MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP
played an active role in the decision,
instilling a sense of understanding and
ownership that will drive successful
implementation and positive,
sustainable outcomes.On the flipside, the risk of not seeking
input is that staff might not understand
the thinking behind the change, or feel
that the consequences of the change
have not been considered from their
point of view. And when employees feel
disempowered or ignored, they are
more likely to become passive or
disengaged, and eventually move on —
leaving you to bear the significant
disruption and costs associated with
finding a suitable replacement.As executives, it’s easy to get caught in
a groupthink trap, where a succession
of closed meetings can lead to a cycle
akin to Sylvia Plath’s infamous bell jar,
and you just wind up breathing your
own tepid air. Inviting involvement and
input from people at every level of your
organisation can have the opposite
effect — injecting fresh air and life into
your business.Bringing people from the shop floor
into your discussions and decision-
making can have numerous positive
flow-on effects, bringing:- Improved levels of purpose and
engagement, as employees discover
their input is important and valued - Fresh thinking, ideas, observations
and insights from employees who are
at the coalface of your operations- Better decision making, which takes
into account the practical execution
of ideas at an operational level —
which in turn, will maximise the
chance of successful outcomes, and - More motivated employees who
(because they are enlisted in the
process) feel a sense of ownership
in decisions and changes, and
will therefore be more likely to
embrace them, and work harder
to bring any resulting action
points to fruition.
- Better decision making, which takes
There are lots of ways to get employees
more involved in your management
processes, from inviting representatives
from different parts of your
organisation to executive meetings, to
inviting input into specific discussions
via email or your intranet site.Whatever methods you choose, your
intentions must be authentic. It’s
important that employee input is
heard and acknowledged, and that
those involved are kept informed
of the outcomes.The danger of not acknowledging
and keeping participants in the loop
about what’s happened to their input
is that your invitation of involvement
could potentially be viewed cynically
as a token gesture, which will
actually have a negative effect
on engagement.Of course the level of enthusiasm and
the quality of the input you receive
from employees will depend on:- The ability of your executive
team members to ask the right
questions and extract the right
information, and - The skill level, attitudes and
behaviours of individual
staff participants.
Usually those employees who are most
willing to get involved — and who often
provide the most valuable input — are
switched-on high-achievers, who
understand and embrace the bigger
picture of your organisation’s vision
and values.Quality, values-aligned recruitment,
combined with well-executed
engagement and internal
communications programs, will help
increase the percentage of these
standout performers in your organisation
— and you should always make the most
of their ideas and insights.However, it’s also important to include
both the quiet workplace wallflowers
and known dissenters wherever
possible, because they can often
surprise you with their level of
knowledge around a specific operation,
function or customer group.Sometimes an employee feels
disenfranchised in their role because
they are frustrated with a particular
process or function. Getting their input
and making any relevant improvements
could boost operational efficiencies, and
create a more engaged and purposeful
employee at the same time.Closed meetings can lead to a cycle akin to
Sylvia Plath’s infamous bell jar, and you just
wind up breathing your own tepid air.