Delegation in a Consultant Pharmacy Setting

Objective: To present the concept of delegation as a structured and complex process using realistic examples from consultant pharmacy practice.
Setting: Consultant pharmacy practice
Practice Innovation: Much of what pharmacy managers call delegation is merely directives: do this, do that. To direct subordinate activities through delegation, on the other hand, is a learned skill that is refined through experience. Proper delegation allows the subordinate to become proactive in developing and participating in organizational goals and objectives. Additionally, delegation allows pharmacist managers the additional time needed to devote to competitive posturing. Delegation may be accomplished by:

1. Deciding which tasks to delegate
2. Assessing skills of available personnel
3. Delegating tasks with relevant information, and
4. Incorporating controls into the process.

Key words: Consultant Pharmacy Practice, Delegation, and Management
Abbreviations Used: None
Conclusion: This article introduces the dynamism inherent in delegation and illustrates how that dynamism can be harnessed to enhance a consultant pharmacy practice.

Delegation is the “act of assigning formal authority and responsibility for completion of specific tasks to a subordinate,” but this textbook definition requires some scrutiny. It would help for instance to look at some of the key words in the definition: act, assigning, authority, responsibility, and specific actions (Table 1).
A better definition might be that delegation is “a well conceived way to transfer some of the delegator’s authority to subordinates so that subordinates may perform tasks they understand and thereby contribute maximally to organizational plans and goals while being held accountable through necessary controls designed to ensure a desired and measurable outcome.” This is a longer definition, but hopefully provides a better feel for some of the important factors that add up to effective delegation. It can bow be inferred that the elements listed in Table 2 must be in place to properly delegate. Let’s take this situation as an example:

You are a pharmacist in a pharmacy that serves a number of large nursing homes. The Pharmacy manager tells you to place the weekly order, a task you have never done before, then leaver you to muddle through. Has the manager in this case delegate? No. If nothing else, the manager has not acted in a well conceived way. Because of this, the hope of a successful response from you has been jeopardized. The manager might as well have told you to stand on you head in the corner and fully have expected you to do so without complaint. The point is that delegation is important, should not be taken lightly, and is a learned management skill that takes time to develop and use in such a way that it makes both manager and subordinates more productive.

1. Managers increase their value to an organization by freeing themselves from ordinary tasks that others can perform.
2. Employees are enabled to actualize their value to the organization by knowing and contributing to organizational goals and objectives.
3. Organizations can move more quickly in meeting or surpassing short-or long-term goals.
4. The pool of experienced personnel is increased.

How to Delegate

Delegation is much like baking cookies. The first time around, and perhaps for several more times, the result is likely to e what we, at my house call BBCs (black bottom cookies). Eventually, with practice, we realized what we were doing wrong, made adjustments, and were soon producing cookies that rivaled the local bakery (well, almost). As far as delegation is concerned, a useful place to begin is to anticipate subordinates’ questions about the tasks they will be asked to perform. Considering once more the pharmacist in the previous example, the delegator might anticipate several questions (Table 3).

Let’s work up a scenario to see how the delegator could have answered the questions in Table 3 during the actual process of delegating the task. Let’s call the pharmacist in our example “Mark, “ and watch for the key works in the brackets to see that almost everything the manager says is for a specific purpose.

“Mark, I know you’re not familiar with our ordering system, so I’ve asked our technician to stay over so I can spend some time with you.”

[Capable] How we order determines our inventory level, and we must operate form set inventory levels that are, as you’ll see, reasonable based on our sales level.
[Important] you will be responsible for ordering from our primary source once a week. It is important that the orders are accurate to prevent us from buying short from secondary sources who charge 5-10% more per item.
[Important] Our profit and your bonus potential are based on several factors, but inventory control measured in turns, is the most important. [Reward]

“Now, here is a workbook that defines the ordering procedure, and we will go through it over the next couple of hours. You’ll find it very detailed and perhaps difficult – so if you have any questions, be sure to stop me. I’ve been doing this for so long that I tend to take some of it for granted. [Defined} The introductory portion shows exactly how a loss of inventory control can be devastating to the gross profit. [Important, Defined] Imagine this, Mark. Say we order wrong each week, and what we need to purchase actually costs us $200 more than it should. That’s 52 weeks times $200, or more than $10,000 yearly.

