Autonomy in the workplace is easier to define by its inverse: micromanagement.
With overly prescriptive approaches to tasks, an overt focus on process rather than outcome, or helicopter-style check-ins, micromanagement can lead to employees who feel undervalued, distrusted or disrespected. Rather than treating an individual contributor’s work as a cog within someone else’s larger project, a culture of autonomy sees individual contributors truly as individuals, with their own skills to offer and preferences for how to operate day to day in their role.
Of course, there are projects that require a strict adherence to a specific set of tasks, but employees will be more alert to those occasions when they can complete the balance of their work in the way that works best for them.
In her book Dare to Lead, Brené Brown offers her research and solutions for teams hoping to create an autonomous and respectful work environment. Brown wrote, “If we want people to fully show up … so that we can innovate, solve problems, and serve people, we have to be vigilant about creating a culture in which people feel safe, seen, heard and respected.”
According to Joe Klos, director of engineering at AdCellerant, the company’s culture of autonomy includes structural elements around when and where their work gets done as well as offering opportunities for ownership over tasks, goal setting and a horizontal approach to sharing ideas and solutions.
But, Klos warns, building autonomy in the workplace isn’t just a one-and-done task.
“Just because autonomy is in place doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet,” he said. “To encourage continued autonomy, we celebrate and acknowledge our wins, allow for mistakes and equip employees with the ongoing tools to stay successful.”
Built In Colorado spoke with Klos to learn more about the lessons other managers can learn from AdCellerant’s empowering workplace culture.
AdCellerant is a technology and digital advertising company focused on making quality digital marketing accessible to every business.
What does autonomy at work mean to you?
When I think of autonomy at work, my mind goes to the concept of empowering employees to shape their work and allowing them to choose the environment where they perform their best. Autonomy could mean letting employees work from home, allowing flexible work schedules or giving the team a platform to pitch new ideas to the business. It can also mean providing ownership opportunities for projects, setting their own quarterly goals, budgeting for growth or the ability to attend conferences, classes and external trainings.
Our team operates on the “best idea wins” mentality. Ensuring that their voice is heard gives my team confidence to speak up and engage when policies or ideas are detrimental to the overall goal at AdCellerant.
How have you been able to build a satisfactory level of autonomy at your current employer?
Building autonomy in any business is not as simple as flipping a switch. Our first step was instilling a culture of trust. Autonomy will forever be a pipe dream if you don’t trust your employees.
To build that trust, we have clear communication standards, and everyone knows our organization’s goals. When the team understands what we are making, they can set their schedule and feel empowered to introduce creativity and innovation for ideas to help us get across the finish line and design their processes. For this to stick, we ensure our team has consistent support and feedback delivered, so they know they are on the right track.
Autonomy will forever be a pipe dream if you don’t trust your employees.”
How does leadership support you in finding the autonomy you need in your career?
I’ve mentioned that AdCellerant fosters a “best idea wins” mentality throughout the company. As a result, my executive team trusts me to make the right decisions to make sure my team receives proper feedback and continues to work toward our goal of bringing digital marketing solutions to Main Street businesses.
AdCellerant knows that for personal and professional growth to work effectively, we need to have a clear vision and purpose in our work. Our executive team is very transparent in setting expectations, moving aside to allow us to execute the plan and celebrating our wins with the whole company. The result is an infectious sense of empowerment. I get to go outside my comfort zone to try new things, learn from my mistakes and give the tools necessary to build something incredible.
