1. Delegation Poker Situations Youtube
2. Delegation Poker Situations List
3. Delegation Poker Situations Chart
4. Delegation Poker Situations Examples

Delegation Examples. There are a number of examples of assigning responsibility to others that all can be called “delegation,” although they represent several different levels of autonomy and trust. The first delegation example is merely giving directions to someone: telling them what to do.

Delegation is an essential skill for great leaders and bring important benefits for you as a leader, for your team members, for the team and therefore also for the business. So next time you´re feeling overwhelmed with your to-do list, try to ask yourself with each and every item whether it´s the best use of your time that you do these tasks. Delegation Poker. When we talk about delegation then it says that either I do it or you do it. But in delegation poker there are seven levels of the game. In all these levels, we identify that who is responsible for what and what is the level of that person.

“Why do the Japanese ask permission for everything?”

I often get asked this question when I speak to western executives who have begun managing Japanese employees in a traditional Japanese multi-national company.

Yet, when I speak to Japanese executives who manage western employees, I get the complete opposite question: “Why do westerners make decisions that I did not authorize?”

Why does this happen?

To answer the question, it may be easier to look at the problem from the subordinate’s perspective.

The following conversation took place between an expatriate (British) and a Japanese from one of my cross-cultural workshops. Each was explaining to the other what was (and was not) delegated when attending a meeting conducted in English.

British Employee/Western Boss:

'If the boss sent me to represent our department, she would tell me what not to say before the meeting. This means I can make any decision unless she specifically stated I could not. The boss will respect my decision even if she disagrees. Otherwise, she would have attended the meeting herself.'

Perception:

What I cannot say is made very clear. When I’m delegated a job, the extent to which I may use my own initiative or judgment generally has pre-set limits.

Anything that’s not expressly defined is left for me to make my own call. The boss will support my decision even if she doesn’t entirely agree with it.

Japanese Employee/Japanese Boss:

'Going into global meetings* and being pressed to make a decision is very hard. I always need to ask myself 'What if the boss disagrees?' If that happened, I’d have to go back to every person who was in the meeting and tell them that I rescind my decision. The boss has ultimate authority and I respect that.”

Perception:

What I can do without permission is clear, though often very limited. I should not make a call on anything which falls outside of those parameters.

What’s going on here?

In corporate Japan, especially in elite companies, it takes at least 15 years to become a senior manager. Both the managers and their subordinates feel that the boss has earned the right and authority to reverse any decisions made by a subordinate.

In a western corporation, bosses need to empower their employees - especially the most talented - or they often leave the company. That's why a flexible approach is important. Usually, there is no backlash if an employee says something that the boss disagrees with later.

If western managers assume that Japanese employees will make their own decisions based on “what not to say or do,” it really doesn’t help the Japanese with their decision making.

This is because they’re working from the premise of what they have permission to say or do, i.e., what has been authorized.

To Japanese, “what not to say or do” falls outside of these parameters into a big gray area.

And since Japanese have been punished for making independent decisions from childhood, they feel extremely uncomfortable making decisions without your permission.

Is there a solution?

Recently, I discovered an interesting tool called “Delegation Poker,” I used this during a cross-cultural workshop to resolve this issue.

Yes, it’s a game, but there’s no gambling involved!

This tool was developed by the author of “Management 3.0,” Jurgen Appelo.

The basis for the Delegation Poker game is the idea of The 7 Levels of Authority:

1. Tell: The boss decides and does not need to explain why.
2. Sell: The boss decides but will sell her idea to others.
3. Consult: The boss gets input from others and then makes the decision.
4. Agree: A discussion takes place between everyone involved and a consensus is reached.
5. Advise: The boss gives an opinion which she hopes is noted, but the subordinate decides.
6. Inquire: The boss allows subordinates to make a decision, but they must explain the wisdom of the decision later.
7. Delegate: The boss lets a subordinate decide and doesn’t want to know the details.

Here’s how to play Delegation Poker:

1. Divide the participants into groups and ask them to choose a pre-defined case to work with. A simple example of this is: “What to do before purchasing a new piece of office equipment valued at over $500.00.”
2. Every player privately selects one of the seven cards. This will reflect how far they are prepared to delegate a decision for the agreed task - assuming they were the boss.
3. Once all players have decided, at a count of three, they simultaneously reveal their selected cards.
4. The cards chosen will probably be quite different. Allow the people with the highest and the lowest numbered cards to explain their selection.
5. Ask the group to achieve consensus on a level of delegation.
6. All the results are put on a delegation board which is displayed in the office for all to see. When the delegation rules are not followed, the boss can use the board to explain where the process fell down. Delegation levels are adjusted after testing in real situations. Pre-determined cases can be added as they arise.

After completing this cross cultural workshop using Delegation Poker, I’d recommend this game for the following reasons:

• Visualizing the hidden perceptions:

The game highlighted the assumptions each side makes with delegation that we often take for granted. You’ll see that most Japanese participants will choose levels 1-3 (boss decides) as opposed to western participants who will more often choose levels 5-7 (boss delegates). Hearing the “why” from each side leads to an increased understanding of these different perceptions.

• What is delegated, and to what degree, is very clear:

Delegation Poker focuses on what is actually delegated and not the “you can do anything except this” approach. This is much more aligned with how Japanese think.

• Everyone voices their opinion:

Since everyone must raise their cards simultaneously, Japanese participants are forced to take a position on what they believe the delegation level should be.

• Placing the delegation board where everyone can see it reinforces the process:

When someone is confused, or questions are raised about a process, it’s easy to direct people to the delegation board and show them where a particular action falls in a predefined case.

In addition, if there is a predefined case that is missing, it can easily be added to the delegation board. This works very well for the Japanese mindset as each action is well defined.

Delegation Poker Situations Youtube

Overall, I think the number-one benefit is the discussion surrounding why people selected a specific card. This compels participants to consider the perceptions of the other side, making it a great cross-cultural learning experience.

It also ensures an effective means to get the job done!

Japanese and Westerners certainly have their own specific styles of delegation, which are influenced by cultural norms.

Delegation Poker Situations List

So if you’re struggling to empower your Japanese staff to take more decision-making responsibility, then this might be the solution you need.

Delegation Poker Situations Chart

Interested to know more about how Delegation Poker could help your team?

Reach out to me and I’ll answer your questions.

As always, thanks for reading and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts below.

Delegation Poker Situations Examples

* In solely Japanese meetings, employees are not pressed to make a decision since meetings aren’t structured in that way. The Nemawashi process removes potential conflict between a Japanese employee and their Japanese boss.