When staff want to do it their way, let them

While teams may function independently, they need occasional supervision to ensure that they are on track. Allow people to do it their way and they will surprise you. ILLUSTRATION/NATION 

In Summary

• Regardless of the challenges any organisation may be facing, it is wise to remember that everything is impossible until someone else does it.
• Managers, like everyone else, fall into patterns of behaviour that have been laid down by those they admire or consider to be their mentors. Although most managers are defined by their ability to keep things under control, they need to allow their employees some autonomy.
• Team autonomy works if the entire team is in synch with the objectives of the organisation and if they have open communication. While teams may function independently, they need occasional supervision to ensure that they are on track. Allow people to do it their way and they will surprise you.

By FLORENCE KITHINJI
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How many times have you heard people saying that something cannot be done?

There is a story of a young man by the name George Bernard Dantzig, who joined the University of California, Berkeley, in 1939, as a doctoral student.

One time, he arrived late for his statistics class and found two problems on the blackboard. He jotted them down, thinking they were the day’s assignment. It was only after submitting the correct solutions that his professor told him that he had solved problems that had baffled everyone for a long time.

Most people in management as well as the employees under them have their own ‘blackboards’ where they write their ‘impossibles’. Some have to do with career development, employee discipline, promotions, innovation and so on.

Regardless of the challenges any organisation may be facing, it is wise to remember that everything is impossible until someone else does it.

There are many things today that would have been deemed impossible by generations before us.

A few years ago, computers were monstrous things that filled up entire rooms. Today, we have palmtop computers.

ROAD MOST TRAVELLED

A few years ago, mobile money was not even thinkable. The fact that a Kenyan came up with the concept of Mpesa (mobile money transfer) shows that anyone can come up with a novel idea.

The setback arises from a set of beliefs that individuals or organisations develop over time. Since we are creatures of habit, we adopt the habits and daily patterns of those we consider more informed or wiser.

Managers, like everyone else, fall into patterns of behaviour that have been laid down by those they admire or consider to be their mentors. Although most managers are defined by their ability to keep things under control, they need to allow their employees some autonomy.

All over the world, employees long for employers who will give them the opportunity to be themselves. One of the benefits of allowing employees to participate in decision making and planning for their work is the creation of a deep sense of ownership in the work they do. Managers need to allow their employees some control over the activities that go on in the organisation.

Autonomy is about allowing employees to figure out how best to go about their assignments. The opposite of autonomy is micro-management, which is literally, breathing down an employee’s neck to see if they are performing as you wanted them to.

Autonomy allows employees to take greater responsibility for their outcomes and motivates them to perform well. Managers who are allowed autonomy also tend to feel more inspired to supervise their staff.

But there is a danger in giving too much autonomy to managers with poor decision making skills. They end up making their employees suffer the consequences of bad judgement or poor planning.

Team autonomy works if the entire team is in synch with the objectives of the organisation and if they have open communication. While teams may function independently, they need occasional supervision to ensure that they are on track. Allow people to do it their way and they will surprise you.