Democracy in a nutshell
Sure we all heard of democracy. Mostly, this term appears in erhm, election?
However, from what I understand, democracy is maintained by giving decision-making power to the people. And not just "any" people. Your people.
We make sure they all feel respected. We all work in the same boat. It's their benefit to care of, too. Letting people know the direction means sharing the responsibility, and sharing the responsibility equals reducing the risk.
How we do that
Everything flows in a flat hierarchy. Unless it's confidential and we feel like there's no need to put all those pressure on the team, we want them to have power over what they do.
We hire people to tell us how to work better, instead of holding their hand showing them where to go. We need those who understand the problem at hand, and the will to resolve it. The decision-making power, by then, lies in the hand of those who do the work.
As long as it follows the 3x2 framework
- People x Customer x Number
- Now x Then
All the aspects are equal. Every business decision revolves around these things. A decision should benefit those aspects as much as possible. Keep asking yourself: Does this do anyone any favor? Is it possible to make a profit out of it? Can it be maintained?
It's about improvement. And it's okay if one or two of those aspects gets better. As long as the rest stay the same and don't get worse.
With encouragement
We encourage members to make decisions. Thinking independently generates original ideas and splendid ways to make them work. We want that. Plus, isn't it cool to come up with good stuff and see them turn into real impact? Unless it's a provoke for revolution, making impact sounds and feels pretty awesome.
Being able to make decision trains ourselves to accept responsibility with an open mind. Either it's a success or a failure, we move forward.
And the people. Engage them
Decision-making is a team thing. And team involves people.
3x2 doesn't allow you to make decisions in isolation. It requires you to seek information and advice from people around you. Seeking help doesn't take power away from you. It only makes the points more solid when you explain them afterward.
You'll be surprised at how those accumulated best knowledge can help in the long run. Data support can never go wrong. Advice provides insights. When we understand better, well, we do better.
But
To be honest, it doesn't work all the time. Because people are still scared of responsibility. I catch myself sometimes standing with hesitation in front of making any calls, mostly because I'm afraid I couldn't handle once the failure taps on my forehead. The best we can hope for is testing and testing. Until things get right on track.
In the event of raising ideas, better make sure there is a good reason behind. Answering the "why" instead of the "how." And any resolution should come with backup scenarios in case things go south.
