Determinants of delegation and consultation by managers

Few studies have identified determinants of delegation and consultation. To investigate this question further, we surveyed managers and subordinates i n two samples and interviewed managers individually or in focus groups. The use of delegation and consultation with individual subordinates was determ ined in part by characteristics of the subordinates and the manager-subordi nate relationship. More delegation was used for a subordinate who was compe tent, shared the leader's task objectives, had worked longer for the manage r, was a supervisor also, and had a favorable exchange relationship with th e manager. Consultation with a subordinate was predicted by goal congruence , subordinate job level, and quality of the leader-member exchange relation ship. The managers acknowledged that developing subordinates and empowering them to do their work were important reasons for delegation, but many mana gers were reluctant to give up control over important decisions or assign a n important task to an inexperienced subordinate. Copyright (C) 1999 John W iley & Sons, Ltd.