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delegating

delegating

1 4.1
Giving tasks or decisions to another person so they do them
  • noun
  • /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪtɪŋ/
translation icon : delegación
  • In a column earlier this year in the ABA's Law Practice Management magazine, Merrilyn Astin Tarlton, principal of Astin Tarlton, a Denver-based management consulting firm to law firms, outlined several steps for effective delegating:

Asking for help helps somewhat, Delegating helps somewhat, Saying learning to say no to some things helps somewhat.

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Examples

  • The payoff when delegating is done properly is that not only is the work done, but the delegator gets the considerable satisfaction of bringing another person along and helping that person develop, Tarlton says.

    Academic text (1996)
  • But the benefits of delegating can actually be better for business.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Effective delegating should be approached as a process that attempts to allocate work to the most appropriate person.

    Academic text (1996)
  • For busy lawyers, such delegating creates more time for two kinds of activities within a practice: critical legal tasks, especially those that require a lawyer or a senior lawyer's firsthand attention and expertise; and managerial functions such as planning and supervising that allow lawyers to leverage their time to accomplish more than they could on their own.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Effective delegating allows managers to empower their team members and enhance productivity.

  • The success of the project depended on delegating tasks to the right individuals.

  • By delegating responsibilities, the leader was able to focus on the overall strategy.

Synonyms

handing over
vsdelegating
13 2.7

Giving something to another person and making them responsible for it

specifies giving decision authority especially to subordinates rather than general transfer
delegation
vsdelegating
7 4.0

Giving someone the authority to do tasks or make decisions for you

is the same act but expressed as an action rather than a noun
relegation
vsdelegating
3 7.5

Giving tasks and decisions to people below you or moving a team to a lower division

limits meaning to giving authority to subordinates, not sports-related demotion
deputation
vsdelegating
  • UK
7.2

Giving someone the power to make decisions for you

focuses on giving responsibility specifically to a subordinate rather than general authorization

Antonyms

405 2.8

To agree to do a job or task

How Delegated

to abdicate
  • Formal
23 8.0
delegating
1 4.1
to entrust
87 4.1
to assign
487 2.7
to retain
236 3.4

Surface Forms

delegating singular
delegatings plural

Morphology

delegating = delegate (transparent) = delegate + ing

Standard gerund/nominalization: the noun refers to the action of the verb 'delegate' and is directly formed with '-ing'.

Etymology

Delegating comes from the Latin parts de- ('from' or 'away') and legare ('to send' or 'to appoint'), and it helps to think of it as 'sending' a task to someone else. So, delegating means giving responsibility to another person to act in your place, which is why managers delegate work to their team.