The Desire for Decentralization at Work
More employees want the startup vs corporate experience at work
Two of the drivers of the Great Resignation are the desire to create more work-life balance and the employee’s need to feel like their work and life matters. It’s telling that these two deep desires were not being met in the workplace before the pandemic caused so many to reevaluate their life and work.
As I’ve coached with many professionals in various fields, one topic keeps coming up: the longing to return to a smaller, more tight-knit team; i.e., the startup feel versus the corporate feel at work. The centralized, corporate structure demotivates them while a more decentralized structure invigorates them.
Over and over again, I’ve heard professionals talk about how they loved their work when they felt like they were part of a small upstart team aiming for success. But as their company grew, and became more corporate, they lost that sense of belonging and against-the-odds camaraderie.
It’s a very common tale in the workplace, but in the current environment it’s driving an exodus of staff to new opportunities. So how can conscious leaders address this concern? Here are a few ideas:
Get to know the genuine career desires and personal motivations of each team member.
In a hierarchical corporate structure, the lowest on the totem pole feel detached from purpose and struggle to connect their work to outcomes that matter. This is why understanding the unique needs and motivations of each team member is essential. Everyone wants the chance to grow and experience success. How is that path forward made clear in the context of a larger corporate structure?
This can be accomplished through individual conversations, assessments, and coaching. Consider equipping your managers with coaching skills and hiring outside coaches to help your employees share their unique desires and get the professional development they need to grow.
Create smaller teams within your larger company structures.
Sometimes teams can grow so large that members feel like they are a cog in a large machine. The key is to keep teams small and agile enough that they have the autonomy they need to achieve their goals and each member feels connected to each other and a higher purpose or goal.
Consider hiring a coach to help with team-building for both individuals and the team (group coaching). This will help the team gel, while also addressing the individual needs of team members so they can contribute to the health of the overall team.
Consistently check-in with both individuals and teams.
Don’t assume that just because you’ve addresses individual motivations and structured your teams well that it you can go on autopilot. Like any living, thriving entity, you’ll need to consistently ensure individuals and their teams are flourishing.
This may require anonymous feedback through surveys. Or bringing in a coach or consultant to prompt authentic feedback necessary to help the team grow. The feedback may not always be pleasant, but it will help you assess whether your teams are genuinely growing, or heading for the exit.
This is a time of great change for employers and employees. It requires conscious leadership that is empathetic and creative. You may find your own unique ways to address expansion and the employee desire for connection within smaller teams. We’re entering a new era of work, so don’t be afraid to lean into new ways of trying things that will maximize your team’s happiness and your organization’s success.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
Contact her to develop your conscious leadership and transform your organization into the workplace of the future.
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