Our work behaviors are constantly evolving, and management has also undergone a number of changes in recent years. While the directive style was very much in the majority, we are witnessing the emergence of participatory management. Here we will explain to you what it consists of and detail its main principles. You will see that it offers a lot of advantages to employees and company managers, provided that it is implemented correctly. We will give you our valuable advice to do this in good conditions.
What is participatory management?
Definition
The participatory management refers to a decision-making and problem solving process in which employees are fully involved. It is opposed to very hierarchical or pyramidal management, in which all decisions are made by management and managers.
We also use the term Management bottom-up to talk about participatory management. This literally means “from the bottom up” and therefore incorporates the idea that it is the employees located “at the bottom of the ladder” who make decisions.
What this means in practice in business
In fact, this type of management promotes vertical and horizontal dialogue, since it allows problems to be discussed as a team. He iIncorporate employees directly in decisions at multiple levels, and makes it possible to share responsibility for successes and failures.
Managers often take on the role of facilitator of discussion and distribute the floor between the various employees so that everyone can provide solutions and give their opinion. To do this, they use appropriate tools and methods.
The main principles of bottom-up management
To effectively implement participatory management within a company, you must respect certain main fundamental principles.
Mobilization and involvement
Mobilization is certainly the most important principle of participatory management. Indeed, it is necessary to include and empower all your employees, including those who do not occupy management positions.
Everyone can bring their own skills. Pooling them allows the organization to achieve a collective objective.
Delegation of decision-making power
This means making employees the most Autonomous possible. They must be able to work in their own way, without being forced to operate too strictly. This reinforces their investment and makes them more responsible for the results that are expected.
Communication
It is essential in any business, but becomes crucial when it comes to bottom-up management. Information must flow effectively between managers, managers, and all other employees. This prevents misunderstandings and reduces the risk of conflicts.
Key stakeholders should have all the information they need at their disposal, especially when the responsibility for an action falls on their team.
Self-control devices
Always with the aim of empowering employees, everyone can set up self-regulation or cross-control systems. These can be individual or collective.
The idea behind this is to consider that the people affected by a problem are the best qualified to solve it. In theory, management should only intervene as a last resort, if employees are unable to manage the situation.
Personal development
Finally, it is important to help managers and employees develop their Soft Skills, such as listening and communication skills. These are really useful in the context of setting up participatory management in companies.
The advantages and disadvantages of this type of management
The indisputable advantages
Bottom-up management offers a number of advantages, both for companies and for their employees.
An increase in employee engagement
Giving employees more decision-making power and responsibility increases their commitment to their structure. It also makes it possible to increase their productivity and develop their creativity. They are in fact regularly led to think of solutions by themselves through collective intelligence.
The well-being and development of employees
The fact of being solicited, Listened and valued allows employees to feel better about their work environment. Participatory management also limits the tensions that may exist within executive hierarchies. Dialogue is encouraged and employees benefit greatly from it.
The development of a strong employer brand
Setting up bottom-up management also makes it possible to make your company attractive andattract the attention of numerous talents. This is an element attesting to a strong and value-filled corporate culture.
Candidates increasingly tend to look for organizations that value them, listen to them and give them responsibilities. It is therefore an asset for you.
Greater loyalty
Offering your employees a pleasant work space in which they are valued increases their commitment, but also allows you to lower your turnover rate. This allows you both to reduce your costs (recruitment, integration, reception, etc.), but also to develop the skills of your talents internally.
Some limitations to take into account
Even if the advantages are quite numerous, participatory management has some limitations.
Decisions that can take time
The first one that can be noted is that of time. Discussing, listening to and taking into account the opinions of different employees is necessarily more time-consuming than applying a directive chosen by a single person. In a crisis situation, this type of management can be very limited, especially when the situation requires decisions to be taken quickly.
A necessary investment
As we have just seen, it is sometimes essential to invest both time and resources to set up this type of management. This can therefore be expensive, since the time invested in thinking is not used for production. Some tools may also be required.
We chose to talk about investment and not cost, because the time spent to find compromises can be partly offset by higher employee productivity. They are the ones who choose the solutions they want to implement and are responsible for them. These are generally in line with their skills and motivations: they are both productive and committed to applying them.
So you can think of bottom-up management as an investment of time, which pays for itself in the long term. It may seem time-consuming at first, but it's not when you look at the whole process.
Some keys to implementing participatory management in your company
Going step by step
Setting up this type of management cannot be improvised and must be done little by little. The first thing to do is to make team managers aware of its benefits. They must also be trained and supported: they have an essential role to play, especially in communicating with employees. It is also up to them to gradually lead them towards autonomy.
It's also important to give enough information to everyone in your organization. This allows everyone to better understand their role and what it involves.
Trusting employees
This is sometimes a difficult stage for business leaders and yet, it is absolutely essential in participatory management. By granting trust in your employees, you allow them to express their creativity, and you give yourself a chance to produce innovation.
Transparency is necessary and must be universal so that everyone has the same level of information.
Use participatory management tools
You can deploy tools to implement participatory management. Among the best known are brainstorming, the idea box or the use of corporate social networks.
To allow each employee to invest in projects that are important to them and that are innovative, you can also set up a participatory budgeting through Teamstarter, allowing your employees to implement their initiatives in a frugal and collective manner. It gives them recognition and engages them in a way that is different from usual.
Setting up participatory management in companies has many advantages, both for employees and organizations. However, if your employees are used to very hierarchical management, you must implement the change very progressively. Tools can help you do this with peace of mind. Finally, our last piece of advice is to trust your employees. Generally, they give back to you by investing more at your side.
Find out how bottom-up management and governance can harmonize.
This white paper provides you with a status Commitment figure collaborators, Analyze the issues related to governance and bottom-up management, and you guide in setting up of a participatory management model in line with your vision and the challenges of your company. ⬇️
Create the employee experience of tomorrow with Teamstarter
With Teamstarter, make your employees actors in your company. Thanks to a monthly budget that you allocate to them, they can propose or co-finance initiatives. Therefore, engage your teams for the long term by allowing them to act in a concrete way. Break down silos and free everyone's ideas with our collaborative solution that promotes initiative and cohesion.
Your employees are supported by our coaches in order to promote the frugality of their projects and to facilitate implementation. The projects are co-supported, thus strengthening cohesion. Your employees share their projects internally and externally: an asset for your employer brand !
Learn more about our business space.
Sommaire
