Does your organization use stoplights or roundabouts?

I recently had the opportunity to spend a month in Spain. I was surprised by how many traffic roundabouts I encountered while navigating different cities there. Not being used to roundabouts, at first I felt uneasy when one would appear. Even though I understood the rules, the roundabout traffic pattern required me to be more alert, present, and especially attuned to the intentions and behaviors of other drivers versus when I came across a basic stoplight.   

This reminded me of a professional experience I had years ago in an organization where stoplights were being used as a management technique rather than a signal for drivers. The leaders there apparently assumed that employees could not be trusted to make day-to-day decisions on their own. Instead, we needed to be told–constantly and definitively–what to do. I remember how this crushed my inspiration. I performed work in an automatic way without real intention, presence, or my usual passion. I noticed that my level of creativity diminished along with the desire to contribute new ideas. On the other hand, to some extent the environment felt (boringly) safe–after all, it was hard to make mistakes. I simply had to adhere to (micro-)management’s directions to stay in my proverbial lane.

By contrast, some organizations utilize roundabouts in their operating systems. The premise for this is that people should be trusted to apply their judgment about doing the right thing. In this frame, even complex problems can be managed with simple rules and agreements that create room for individual discretion while relying on trust and shared accountability for how productivity flows. It turns out that I’m not the only one who feels stifled and discouraged by management stoplights–research shows that when employees have a sense of autonomy, they are more engaged and satisfied at work and tend to stay longer in an organization.

Give your employees the right of way

While it may seem contradictory to emphasize individual choices in order to boost group results, giving employees space to practice their judgment also gives them opportunities to demonstrate their special value within a team. Individuals feel more fulfilled and motivated to perform at their best when they see themselves uniquely contributing in ways that matter to colleagues. These tips will encourage more autonomy among staff to increase collaboration and enhance inclusion for your organization: