Delegation is when you give an individual within your business the power, authority, resources and responsibility to carry out specific tasks or projects.
Outsourcing is when you hire a third party outside of your business to perform specific functions or services for you.
Both options provide business owners key support. Delegation optimizes workflow and empowers staff to grow professionally. Outsourcing provides access to specialized skill sets and employee cost reductions.
A few questions you can ask yourself if you’re trying to decide which option is best:
Is the task or function essential to my businesses primary operations or strategic goals?
Does this task require skills and knowledge that are already available within my team?
Do I want to have close oversight and control over how the task is being done?
If yes to any of those questions - it’s probably best to delegate internally if you can.
Is this a support function that does not directly impact my core business objectives?
Does this task require a specific skill set that is not already available within my business?
Am I comfortable with minimal supervision or control?
If yes to any of those questions - outsourcing would be a great option.
The key takeaway is that delegation and outsourcing are both valuable strategies for business support, but the choice depends on the nature of the task or project. Delegation is best for essential business functions that align with strategic goals and require close oversight, while outsourcing is ideal for specialized tasks that do not directly impact core objectives and can be handled with minimal supervision.
