Most leaders and employees want the same thing: a productive work environment where staff members are trusted, given minimal supervision and produce great work. Micro-managed employees are less motivated and flexibility on the job improves productivity. It’s simple. But just how easy is it to move beyond long-held views of workplace roles?
Experts agree that leaders who want to design an environment of innovation and creativity must honour autonomy and flexibility over dated beliefs on management. Liz Sebag-Montefiore, cofounder and Director of 10Eighty, offered a rundown of practical advice aimed at employers for The Undercover Recruiter.
A key component, Montefiore says: encourage staff to explore.
Some large companies allow employees to spend time working on projects outside of their assigned role, a move that breeds innovation and attracts high-quality applicants. She looks to 3M Corporation, now empowering employees with 15 per cent of their time allotted for developing their own ideas. Beyond boosting creativity
and innovation, the autonomy is aimed at improving morale and increasing output.
The freedom to choose and manage projects builds employee accountability and time management skills that benefit the company. Dubbed “daylighting,” the sidework during working hours is an investment in well-rounded employees, Montefiore says, but not at the cost of company objectives. Another commandment of change: embrace failure. Demonstrate that the goal of this work is the work itself; there is no expectation of an outcome. More curiosity spells more experimentation and a broader definition of success.
If transforming company culture has some employers wondering exactly where to begin, start simple: be more flexible. Reassessing desk time and office hours is an easy first step to designing an innovative work environment. Montefiore backs her advice with a 2014 Economist article arguing that since knowledge workers have few metrics for output, time spent at a desk is seen as a sign of productivity and loyalty.
Aisha Gani, columnist for The Guardian, perfectly sums up the millennial view of desk time and the need for flexibility.
“Presenteeism doesn’t make sense to people used to working on the move,” Gani writes. “Why be anchored to your desk for eight hours when you can reply to those emails and start drafting notes during your commute into work, or even in a café? That’s not laziness, that’s just working smarter, as millennials may see it.”
