When applied to the modern working environment, autonomy and discretion in the workplace are causing substantial changes not only in job quality but also in employee abilities and mindsets.
Promoting autonomy in the workplace is said to be key to building a creative and high-quality working environment, attracting and retaining talents, and fostering innovation. Is this true?
This post delves into the latest trend—autonomy at work—what it is, why it is important, how it is different from discretion, and how to properly apply it and prevent hazards.
目录：
什么是工作场所的自主权？
工作场所的自主性是指个人或实体独立行动的能力，不受外部控制或影响。这是根据自己的自由意志和行动采取行动和选择的能力。自主性经常与个人自由和自治联系在一起。
当人们在工作中缺乏独立性和决策权时，这就被称为职场自主权的缺失。他们可能受到严格的规定、僵化的程序和上级的持续监督。
工作中自治的流行例子之一是减少工作量和对总部高层管理人员的依赖，一项大工作有多个部门并且禁止专业化。公司应该允许每个部门能够处理其预算或战略。这意味着部门负责人可以请求和管理预算，而无需执行董事会的批准。这还意味着他们在部门内拥有不受限制的创造力和财务自主权。
工作场所的自由裁量权和自主权有什么区别？
Although both represent freedom in choice and judgment of action on any given issue, there is still a distinct difference between autonomy and discretion at work. The fact that employees have a certain autonomy at work does not mean that there are no limits. They can decide how they want to do their job as long as it’s in line with both the overarching organizational and team goals. Discretion is based on one’s understanding of a situation while taking into account relevant factors and constraints, somehow still leveraging some degree of guidance or direction from others.
发现工作场所自主权的重要性
Imagine being told how to do every task, when to do it, and even how to think about it. You have little to no room for personal judgment, creativity, or independent decision-making. This, in essence, is the feeling of lacking autonomy in the workplace. It is the main reason for hindering innovations and growth. In particular, employees who feel controlled and unable to contribute meaningfully can be demotivated, feel incapable, and micromanaged can erode their self-worth, and so on.
However, misunderstandings and overuse of autonomy at work are also important issues. Many employees take them as excuses to shirk responsibilities, neglect team collaboration, or miss the deadline. When employers fail to share clear expectations and guidelines, individual approaches can vary greatly, leading to inconsistencies in quality and output. They might also make mistakes that go unnoticed, leading to rework and delays.
因此，雇主在工作中建立和维持自主文化至关重要。那么，该怎么做呢？下一部分揭示了一些在工作场所培养自主权的有用技巧。
有效促进工作场所自主权的技巧
你如何在工作中表现出自主性？以下是领导者有效建立自主文化的一些重要建议。
1. 制定原则和政策
您可以创建一个框架，根据您的公司如何监管自主权来捍卫决策权、自主权以及与之相关的政策。
通过为公司的每个领域制定不同的政策，您可以让员工在无需干预的情况下解决问题、做出决策并监督他们的工作。
接下来，确保员工了解自治的界限和期望。
如果无法制定一般政策，可以提出额外的原则。这为最佳实践提供了指导，但不影响任何可能被视为限制性或完全不适合工作自主性的员工政策。如果沟通得当，原则可以像政策一样有效，同时也提供了探索新工作方式的机会。
2. 建立信任文化
公司应该是一个管理者和员工相互信任、遵守最后期限并以最高成本效益成功完成项目的地方。此外，流程应该透明。建立一种员工以价值观而非规则为指导的文化。
Because of this, it requires time and must be constructed from the ground up. An employee steps into your company on the first day. You ought to support an organizational culture that values accountability, trust, and respect, where workers are encouraged and guided rather than coerced or threatened into achieving goals.
3. 雇用合适的人
并非每个人都适合您的业务，也不是每个人都适合您的业务。
Ensure that the hiring process is thorough enough to result in workers who are not only excellent at their jobs but also fit in with the culture you are attempting to establish. Seek for individuals who possess experience and ease in a self-sufficient setting; people in whom you can place your confidence and who you know will deliver positive results. You can only create the workforce you want in this manner.
4.避免对自由裁量权和自主权之间的误解
自主性是指在不受外界指导或控制的情况下自行做出决定的能力。相反，自由裁量权是指在预定范围或指导方针内做出决定的能力。这两个概念并不相同，尽管它们有一些相似之处。交替使用这些术语可能会造成混淆和误解。
5. 给予员工必要的支持
激励员工不断进步。智力、经验和技能都是可以培养的；然而，仅仅因为某人有一份工作并不意味着他们应该停止努力提高工作水平。员工将受益于经验的增加以及情境判断和决策能力的提高。
当允许采用成长心态时，员工将努力变得更加专业并对所有任务的工作负责。出于多种原因，这一点至关重要，其中最主要的是职业道路的发展和员工忠诚度。
6.实施奖励和认可
To support and foster a culture of appreciation and recognition that will encourage employee discretion and autonomy in the workplace, consider implementing rewards and recognition that will allow you to engage your team with a variety of individual rewards. Encourage employees to put in their best effort every day at work by demonstrating to them that their contributions are valued by supervisors and coworkers. Employee engagement and retention will increase as a result.
常见问题
自主权的重要性是什么？
工作场所自主的好处使个人能够：
- 以他们独特的方式表达自己。
- 独立可以带来更具想象力和吸引力的语言使用。
- 自由裁量权和自主权应该并存，以保证正确的语言使用。
职场自治存在哪些问题？
当工作自主权增加时，决策活动会占用大量资源，从而导致可用于处理工作任务的资源减少。此时由于工作效率下降、个人工作压力增大，主观幸福感会下降。
此外，能力较弱的员工在独立工作时会感到目标不明确。因此，增加一些具体原则来支持员工的创作自由是合理的，但不要让一般的公司政策来支配他们的行为。
什么是过多的自主权？
在工作场所被赋予过多自主权的员工必须规划自己的工作量。这既是一种功能资源，也是一种消耗来源。因为在当今的工作场所，员工不仅被允许自己做决定，而且也被要求这样做。
参考： 内容权威
