If you're not physically involved in producing your art - are you an artist or a foreman?

I saw a video today, of Jeff Koons in his studio (January 2009), via Tate website. I was surprised to hear him talk about working on pieces of art, but seeing a workforce doing the hands-on processes for him.  I know he's a very skilled artist, but when did he apparently withdraw from creating his artworks himself?  I agree with him describing the development, in an artist, of an unique vocabulary that controls expression, but have difficulty in expanding that idea to controlling others to create work to fit those creative parameters.

Maybe I'm wrong in considering it cheating.  Maybe art doesn't need to be so close to the creator of it.  Maybe visualisation is enough and leave the graft to someone else.  There have been schools of artists, painting in the style of someone in particular.  You see examples of that in old italian schools of art.  Perhaps those workers for Jeff Koons will be acknowledged in the same way.

I just need to get my head around that.