The paradox of being self-directed at work
It needs to be intentionally designed, supported and encouraged
The CEO of a small social impact start-up told me at the start of my assignment with them, that she wanted to build her organization with people who can be trusted to deliver, be self-generating, take charge of their own learning and growth and be engaged with how the organization is progressing. She didn’t really know much about Daniel Pink’s theory of motivation but merely wanted her team to focus on delivering on their purpose and aims and less on creating rules and micro managing.
It got me thinking about ‘autonomy’ one of the three factors of motivation; i.e. Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose popularized by Daniel Pink. Autonomy is interpreted as an innate desire to direct our own lives, have a say and participate in matters that affect us or what we call to be ‘self-directed’. The dictionary defines ‘self-directed’ as (of a person) showing initiative and the ability to organize oneself or (of an activity) under one’s own control.
We all like some choice in our lives and are willing to accept that sometimes we may not have things go our way, but play along as long as we know that by and large we get to have a say. This is true whether it’s in our families, schools, and communities or at work. In the context of a business, this autonomy exists within the purpose or mission and core principles of the business, the aims of the team we work with and the role we play in the team(s). We usually want to have a say within this context.
Does innate desire to have autonomy automatically translate into self-directed behavior at work given the opportunity? Do we come factory equipped to be self-directed irrespective of our environmental influences?
I believe that our personality, upbringing and culture influence our ability and confidence to be self-directed at work. To be self-directed at work we need the right people, systems, processes and practices that support and encourage it. It needs to be intentionally designed into the system.
Being self-directed is not just something individuals desire but firms want too like this social start-up. Basecamp, a tech firm hires people to be ‘managers of one’ as they call it. Basically, wanting their staff to be able manage at least one person, i.e. themselves. Self-managed individuals figure out what needs to be done and do it, take initiative and make improvements. They have managers who mostly moonlight as managers, because they also have roles beyond just managing. This is Basecamp’s hiring and people strategy. It works for them; that doesn’t mean it will work for others.
This isn’t about not having managers or a hierarchy. Self-directed employees can take directions, will need some direction and often work with a manager. What the CEO of this social start-up has asked for, are individuals who need less micro-managing so the team can focus on the task and outcomes.
A workplace of empowered adults
Relationships at work can often take on the parent — to — child transaction (from Eric Berne’s Parent — Child — Adult states) whether this is between a leader and team member or even in other relationships like with HR. A more self-directed workplace to me would establish workplace transactions as adult — to — adult. Adult to adult interactions would focus more on collective problem solving rather than calling on someone to judge and punish. We would all be called upon to support and care for each other as humans rather than thrust the role of a caregiver or parent onto the leader or a function like HR or any other support function.
Similarly a workplace of more self-directed people will see less of the persecutor — victim — rescuer dynamic (the Karpman Drama Triangle) and more of creator — coach — challenger (from the Empowerment Triangle or Winner’s Triangle) being played out. You can find a neat image of the two triangles being flipped on each other here.
In a self-directed workplace I would imagine team members being self-generative, but also vulnerable enough to ask for help. I would imagine teams having operational roles like the coach (more about team roles in another blog) to support and guide each other. As stated in the diagram of the Empowerment Triangle above, self-directed people are being called to demonstrate skills in problem solving, listening and assertiveness to focus more on delivering on tasks and outcomes; moving away from drama toward potential. A self-directed workplace will be a group of empowered adults who accept responsibility for their own position, are curious, caring and supportive problem solvers.
Note: I acknowledge that I have simplified what reality could look like in our interactions. Intention and perceptions can be vastly different. But let’s at least start with intention.
Designing for self-direction
The growing need for simple structures, decentralized control, distributed and remote working makes self-directed employees the norm than the exception. What if in your industry or society you can’t hire for fully developed self-directed talent? How can an early stage enterprise design itself to encourage more self-directed behavior?
The education sector has advocated for self-directed learning for a long while. Similarly, psychologists today are populating online platforms by providing people with sometimes in-depth knowledge and tools to self-manage their lives, while also building a community of support. Not surprisingly, governance systems like Sociocracy, which has its roots in education, encourages a more self-directed approach to work. Many of the elements of the Sociocratic model push for more input and ownership from employees. That said, whichever governance practices you adopt, in order to support and nurture self-directed behavior you would need to intentionally design processes and practices around
a. Personal development and growth
b. Decision making
c. Speaking up, consultation and participation
d. Feedback loops
e. Roles in team, i.e. role of team leader and other support roles and
f. Hiring — ensuring hiring process bring in people who have experience or at least the desire and potential to be self-directed.
I hope to write more around each of these topics in my stories in the future. I would like to end by saying that if a self-directed employee has to thrive in a workplace; the organization needs to be holistically designed to support more autonomy. The firm will need to intentionally design policies, processes and practices that teach, support and encourage everyone to be more engaged rather than compliant. It’s paradoxical, that, to be self-directed you need support from others. Well, we always knew no person is an island!
