Got disengaged staff, colleagues, partners?
Participatory decision making, which outperforms top-down decision making, may be part of the answer
Recent research highlights how work has become more ‘transactional’. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, “43% of employees now say they work ‘just for the money’, compared with 36% in 2019.”
Since the pandemic caused people to reassess what’s important, many employees are seeing work as less central to their lives. A just-for-money attitude may be a useful component of work/life balance, but if people drift away from finding meaning in their work, that amounts to a lot of meaningless hours in the day.
Similarly, organisations may lose out when staff lack motivation or feel disconnected from their work and colleagues. Research shows that people who are more engaged and motivated at work are more likely to perform better, be more satisfied with work, and less likely to leave.
Evolving post-pandemic approaches to work
For many organisations, the debate about transactional work has boiled down to the question of physical presence in the workplace, as though sitting in the office will magically bring meaning. As I noted previously, remote work, supported by skilful intentional gatherings, can be successful and engaging.
The reality is, post-pandemic approaches to work are still evolving, and transactional attitudes to work have put a spotlight on how we engage with staff in this emerging context. Even employees who feel engaged with work may worry that their organisation makes no positive difference to society. Employees may lack autonomy, freedom of choice in how they work, and the sense of ownership it can bring.
Autonomy and ownership
Autonomy and ownership mean being able to make decisions. In teams and in work, participatory decision making is a common approach, a perfect case for facilitation. To create that sense of ownership, ask people to be involved in decision making!
A facilitator can help you create spaces where people give input on decisions in ways that help them feel included, informed, and heard. In this context, even when the decision doesn’t go their way, if everyone’s been heard and acknowledged, it’s easier to understand and live with the decisions. And research suggests that participatory decision making outperforms top-down decision making.
In a previous post I talked about why team leaders and managers often need the help of facilitators. Managers/leaders may be too close to the work (immersed in details), have biases, or lack effective frameworks or ways of working to efficiently and effectively get people participating. In the light of transactional work, some organisational development experts are calling facilitation ‘one of the most underestimated capabilities in contemporary organisations.’ Yes, they said that.
What has your experience been with participatory decision making?
