DOI

10.17077/etd.nwmgejpq

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Degree

Summer 2018

Access Restrictions

Access restricted until 08/31/2020

Degree Name

PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)

Degree In

Business Administration

First Advisor

Stewart, Greg L

First Committee Member

Mount, Michael K

Second Committee Member

Colbert, Amy E

Third Committee Member

Crawford, Eean R

Fourth Committee Member

O'Boyle, Ernest H

Abstract

Delegation research has traditionally focused on delegation as a whole—how much or how little a leader or supervisor is willing to allocate tasks to their subordinates. Although past research has indicated the importance of delegation for team performance, it has often overlooked one of the main aspects touted by practitioners, choosing the right person for the job. In an effort to provide a more nuanced view of delegation and if the right person is being chosen for the job, this dissertation integrates the theory of work design with delegation while introducing the concept of matched delegation: delegating a task to the individual whose abilities most closely match the demands of the task where individuals receive decision-making authority for tasks that neither exceeds nor discounts their abilities, but rather most closely matches the extent of their abilities. With this, I propose a model whereby two work characteristics (i.e., physical propinquity and psychological safety) influence matched delegation decisions of team leaders and where matched delegation positively impacts team performance. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 519 primary care professionals (PCPs) and their surrounding team members (i.e., a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, and an administrative associate) from patient centered medical homes from the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA). Results showed that neither physical propinquity nor PCP psychological safety significantly influenced matched delegation of tasks to any of the three team members; however, team performance was significantly enhanced by matched delegation to some roles. Although these results provide some indication as to the importance of matched delegation, the mixed results might be due to the unwillingness of PCPs to give up control of tasks. I discuss the theoretical and practical implications, as well as the limitations and directions for future research within the VHA as well as for research studying delegators’ decisions and team processes and performance.

Keywords

delegation, team roles, work design

Pages

viii, 133 pages

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 117-133).

Copyright

Copyright © 2018 Kameron M. Carter

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