How to Encourage Autonomy Within Your Company

In the previous article, we explained how autonomy can achieve what micromanaging never will. In this article, we will explain the steps to encourage autonomy within your organisation.

Here are some tips for leaders who want to promote autonomy:

1. Know your task as a manager.

As a manager, your task is to lead people, not manage tasks. You must work through others to accomplish a mission.

​2. Start small. 

Promising full autonomy and then cutting back on “freedom” not only backfires,  but it also erodes trust and credibility. It’s always better to surprise than to promise too many things.

3. Set expectations up front.

For every project, be transparent on what you want to achieve and on the rules of engagement.

• What’s the mission?

• How much accountability will the team have?

• Will they need to check in with you at certain stages?

If you have doubts or fears, share those with your team. Change is navigating uncertainty. People expect leaders to be honest, not to be perfect.

4. Patience

It takes time for a team to turn into a high-performing tribe. At first, people turn into "dictators" as they have more power. Through time, they'll find balance. Prepare for some chaos at the beginning of the process.

5. Reframe mistakes as learning moments. 

We learn through trial and error. Create a habit of turning errors into lessons. Employees openly and freely share mistakes because they understand that though mistakes come and go, learning is forever.

6. Encourage collective autonomy. 

Providing people with more freedom to express themselves and make choices doesn’t mean they’ll do what they want. It’s always about what’s better for the team, not for a specific individual.

7. Concentrate on the mission. 

Leading change by delegating authority includes defining the desired result, putting a team in charge, and letting them create a way to get there. Challenge your team to discover a way to cross the river rather than ordering them to build a bridge.

8. Focus on accountability, not just goals.

 Autonomy and accountability are two sides of the same coin. Expectations for each role must be clear and aligned with the distributed authority. In Holacracy, a self-management practice, accountability usually starts with an -ing verb to convey that it’s an ongoing activity (and not a one-time project or action).

9. Set level expectations. 

Clarity is important. Educate your team on the power of autonomy and how to implement it throughout your company. Most importantly, concentrate on the why: What are you trying to achieve?

10. Clarify your rules. 

Most companies develop their policies with a micromanagement mindset. Take a close look at both your employee handbook and the unwritten rules you mention in meetings.

• Is everything forbidden unless it is permitted?

• Or is it everything allowed unless it’s forbidden?

The CEO of General Motors narrowed down its dress code policy to just two words: “dress accordingly.”

11. Get your team involved. 

Encouraging autonomy with a top-down strategy would be ironic. Your team should be involved from the start, especially when setting up expectations, describing the problems that needed to be fixed, and aligning on the ideal result.

Early involvement not only minimises resistance and noise down the line, but it also promotes ownership.

Source: TLNT

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