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Delegation
Institution Affiliation
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Abstract
Effective delegation has been a topic of discussion for several years with different authors
outlining ways they believe facilitates a successful delegation process. In the past years,
leaders would hesitate to delegate tasks to their subordinates. However, this is not the case
today since current leaders, and supervisors in both correctional facilities and other industries
have started to adopt this particular process. This is because numerous advantages
accompany delegation, which entails improving the concentration of supervisors on true
supervisory activities, enabling employees to learn and grow, and promoting a collaborative
work environment. However, delegation is not a straightforward process since there are
several steps which correctional supervisors need to follow when delegating tasks and
responsibilities. This paper outlines reasons why supervisors, especially those working in
correctional facilities, should delegate tasks. The paper concludes by analyzing errors that
were made by a correctional supervisor which led to the failure of the delegation process.
Keywords: delegation process, correctional facilities, correctional supervisors,
delegating tasks and responsibilities

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Why should supervisors delegate?
Delegation is an important aspect for every manager or supervisor administering a
business. According to Mathebula, B., & Barnard, B. (2020), “Delegation is an enabler in
organisations, yet managers still struggle with how to use it effectively to get maximum
value.” This is totally true because most companies, particularly correctional facilities, have
not adopted delegation effectively. Correctional institutions are a bit more engaging and
difficult to manage, and thus, delegation would largely contribute to their success. However,
most correctional supervisors do not adopt delegation, which makes their work more
complicated. Delegation is the process of deliberately transferring responsibilities from one
individual to another (Mathebula & Barnard, 2020). Correctional supervisors need to delegate
tasks because of several reasons.
Improve concentration on true supervisory activities
Supervisors need to delegate responsibilities to create adequate time to concentrate on
supervisory activities. Correctional facilities involve a lot of activities which include securing
inmates, employees, resolving disputes between inmates, among others. Therefore, a
correctional supervisor cannot handle supervisory roles if they try to manage every activity
occurring in their facility. Therefore, delegating some of these tasks to junior employees will
provide them with sufficient time to think, plan and adopt strategies that will improve their
department’s effectiveness. Additionally, a supervisor that delegates tasks has a higher degree
of freedom from undertaking technical tasks, and can, thus, assume greater responsibility. It
solely means that the supervisor will not encounter any distractions when performing
supervisory tasks, nor will they lack time to think and adopt approaches for improving their
departments (Gladwin et al., 2014).
Enable employees to learn and grow

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Organizations usually hire employees to help improve their performance by assigning
tasks and responsibilities that focus on achieving organizational goals. It helps in enabling the
employee to become responsible and effective. Therefore, supervisors should delegate tasks
to their juniors to enable them to learn, grow and develop. Through delegating, employees
can taste greater responsibility, which motivates them to work since they feel their superiors
trust them. Gladwin et al. (2014), states that a successful supervisor is one who trains and
trusts their subordinates by delegating tasks and responsibilities. For that reason, correctional
supervisors need to delegate tasks to their juniors to enable them to learn how to handle
difficult situations. It helps them prepare for any situation, such as violence, which may occur
in a correctional facility.
Secondly, delegating tasks enables employees to display their abilities and skills. A
supervisor will only identify their employees’ abilitie...