Does participative management surpass other leadership styles? Are you looking for effective ways to become a successful participative manager?
When traditional leadership styles may become irrelevant to the team's engagement and empowerment, the increase of participative management style can be a great gift that transforms the way leaders interact with their teams.
In this article, we explore the inspirational journey of participative managers, uncovering the qualities that make them exceptional and the impact they have on their teams and organizations.
Table of Contents
- Who is the participative manager?
- Why is the participative manager important?
- What are the types of participative managers?
- Become an inspirational participative manager: What to do?
- Key Takeaways
Who is the participative manager?
Somewhat falling between democratic and autocratic management styles is a participative manager. They don't either control the overall decision-making process or seek consensus from every employee for every decision.
They recognize the value of employee input and expertise while also acknowledging their own responsibility as leaders to provide guidance and make final decisions when necessary.
The best participative management example is participative managers who know which employees they should count on to ask for resolutions, and whether or not their skill sets meet the project’s needs.
Why is the participative manager important?
A participative management style has emerged as a catalyst for driving innovation, fostering employee engagement, and unlocking the full potential of organizations. Here are some benefits that participative managers bring to organizations:
#1. Embracing collaboration
Participative management stands on the foundation of collaboration, where leaders actively involve employees in the decision-making process. By embracing collaboration, participative managers tap into the diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences of their teams.
#2. Creating a culture of trust
At the heart of participative management lies a culture of trust which is like a glue that binds teams together. Participative leaders who embody this style prioritize open and transparent communication, creating an environment where employees feel safe to voice their ideas and concerns.
#3. Empowering through autonomy
Participative manager empowers employees by granting them autonomy and decision-making authority within their areas of expertise. They enable them to take ownership of their work, unleash their creativity, and contribute meaningfully to the organization's success, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction.
#4. Harnessing collective intelligence
In the participative management model, decisions are made collectively, drawing upon the collective intelligence of the team. By leveraging the diverse perspectives and insights of employees, participative managers can make well-informed decisions that consider a broader range of factors, which drives innovative, effective, and sustainable outcomes.
#5. Nurturing growth and development
The participative manager goes beyond day-to-day decision-making; it catalyzes individual growth and development. They regulate this style to invest in their employees' professional development, offering mentorship, training, and opportunities for skill enhancement.
#6. Enhancing organizational agility
In today's rapidly changing business landscape, agility is paramount. The participative manager promotes organizational agility by decentralizing decision-making and distributing decision authority to those closest to the information. This allows organizations to respond swiftly to market shifts, adapt to emerging trends, and seize opportunities in a timely manner.
What are the types of participative managers?
- Consultation style, the most widely used approach, refers to the process of looking for consults with employees before making decisions.
- A joint decision-making style occurs when participative managers obtain employee feedback and expect employees to discuss ideas freely and are held accountable for the choices their group makes.
- Employee-owned company style is a less popular choice of participative management style but has a strong impact on overall business performance. It refers to each employee having a direct stake in the company they work for.
Become an inspirational participative manager: What to do?
In a naturally participatory management style, leaders foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and encourage employees to actively engage in decision-making, problem-solving, and goal-setting processes.
If you are struggling to start managing and leading your team as a participative manager, here are several things you can do:
Share information with employees
A good management process should start with leaders providing employees with relevant information about the organization's goals, strategies, and challenges. This transparency helps employees understand the big picture and make informed contributions.
Consider multiple viewpoints
As a crucial part of the participatory management style, a manager can consider gathering different perspectives of every employee not only from your department but cross-departmental opinions are super valuable too. It can be whatever is related to policies, decisions, and solutions and what you believe to be the best ways to implement them.
Recuit people with leadership qualities
The most important part of participative management in HRM is the way companies hire talents that possess rich working experience and leadership qualities. To increase a productive environment, hiring managers should seek candidates who can handle their responsibilities without waiting for guidance from management.
Inspire original thinking
Building performance management through employee participation is important. It is a task of empowering individuals to think independently and express their unique ideas cultivates a culture of intellectual curiosity, motivation, and respect. It's about embracing the concept that each person from various backgrounds might perform a distinctive set of experiences, insights, and talents that can contribute to the collective success of the organization.
Arrange a time to exchange ideas and organize
In addition, not a team or company can be successful if they lack regular meetings and brainstorming sessions where employees share ideas, develop plans, and learn from each other. To maximize their impact, it's essential to create an inclusive and supportive environment and schedule where all team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas.
Offer training
Training with experts and skilled seniors is needed to facilitate employees' ability to make decisions or judgments that can benefit the company. Different types of training have different impacts on overall business performance and individuals and how to conduct effective and meaningful training is what leaders and HR-ers can't ignore.
Key Takeaways
No one is perfect, and nor the leadership style. You can only find out leadership style that performs both advantages and disadvantages in some situations.
Likewise, a participative manager can be a good choice in case of team members actively participate and contribute to decision-making processes. In the meanwhile, they are not good at handling highly complex or time-sensitive situations where immediate decisions are required.
Remember, flexibility and the ability to adjust leadership styles as needed in specific contexts are key attributes of effective leaders.
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Ref: Forbes | Indeed | OpenGrowth
