Why do I believe that having trust, ownership, and autonomy at the workplace is conducive to a healthy work culture? I was listening to some content recently and thought of how autonomy is not necessarily what we are after. It’s a means to an end. When we have autonomy at the workplace, we feel like we have independence. That we can make our own decisions. And yes, that’s true. However, when everyone has autonomy with no or little structure and systems in place, then that autonomy can actually backfire. If we look at it from a quadrant’s perspective, then on one axis we have the spectrum of Autonomy to Dependence; and on the other axis we have Systems vs No Systems.
Dependence x No Systems = Inefficient Chaos
Autonomy x No Systems = Chaos
Dependence x Systems = Inefficient
Autonomy x Systems = Self-Reliance
So I believe that autonomy is crucial to having a healthy work culture, but without the right systems in place, it could be detrimental because employees can get fatigued. This is caused by not understanding the whys, hows, and whens, and wheres, so so much time is spent on that that we can’t spend as much energy as we’d like on the whats.
Lot of it is built on trust. If I can’t trust the people that I work with, then why work with them. If I believe that my career is a way for me to be a better person, then the organization is a way of me to build trust with others. Hmm, that is ironic. That business these days is seen as an untrustworthy place. Where people are in it for their own selfish interests. That someone says something to you and then say something behind your back to others. How can trust be built like that? Then when people lose trust in their coworkers, they lose trust in other areas of their life. With the rest of their friends, maybe even family, future jobs, etc. It’s not just about a work culture at that point. It’s about being trustworthy people.
Ownership is seen as something that we get to own. But there’s also a spectrum here. From apathy and indifference to balanced ownership and leadership to attachment and possessiveness. It has to be aligned and balanced in between the apathy and possessiveness. Because if you don’t feel compelled to do any of your work, then you’re just wasting your potential. If you have possessiveness, then you’re so attached to whatever you’re working on that you defend that with your life. Even when the success of the company is at stake. You lose sight of the larger picture.
Hmm, even with trust, isn’t that just the external manifestation of faith? Trust is a result of faith. Faith is the leading indicator. Trust is the lagging indicator. Faith that the best for you and everyone is naturally unfolding with ease. When that faith is the natural state, then you allow these different things like balanced ownership and self-reliance to emerge effortlessly. When you have that unquestioned faith — the what — the trust — the how — will show itself.
So with these three words and how they relate to a healthy work culture, let’s modify them. Have unwavering faith, balanced leadership, and self-reliance. Then a healthy work culture will naturally happen. It’s up to the leaders to champion that. But since everyone is a leader, anyone can do that!
[No picture this time, didn't journal it first]
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