Employee Involvement

Employee involvement has always been of paramount importance to all great managers out there. We all want to involve as many people as possible in our projects which we are passionate about. But the problem is, how do we involve people in the right way? By giving all the decision rights to them is more of an impulsive move than a shrewd one.




Here, we will discuss the possible scenarios which we should allow the employees to make the decisions along with the top management.



1: The problem is novel and complex, full of uncertainties and never seen before or has very little experience with. With more people present, there will be a broader perspective on the issue and people can constantly debate about it until a synergistic solution is produced and agreed by all unanimously.



2: Source of knowledge is required from the employees. The idea here is to make use of the employees to fill up the gaps because they are the people at the frontline of the operations of the company. Top management executives are merely looking through their glass window at the top floor and they only make use of one sense that is the sense of sight.



3: Decision commitment is a problem sometimes because some employees simply will not work because they feel that the decision is flawed and that they do not want to do it against their will. Management who refuse to listen might compel these workers to quit or even go on strikes.



4: Risk of conflict is a pertinent issue too. There is simply no point in discussing issues with someone whom you know that is going to rebut you constantly. You will not go anywhere with that kind of person. Therefore, it is better to make the decisions yourself. Nonetheless, it is best to sit down and talk to him beforehand to highlight each other’s concerns because you guys are working together.

Now, let’s move on to the benefits if you were to involve the employees in your decision.

More often or not, we identify a problem quicker than the executives because we are de facto in constant contact with these problems identified. If the management listens to us, they can probably avert a disaster ahead which will definitely come about in no time because of negligence.



Also, upon notice of the problem and acknowledgement by the top management, employees will spread the news like wildfire. It is even faster than the executives themselves. Note how fast gossips spread in the office and you can measure the speed of transmission of messages across offices.



In addition, the quality of the solution will definitely be of a higher degree of standard because the employees are actively involved. When they are involved, they feel committed to the problem, meaning to say, it is now their problem as well. With that kind of attitude in mind, people will work side by side the management until the problem is solved. They are just as worried as the management is because now they are involved in it and they will not want to leave it unsolved. This is the kind of scenario that many companies hope to achieve.



Ultimately, when many plausible and feasible solutions are derived and concerted by all, it is time to choose the best one that will most likely work in the real world. This is the point in time where everyone gathers and discusses on the same level since everyone knows what is happening because everyone is involved in this. Research has shown that when people know what is happening, they make far better and smarter decisions at the end.



So bosses out there, listen to your employees even though what they say are not sweet talks because problems are definitely going to hurt. But nonetheless, once you see it, it no longer hurts as much as when you missed it and let it mutate to a more perplexing one.