The Fine Art of Delegating Up

I've been surprised by the number of managers who are reluctant to ask their bosses to do work. Perhaps subordinates are so accustomed to being on the receiving end of delegation that they don't realize when their superior needs to be involved. And many executives keep such hectic schedules that they train their subordinates not to bother them unless it's absolutely essential.

When I worked at IBM in the late seventies and early eighties we expected "completed staff work". In essence, this meant that a manager would anticipate issues that merited their boss' attention. (Of course, this was in the glory days when IBM was a market leader and issues actually could be anticipated.) Each issue would be researched, and the boss would be presented with alternatives for consideration. The best staff work included a memo for the boss' signature authorizing the preferred action. And a truly great manager knew their boss well enough to predict which course of action they would prefer.

This "completed staff work" approach can be effective in well-defined operations with clearly understood roles, responsibilities, and relationships, as well as minimal organizational change. Most operations are more turbulent, and require executives to be intimately involved in activities that affect strategy and policy, as well as cross-functional or external relationships.

How does one recognize situations that require upward delegation? The most common situation I observe is too much responsibility and not enough authority. No one can be successful when their responsibility exceeds their authority. An astute manager will ask their boss to empower them with additional authority. If a promotion is not forthcoming, the manager will develop a list of individuals and groups with whom the boss must communicate.

For example, when a manager is asked to form a team that includes individuals outside of their direct span of control, they are on shaky ground. In order to meet their objectives, the manager will need to gain the cooperation of all team members. And not everyone may wish to cooperate.

Individuals within the manager’s span of control can be compelled to cooperate. But the manager is left to use their personal charisma and selling skills to gain cooperation from others. Often, this is not enough. In order to be successful, the manager will need to escalate up the reporting chain until they find an executive who can compel cooperation. Amazingly, a few words from the appropriate executive can turn a complainer into an ally.