 

“On the day you will actually order, a technician is assigned to the pharmacy department. If you train yourself to maximize this time, you will see that the job is not all that difficult or stressful. [Time, Authority] Additionally, you will be working with sales reps and will, after a bit, do some purchasing for them. For now, however, I want any deal purchasing approved by me. I think you can understand why, but that will not be for long. [Authority, Recognition]

“You will be evaluated every six months. We calculate estimated book inventory levels on a monthly basis and conduct a physical inventory every three months.

This will enable us to look closely at your effectiveness. Your effectiveness, of course, will increase over time. [Evaluation, Capable] We look carefully at how well you use the primary source rather than secondary sources. The primary source is chosen because of their ability to supply our needs in a timely fashion, their prices, and for other reasons. We want you to make at least 90% of all purchases from the primary source. [Challenge, Evaluation]
“ When you are evaluated we will give you a list of evaluation points so you can study them before the actual evaluation. That way, we can get your input, which I am sure will be very helpful. [Evaluation, Fairness, Recognition] For now, and for your benefit, I would like to evaluate you every two weeks for three months. That way, we can correct any areas that seem to be a problem before they get out of hand. [Fairness, Evaluation]

“ Now, Mark, Let’s get to the workbook. And remember, if you have any question at all, stop me. And one other thing, Mark, made me speak your language. [Defined] I’ve tried to make the language in the workbook clear to someone new on the job, but I’m a pharmacist, not a writer. OK”
In the example the manager has answered most if not all of the questions that should be of interest to Mark, the delegate, a preparatory task, then, for the manager before delegation should be to anticipate answering the questions that will enable the employee to accept responsibility for the task.
Occasionally, very few questions will be expected because of the personal motivation and training level of the employee. Also, many times the manager will not be able to associate a tangible reward with delegated tasks. In such instances, the manager is correct to assume that those who have passed through a careful screening and hiring process want to work, enjoy working, and want to assume a level of responsibility that challenges their individual talents and skills. It is the wise manager who realizes that delegation initiates management. If a manager does not delegate, he or she, in very simple words, is not really managing. In fact, more delegation often is an effective remedy to many management problems.

What Delegation Is Not
The examples thus far in this module should have provided a feel for delegation as a process and the skills needed to make it an effective management tool. It helps to clarify; on the other hand, just what delegation is not (Table 4).

An Evolving Skill
Delegation should be viewed as an evolving skill. A manager decides what specific information a subordinate needs to take responsibility for a task. This often will depended on both the task to be performed and the individual to whom then task is delegated. A manager must be willing to learn as much as possible about the tasks that must be accomplished as well as the current and potential skills of his or her subordinates.
Sherman, 2 for instance, suggests that delegation can be approached by degree based on the manager’s assessment of how much autonomy he or she can allow a subordinate in handling a specific task (Table 5).

When Delegation is Appropriate
Tasks of a sensitive nature may require that a manager personally handle the problem. In this case, the level of autonomy the manager would like to allow has nothing to do with the competence of the subordinate understands. An example illustrates this:
You have a complaint from a nursing home administrator that requires a personal response from you. You might, as Sherman suggests, have a subordinate look into the problem and give you the facts so you can decide what to do. Preface the request with, “I think you can handle this, Mark, but the administrator insists I get back to her personally, so look into the problem, give me the fact, and I will decide what to do.”

Conclusion
In summary, four steps define effective and appropriate delegation (table 6). Delegation is a manager’s most valuable time-saver. A manager has 24 hours in a give day, no more and no less. If this time is allotted appropriately, the manager can complete in a normal work day those tasks for which he or she is responsible.

Obviously, this situation represents the ideal, and most people, at least some of the time; intentionally or unintentionally test the norm. For example, most people remember nights when they were younger when two or three hours of sleep seemed sufficient. Playing loose with these limits, however, becomes more difficult as people age. Additionally, most people do not want to play with time allotted for work because too much depends on continuing to work. On the other hand, most professionals want to take on more challenging work and assume greater responsibility within their organizations. But the limits on time are very real, and to stretch them too much can lead to intellectual, physiologic, and physiologic burn-out. Effective delegation is an obvious way to avoid burnout of any type.