Task assignment and coaching

An important task of a manager is to motivate her subordinates. One way in which a manager can give incentives to junior employees is through the assignment of tasks. How a manager allocates tasks in an organization, provides information to the junior employees about his ability. Without coaching from a manager, the junior employee only has information about his past performance. Based on his past performance, a talented junior who has performed a difficult task sometimes decides to leave the organization. The introduction of a manager who coaches the junior may lead to better future decisions of the junior. The role of the manager is twofold. First, the manager assigns a task to the junior upon arrival at the organization. Second, the manager provides feedback on the difficulty of the performed task. If preferences of the junior and the manager are disaligned, the manager assigns too often an easy task. The manager uses task assignment to credibly communicate that the junior is talented.