ASSESSMENT 13
Think of times when you have been in charge of a group—this could be a full-time or part-time work situation, a student workgroup, or whatever. Complete the following questionnaire by recording how you feel about each statement according to this scale.
1 = Strongly disagree
2 = Disagree
3 = Neutral
4 = Agree
5 = Strongly agree
When in charge of a group I find:
· ___2__ 1. Most of the time other people are too inexperienced to do things, so I prefer to do them myself.
· __4___ 2. It often takes more time to explain things to others than just to do them myself.
· __2___ 3. Mistakes made by others are costly, so I don’t assign much work to them.
· __2___ 4. Some things simply should not be delegated to others.
· __4___ 5. I often get quicker action by doing a job myself.
· __2___ 6. Many people are good only at very specific tasks, and thus can’t be assigned additional responsibilities.
· __3___ 7. Many people are too busy to take on additional work.
· __2___ 8. Most people just aren’t ready to handle additional responsibilities.
· __3___ 9. In my position, I should be entitled to make my own decisions.
Scoring
Total your responses; enter the score here [__24___].
Interpretation
This instrument gives an impression of your willingness to delegate. Possible scores range from 9 to 45. The lower your score, the more willing you appear to be to delegate to others. Willingness to delegate is an important managerial characteristic. It is essential if you—as a manager—are to “empower” others and give them opportunities to assume responsibility and exercise self-control in their work. With the growing importance of empowerment in the new workplace, your willingness to delegate is well worth thinking about seriously.