Any task one takes up comes with three lenses to analyze them. These are the what, why, and how of a task.
All three of them shape the task in their own way.
Imagine the task of doing some shopping. The what becomes a clearer specification of what needs to be bought. In the case of our example, it may be to shop for groceries. The why may be that one promised to buy some food for dinner, that one is helping the neighbors out, or that one is preparing a trip. All of these options will change the choice of items that are being bought, and possibly also where. The how on the other hand will be influenced by the why and the what. In some cases, it will mean going to a shop, ordering online, or taking the car to make it easier to carry the groceries.
Most of the above reflections happen out of habit and almost unconsciously. And with convenience as it is, it will happen quite often to be the how on which people focus. And frankly, when shopping for groceries, it’s probably the most appropriate approach.
Something different may happen when shopping needs to be delegated. One observation I’m making more and more is that it isn’t the shopping anymore that is being delegated but instead the presence in the shop. The grocery list is then replaced with a video call where one asks the other if the selected items are the right ones. The person delegating the task has not yet figured out how to obtain the result she’s looking for.
A different type of delegation can be to provide the buyer with a shopping list, which may not be sufficient if some items on the list need to be replaced by others if they can’t be found in the shop. That is where the what and the why come in to enable some autonomy in the delegation. The why may for example be that the shopping needs to happen today as the groceries will be needed after the shopping, it thus clarifies if buying some items can be delayed or if an alternative is needed. The what, on the other hand, may become groceries for a meal with friends where one is vegetarian. It helps to know what alternatives to the items on the list will work out well.
It’s a simple example, at the same time thinking about what, why, and how is applicable to delegation in various settings. It’s a simple approach to assist the process of delegation or enabling teams. This is especially true when the how cannot be specified without knowledge of the circumstances others will encounter.
