William C. Byhan wrote a book long ago "Zapp, the inspiring and energizing energy that will increase success." This book recalls many others such as Gung Ho, The Paradox, Empowerment, High Performance Teams, Social Bugs etc., all of which highlight the importance of shared administration.
The Scientific Administration, which was born with Taylor, left us the sad story that:
- Managers thought, Supervisors spoke, and employees did.
Despite so many books and so many seminars on the importance of participatory management, many companies follow the Taylor and Adam Smith principles because of the way they are run.
What is the problem facing companies, according to Byhan?
The problem is that bosses want more, because management needs more, because customers demand more, because competitors are giving more, and because it is difficult for people to do more than the minimum.
First you have to understand why the staff does not give more than the minimum:
In some companies you see that people get very little excited about things related to work and what does excite them is outside of work. Many are only interested in paying the month, vacations, holidays and benefits. The attitude is: " Don't do something you don't have to do. Then do as little as possible. " Common in public administration, but the private sector is not spared either.
When it comes to doing a better job, everyone sees each other again, no one takes more responsibility than necessary, enough is done so that they are not fired or yelled at. Today we are seeing it in companies certified under ISO 9000. Very few care about improvements, everyone is afraid of change. When it comes to motivating people, the results, if any, are short-lived.
What is the solution?
There are several alternatives
- Wait for management to take the initiative Start looking for a new job Do something yourself.
We recently heard from a Costa Rican business leader that the only way to confront the Free Trade Agreement is with a change in management's attitude, we hope that his message will reach many of the businessmen who listened to him.
Different authors, gurus, etc., have spoken about the importance of involving human resources in decision-making. ISO in one of its principles recommends "Staff, at all levels, is the essence of an organization and their full commitment enables their skills to be used for the benefit of the organization."
Companies need to follow a model that can be used in any department, that helps improve performance, where work is pleasant, where people feel good and above all, are more productive.
“Participatory management arises from the idea of involving employees in the decision-making process. The basic idea has been around for a long time, but it has had its ups and downs in popularity. ” Harvard has recently developed the concept of Social Insects, which has not had much dissemination in our environment.
“One of the biggest problems was that hardly anyone understood what participatory management really meant. In the 1950s, it was thought to mean being friendly to employees. In the 1960s, they thought it meant being sensitive to people's needs and motivations. In the 1970s, managers thought it meant asking employees for help (We remember the famous Quality Circles, of pleasant memory). In the 80's it meant holding numerous group meetings »
Different managers got different results, we know many successful managers, but also many who do not want to hear about it. The very name of participatory management implies that it is something that management does (which in turn seems to limit the degree to which employees can or should participate). Employee participation is a concept that goes hand in hand with participatory management, and both terms are equivalent.
There have been a number of models and programs that have sought this purpose: "Work Enrichment", "Quality of Work Life", Suggestion Systems, Continuous Improvement Teams, etc. But also companies have gone through Reengineering, «Downsizing», etc. The results were generally uncertain, short-lived, discouraging, counterproductive, confusing, insignificant.
Many organizational climate surveys show what most employees dislike:
- Lack of confidence Not being listened to or taken into account Lack of time to solve problems and important things Bureaucratic policies Ignoring when things are done well A boss who strips others of merit Lack of resources to do a good job Simple work that lacks meaning People treated as interchangeable pieces Lack of respect as a person
Comparing a company using participatory administration with another that does not have it is observed:
| Without participatory administration | With Participatory Management |
| The job belongs to the company | The job belongs to the employee |
| The worker does only what is asked | The worker is responsible |
| Work doesn't really matter | Work counts for something |
| The worker does not know "What too" is doing his job | The worker knows where he is located |
| The worker must always keep his mouth shut | The worker can give his opinion about things |
| Work is somewhat different from what the worker is. | Work is part of what the worker is |
| The worker has little or no control over his work | The worker has control over his work |
What people need is:
Responsibility, trust, being listened to, teamwork and team problem solving.
Provide positive feedback, recognize good ideas, and work well done. Furthermore, a worker needs to know what is important to the organization.
Clear direction must be given on the key result areas, in this the deployment of objectives and indicators that the Balanced Scorecard raises, which is not yet very common in our Central American companies, as a way to align the objectives of the worker with the strategy..
Participatory administration also requires knowledge, that is, having the necessary competencies for the good performance of their work, for which they must develop skills, provide training, information, and clarify the goals they are expected to achieve. But above all: help, support, feedback and encouragement.
Communication must be both ways.
Before continuing, we suggest the following series of videos through which you will find more information about what participatory administration means, its main characteristics and implementation models in organizations. (Polytechnic University of Valencia)
What to do as a manager?
Regardless of your management level, there are a series of recommendations of what you must do to achieve participatory administration:
- Maintain self-esteem Listen and respond empathetically Asking for help solving problems Offering help without taking responsibility.
When responsibility is delegated through participatory management, it's important that you entrust the job to the right person, but delegating means giving the authority to do the job and make decisions. A boss who over-controls, demotivates her people as well as who abandons control, it is necessary to maintain situational control.
Sharing responsibility does not mean abandoning responsibility. It is important that as a boss you know what is happening so that you can direct the direction of your department and make those decisions that they cannot make. But above all, ensure that people are on the right track by offering guidance.
It's also important to value performance and be a smart manager.
If the company has a Balanced Scorecard (or Balanced Scorecard), it must define which are the key result areas, this is equivalent to defining the direction to be taken. Each key area must have measurement, indicators that let you know that you are moving in the right direction, as well as a goal that indicates when the objective is reached.
Although a manager must constantly provide feedback on goal-related performance, it is important for people to manage their own feedback system, preferably graphically.
The training process towards participatory administration requires a series of steps:
- Explain the purpose and importance of what you are trying to teach Explain the process that will be used Show how it is done Observe as the person practices the process Give immediate and specific feedback Express confidence in the person's ability to succeed Agree on follow-up actions.
Finally, it is important to remember that you learn faster from successes than from failures.
Base Book: Zapp !: the inspiring and energizing energy that will increase success. William C. Byham, Jeff Cox, 1995.
