Modern organizations are increasingly breaking away from traditional hierarchical structures. Cross-functional projects, task forces, and collaboration with external entities are becoming the norm for managers. In such a reality, we face a challenge that often keeps us awake at night – how to effectively delegate tasks to people who do not formally report to us? How to influence people over whom we have no formal authority?

When I worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a financial controller, I was responsible for a team of several dozen in accounting and finance. My duties included accounting, taxes, financial control, treasury, and stock market reporting. However, the real challenge turned out to be influencing people higher up in the company’s hierarchy, with whom I had to work closely.

I remember like it was yesterday the first meeting with the production director – an experienced manager, deeply convinced of his knowledge and skills. The start was not easy, but thanks to empathy supported by substantive knowledge and appropriate communication, we managed to constructively discuss the difficult issue of production inefficiency generating excessively high costs. This situation taught me that delegating tasks and influencing people outside my structure requires a completely different approach than traditional management.

Delegating is not issuing commands

The first and most important lesson: delegating tasks to people outside your organizational structure is not about issuing commands. It’s about transferring responsibility for the outcome while maintaining the autonomy of the executor. The crucial difference lies in the fact that commands focus on the method (“do it this way”), whereas delegation focuses on the goal and the expected result (“we need to achieve this”).

In practice, this means a complete change of approach. Instead of instructing how a task should be performed, you describe what needs to be achieved and why it is important. You give space for the use of knowledge, experience, and creativity of the person you delegate the task to. Paradoxically, by passing greater autonomy, you often obtain better results and greater engagement.

Isn’t it fascinating how changing one element, focusing on the goal rather than the method, can completely transform the dynamics of collaboration? This subtle difference often determines the success of delegating tasks to people over whom we have no formal authority.

Precision of communication and clarity of expectations

During my work in the pharmaceutical company, I quickly realized that difficult discussions about cost levels or exceeding the investment budget require exceptional communication precision. When you can’t issue an order, you must rely on perfect clarity of the message.

Effective delegation requires precise definition of goals, scope of responsibility, and expectations. When you delegate a task to a production director or a manager of another department, you cannot leave room for assumptions. What exactly needs to be done? By when? What are the criteria for success? What resources are available? How will we measure progress? The answers to these questions must be crystal clear to both parties.

Experience has also taught me that it is crucial to share context and the bigger picture. When a person understands why a task is important and how it fits into the strategic goals of the organization, their motivation and engagement naturally increase. No one likes to be a cog in the machine executing commands without understanding their purpose. Therefore, I always start such conversations by explaining the context.

Building relationships and trust

Working with people who do not directly report to you requires a solid foundation of relationships based on mutual respect and trust. Without this, even the best-formulated task delegation can fall into a void.

In my case, building a relationship with the production director required time and patience. I started by understanding his perspective, recognizing the challenges he faced, and acknowledging his experience. Instead of coming in with ready-made solutions, I asked questions and listened. This approach allowed me to gain his trust and open up space for sincere discussions.

Investing in relationships can take various forms – from informal coffee chats, through mentoring, to collaborating on problem-solving. The key is to show that you care not only about task completion but also about that person’s success. Paradoxically, the less formal authority you have, the more important relationships based on authenticity and mutual respect become.

Mechanisms of shared accountability

In organizations where traditional hierarchical structures give way to project teams or external partnerships, delegation requires implementing mechanisms of shared accountability. Common key performance indicators (KPIs), team goals, or transparent progress metrics can replace traditional managerial control tools.

While working on improving production efficiency, I proposed to the director common success metrics that merged the financial perspective with the operational one. This created a sense of a shared goal – it was no longer about “finance wants to cut costs,” but about “together, we aim to optimize production processes.”

It is also crucial to match people to tasks based on their competencies rather than just their position in the hierarchy. Sometimes the best person to perform a task will be a specialist without a formal managerial title but with unique skills or knowledge. In such cases, delegation based on trust in competencies, not positional authority, yields the best results.

Addressing challenges

Delegating between departments often generates risks of lack of coordination or conflicting priorities. In my practice, implementing simple but effective monitoring systems has proven successful – regular, brief status meetings, shared task boards, or periodic reports.

It is also essential to designate a single point of contact for the task. When too many people are involved in communication, misunderstandings and diffusion of responsibility can easily occur. The principle of “one person responsible for coordination” works regardless of the project’s complexity.

Controlling tasks delegated outside reporting lines requires flexibility and a focus on results, not methods. Instead of micromanagement, which is particularly ineffective in such contexts, it’s better to rely on regular checkpoints and open communication about potential obstacles or challenges.

The power of influence over formal authority

Delegating tasks to people outside your organizational structure is essentially the art of exerting influence without formal authority. This skill is becoming increasingly valuable in modern, flat organizations, where traditional hierarchies give way to networks of collaboration.

My experience in the pharmaceutical industry shows that even difficult issues, such as production efficiency or budget overruns, can be effectively addressed without formal authority. The key is combining substantive preparation with empathy, precise communication, and genuine commitment to achieving a common goal.

Delegating tasks is not so much a matter of technique as it is of approach. It’s about moving from a mentality of “directing people” to “inspiring action.” This is an art worth learning, as it allows you to achieve results that go far beyond the limits of formal organizational authority.

How do you handle delegating tasks to people over whom you have no formal power? What approaches work in your organization? Perhaps it’s time to consider whether your managerial toolkit contains influence tools that go beyond traditional hierarchy?