“Control leads to compliance; Autonomy leads to engagement.” ––Daniel Pink
Workplace autonomy is changing the way we approach work traditionally. Greater autonomy is proven to increase job satisfaction and employee motivation. A traditional workplace hierarchy only allows for autonomy at higher levels but newer organizational structures such as holacracy and flatter organizations have introduced autonomy at all levels. Similarly many companies also have autonomous teams that have the freedom to take decisions without depending on higher management. Greater autonomy benefits employees, managers, and the company on the whole. As the worker demographics are shifting with more millennials in the workforce, increasingly employees look for jobs with greater autonomy. Let’s take a deeper look into what it means and how it may benefit employees and companies.
What is Autonomy?
Workplace autonomy or freedom is the power to shape one’s work and environment in a way that maximizes productivity. It gives a person a degree of control over their work environment, particularly as it relates to their goals. It can mean control over tasks, pace of work, office hours, and generally means freedom from continuous supervision and micromanagement. In other words, workplace freedom is the freedom of employees to decide what they work on and how.
An autonomous workplace gives employees the discretion and independence to choose and schedule their work as well as decide how it should be done. People often feel stifled in a conventional work structure. One study reported that 34 percent of workers fear negative consequences from speaking openly. An autonomous work culture gives employees the freedom and confidence to perform at their best.
Misconceptions about Autonomy
There are many misconceptions around the concept of workplace autonomy. Most managers in a traditional workplace hierarchy fear that autonomy might equal anarchy and poor employee performance. In fact this couldn’t be further from the truth. Autonomy does not mean a complete absence of rules and regulations. It does not mean that no work will be done because no one is watching over. What it does mean however is that employees can have the freedom to decide how to do their best work without a complete removal of accountability, rules, and proper processes. Employees are still responsible and accountable for their work. They still need guidelines and processes. Autonomy is actually more about empowering employees to give their best output. Denying employees the independence to take ownership of their work and projects is actually what contributes to poor performance.
Another misconception is that autonomy equates to poor leadership or that autonomy is needed by workers if the leadership they require from managers is lacking. However, giving the employees a measure of freedom and discretion is in fact a mark of effective leadership as autonomy fosters employee engagement and boosts creativity, innovation, and ultimately productivity.
Workplace autonomy does not mean that employees work in isolation and without collaboration. It also does not mean that employees do whatever they want whenever they please. In a truly autonomous workplace culture managers set clearly defined boundaries around what the employees have control over. Supervisors and managers give out clear guidance in addition to establishing standard procedures to facilitate the employees.
Leaving people to figure out the tasks entirely on their own is not autonomy but poor leadership. Most employees don’t want to be left alone and appreciate clear guidelines and directions. It’s also important to define and communicate expectations. Essentially autonomy is giving your employees what they need to perform well at their jobs and the freedom to accomplish their goals as they see fit. According to renowned business leader Jack Welch, “Place the best people for the best opportunities and to properly distribute the monies to the right places. That’s all. Communicate your ideas, distribute the resources and get out of the way.”
Benefits of Autonomy
Joan F. Cheverie, manager of professional development programs at IT nonprofit EDUCAUSE writes, “Autonomy is the antithesis of micromanagement.” Workplace autonomy can prove to be the best way for a company to ensure that their employees are happy. There are many other benefits associated with autonomy at the workplace.
- Job satisfaction
Autonomy at workplace has a direct impact on workers’ job satisfaction. With autonomy comes satisfaction with the job and that improves employee productivity. A study on healthcare workers in Taiwan surveyed nearly 1400 people and found that the more autonomy workers had, the greater their job satisfaction and lower the likelihood of transferring or leaving their job.
- Employee engagement
Workplace autonomy allows employees to have a sense of engagement with their work. They feel connected with their job and their organization and therefore are more likely to stay with a company. Lack of autonomy is a contributing factor to many employees seeking a better place somewhere else.
- Happiness and wellbeing of employees
A University of Birmingham study showed that employees who had more autonomy at work had a greater sense of well being and job satisfaction. Employees benefit greatly from more control over their tasks and schedule. They feel more positive about their work and are able to enjoy it.
- Quality of work
According to sociologist Georges Friedman the quality of work depends on the skills and the employee’s ability to make decisions at work.
- Feeling valued
Sociologist Robert Blauner reported that workplace autonomy is closely related to occupational prestige and satisfaction. Autonomy at workplace helps employees find meaning in their work.
- Motivation and Productivity
According to the theory of job design, a psychological theory on motivation, greater autonomy at work leads to employees having a greater sense of responsibility towards their work goals. This increases the level of motivation and hence leads to better productivity. Greater autonomy also lets employees make optimum use of their unique personal traits to improve job performance.
- Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is the drive to perform an activity for its own sake when the satisfaction or enjoyment from doing the work becomes the reward itself. Unlike externally regulated motivation where people are forced or pressured to perform an activity out of fear or guilt, intrinsic motivation is internally driven. Lack of autonomy can eradicate any intrinsic motivation for work. According to Self Determination Theory of human motivation, states that the spectrum of motivation is moderated by autonomy and that intrinsic motivation is only possible with autonomy. Put simply it means that people can only enjoy an activity if they have the freedom to do it on their own.
- Reduced fatigue
Increasing autonomy has been shown to counteract symptoms of occupational burnout such as exhaustion and cynicism. According to the Job Demands Resources model of employee wellbeing, autonomy or job control counterbalances job strain and improves motivation. A study on 555 nurses suggests that greater autonomy enhances intrinsic motivation and in case of increasing job demands increased autonomy can reduce fatigue.
- Employee Health
A study of Best Buy employees showed that employees who had the freedom to adjust their work schedules and patterns reported getting one more hour of sleep. They were also found to have better sleep quality, higher levels of energy, better health, and reduced stress.
- Learning
Autonomy is a key factor in facilitating learning. Without the freedom to explore outside a rigid work boundary, employees are less likely to take on new responsibilities and learn new skills.
- Work life balance
Workplace autonomy means that employees have the freedom to choose flexible working hours and work from home. This can lead to better work life balance as employees can better manage their domestic responsibilities along with work.
In view of these advantages, workplace autonomy is a powerful leadership approach.
