KEY POINTS:
Autonomy, empowerment and getting on with it in their own way are all things Kiwi employees desire. But with a surfeit of micro-managing bosses, it is often difficult to overcome the control freaks and take some responsibility on the job.
"Often as managers we are too 'parental' in our approach to people," says Jo Clayton, an executive development and coaching specialist with Acumen and the University of Auckland business growth unit, The Icehouse.
"Employees thrive when they feel their manager has confidence in their ability to achieve what's required and like to have an opportunity to contribute their ideas.
"Often we see managers over-managing their people, yet complaining that people are not stepping up - if you as a manager can step back a little, it provides the space for people to step up."
Keith Macky, associate professor in the Department of Management at AUT, says documented benefits for an organisation when there is greater employee autonomy include:
* Higher retention rates.
* Productivity improvements.
* Stronger loyalty and commitment.
* Trust in management.
From the employees' perspective, the benefits are improved job satisfaction and reduced stress. Research has shown the ability to control your work environment, having discretion and being able to make decisions on the job cuts stress.
In an environment of labour market skill shortages, such as now being experienced and likely to continue, organisations need to look at how to retain good workers and to attract new staff, Macky says.
"Part of that answer is giving employees a reason to stay put."
If giving a wage rise is not possible, other ways to reward employees have to be considered.
"One of the things people value is the ability to have some sort of control or autonomy over what they do at work," Macky says.
Many managers still operate in the "command and control" role. This involves telling employees what and how to do a task and supervising them to make sure it is done.
Evidence of the benefits of encouraging self-direction and decision-making has been around since the 1960s and 1970s but such strategies are not entrenched here yet.
Giles Burch, University of Auckland senior lecturer in human resource management, says some managers will give staff the room to operate independently while others have a problem doing that as they have a need for control and are likely to micro-manage staff.
Burch, whose special interest is personality psychology, says research in this area has been driven by people interested in motivation at work and how to get the best out of people.
"It's generally felt that autonomy is good. There's an assumption that people want it," he says. "But some people like to go to work and be told what to do and how to do it and they do it and go home.
"For some people, being given power and autonomy can raise their anxiety and, consequently, it may have a negative effect on their performance.
"It's a question of meeting people's needs. What are you going to give an individual to get the best out of them?"
Having an effective workplace is about understanding and recognising that people have different needs.
Burch says so when managers are designing a job and workplace, don't assume one model fits all.
If needs be, use personality profiling and interviews to make sure everyone's needs are catered for.
"Managers who are veering towards the need for order and control, they don't like giving that up. If they are also anxious then, as they lose some control, their anxiety increases," Burch says.
Clayton says if team members have some responsibility for outcomes, it can improve team dynamics.
"There is a case for delegating to the team and asking them to take collective responsibility for some tasks or activities. Letting them decide how to do the work can increase interdependence and collaboration and they can learn from one another and support one another," she says.
"This gives them a sense of ownership and team spirit."
When a manager gives ownership of problems and solutions to employees, it helps people grow and develop in their roles.
"One of the things that frustrates managers is people presenting a problem and asking for solutions. Yet many managers do respond with the answer so the employee doesn't need to look for solutions," Clayton says.
"A manager needs to take a coaching approach - helping the person clarify what they want to achieve, where they are at now, what options they see for approaching the task or problem and what actions they will take."
It helps the employee to improve the quality of their thinking so they are better able to solve an issue next time they encounter a tricky situation. Giving staff some autonomy is not always an easy thing for managers to do.
Clayton says managers may have developed a habit of responding with the answers or may fall into the trap of "telling".
Sometimes a manager may genuinely think they know best how to handle a customer complaint or how to deal with another member of staff, but there are many approaches and people become dependent on the manager if they are not encouraged to think.
Clayton says the best way to implement a new strategy of giving personnel some autonomy is to ask for suggestions.
When a manager is changing the previous practice, this has the best chance of success.
"I would advocate managers being open and explaining that they'd like people to take more responsibility for finding solutions and then ask questions such as - how could I make it easier for you to do that? Or what could I do differently that would help you to do this?
"They'll generally have plenty of suggestions."
Macky says practically, one of the most straightforward ways to improve autonomy is for managers to give employees a goal and target, whether that be a daily issue, or weekly, monthly or quarterly.
"Say to staff, 'These are the things I want you to achieve. How can I help you to achieve it? I am here if you need me'."
If people need more resources or have struck a barrier and need help to overcome it, then they can approach the boss but, otherwise, they should get on with things themselves without having to ask permission every step of the way.
This sort of strategy cannot be launched overnight, but people can be trained to work this way.
Often it is also a question of staff selection. In the hiring process, managers can search for people with a history of self-management and self-direction.
Burch says: "There is a degree to which we have to know ourselves and we select ourselves out of certain jobs."
If an employee wants more autonomy from a reluctant manager, he recommends suggesting ways for autonomy to be introduced.
"Keep the manager informed, give lots of feedback and make sure they are comfortable with how things are going. It needs to be a step-by-step process," he says.
Reluctant managers may need some coaching or mentor help to get around their need for control.
If an employee doesn't want autonomy, they need to have a frank discussion with the manager.
"It might well be it is not a model that works in your situation or you might need some individual coaching."
Macky says one of the factors stopping some managers from adopting the approach of giving staff more responsibility is the management training here.
"People need training to give up the desire to control everything and to trust their own workers," he says.
"A lot of managers don't have that kind of trust.
"If managers learn how to trust, that opens the door to using these other strategies."
The obvious benefits should be an incentive to trust staff, but some managers are not prepared to take the risk.
When they face deadlines and targets, they don't want to risk outcomes by changing the way things are done even if academics and researchers are saying it can lead to higher retention and better productivity.
Taking such a risk is especially difficult in a tight business environment such as that predicted for the country or already being experienced by some businesses.
