Home Health & Hospice Week

Important: Don’t confuse authority roles.

The critical function of a team is to save time and play on a varied set of strengths by delegating tasks. But effective delegation of responsibilities is crucial because missteps can cause more conflict than you bargained for.

Smart delegation begins with understanding team members’ strengths and clearly communicating everyone’s goals, responsibilities, and accountability. Be especially sure that it’s clear who is in charge of each aspect of the task, warns Michael A. West, author of Effective Teamwork: Practical Lessons from Organizational Research.

Here are four tips to be sure everyone is on the same page:

1. Set a common goal: Be sure you and your fellow teammates are aware of the group’s shared goal, advise the authors of a Time-Management- Guide.com article entitled “Team Work and Team Building Essentials.” You should know how performing your individual tasks will help to achieve the team’s common goal. This is critical as the team may have been formed for a specific task.

2. Define clear roles: Be sure each member in the team has a clear understanding of his/her job role and function — and is working to his/her individual strengths. Everyone should know who is responsible for what, the article authors emphasize.

3. Avoid overlapping authority: If two team members compete for control in an area, give them some space to thrive. Try splitting the project into two distinct parts and allow each member to take full responsibility for his part, suggest the Time- Management-Guide.com experts. Consider personal strengths and interests when making this allocation.

4. Involve the entire team in the decisionmaking process: Encourage everyone to participate in discussing and deciding issues that require team goal setting and commitment, the article continues. This gives each member a sense of ownership in the final decision or solution.

The bottom line: Segregation of work is crucial for effective team functioning. It not only prevents overlapping of authority, but also helps team members achieve core competencies.