Delegation as Interaction Ritual

Delegation is not merely the assignment of work from one person to another. In Collins's interaction ritual framework, it is a structured encounter containing all four ingredients of ritual: bodily co-presence (the meeting where the task is discussed), shared focus of attention (the component to be built or problem to be solved), shared emotional mood (the mixture of confidence and concern that characterizes responsibility transfer), and mutual awareness of the sharing (each person registering the other's engagement with the task and the relationship). The ritual generates emotional energy in both directions: the senior practitioner receives the energy of being sought out, of being recognized as the authority whose judgment determines what the junior will work on. The junior practitioner receives the energy of being entrusted, of being recognized as capable enough to receive responsibility. Both energies are deposited in the relationship, building the solidarity that will sustain the pair through future difficulties and creating the formative experience through