.”
“Decide and take action. You need not check back with me.”
“Decide and take action – let me know what you did (and what happened).”
“Give me your analysis of the situation and your recommendation. I’ll let you know whether you can go ahead.”
“Look into the situation and come back with some options. We will decide together.”
“Look into the situation and come back with some options. I’ll decide.”
Q: What are the factors you consider when deciding what level to use?