Mastering Delegation: Prof. Blunden & Prof. Steffel's Insights on Strategic Decision-Making

Delegating work can help free up managers’ time and energy while empowering employees to take on meaningful tasks. However, previous research has highlighted that delegating decision-making can sometimes lead to employees feeling overly burdened. In a new paper, researchers explore the negative impact that transferring choice responsibility can have on delegator-delegate relationships. They propose research-backed solutions for delegating decisions more fairly, aiming to mitigate some of the negative interpersonal consequences of delegation. Prof. Hayley Blunden is an Assistant Professor of Management at the Kogod School of Business, American University. Her research focuses on improving challenging workplace interactions, particularly in areas like advice, feedback, voice, and virtual work. Her work has been published in journals such as Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes and Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, and featured in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Economist, and more. Before academia, Prof. Hayley worked in internal strategy, consulting, and finance, with experience in organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 100 firms. Prof. Hayley earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University, an MBA from Columbia Business School, and a BA in Economics and Media Studies from the University of Virginia. Prof. Mary Steffel is an Associate Professor of Marketing and the Joseph G. Riesman Research Professor at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University. She is also affiliated with the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs. Prof. Mary Steffel studies consumer judgment and decision-making, focusing on when consumers seek help from others, make decisions for others, and how businesses and governments can support better decision-making. Her research has been published in top journals like Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. She received the D’Amore-McKim School of Business Teaching Excellence Award and was named one of Poets & Quants' Top 40 Undergraduate Professors. Prof. Mary holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Florida, a Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music used in this video is the property of its respective developer and is protected by Copyright. Although it is a free version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy and Deepak Bhatt do not hold the rights to this music. B. Prof. Hayley Blunden & Prof. Mary Steffel have graciously shared valuable insights from their research topic, "How to Delegate Decision-Making Strategically," on the Business Talk Podcast Channel. We are grateful for their contribution to this thought-provoking discussion. Please be advised that the uploaded video contains copyrighted material. Therefore, any modifications to graphics, music, or the presence of the author or host are strictly prohibited.