How to Use Self-Management to Create a Better Workplace

Did you know highly organized ant colonies – sometimes numbering in billions – have no leadership? Despite this, the ant colony community is so advanced, effective and purpose-driven that notable companies like Southwest Airlines , Air Liquide and others have used their behaviour to solve complex business challenges.

Ants are self-managed. They self-manage themselves based on the rhythms and connections in their environment. In a human equivalent, these connections could be the rate of others working nearby and what is seen/heard in their area. Provided there is a common purpose for every person involved in the task, no defined leadership is needed to accomplish it. Examples of institutions that successfully implemented self-management are L.W. Gore & Associates , Zappos , The Morning Star Company and Treehouse .?

A quiet revolution of “self-management” swept over in 2020, driven by the push to remote work. Within a short period, millions went from face time with colleagues to holding zoom calls with managers and forcing the majority to be the “manager of me”.?

Fast forward to today, the global experiment was successful as most self-managers thrived. But, of course, there are potholes in this road, just like any other, as some employees are not motivated enough to self-manage. And with companies going overboard with surveillance and micromanagement, people reach the point of resignation, which does not help.

Employees need a simple way to gauge how they are doing at any given moment to self-manage sustainably. It should be as easy as checking the weather forecast.

We admit that self-management can be confusing as it involves so many parts that are hard to keep track of. And often, these changes happen while you are required to carry out your tasks as always, which can be overwhelming. But, if done right, it is especially beneficial to the productivity of an organization.

What is self-management?

In today’s increasingly complex work environments, it is paramount, to know how to manage your time, resources and actions to keep up with the work demands.?

Self-management at the workplace refers to the ability to work independently and fulfil your job expectations without needing motivation or supervision. To self-manage yourself successfully at the workplace, you need to have a vision of what the organization expects you to deliver and the freedom to meet those expectations on your terms, however, you think is best.?

To have strong self-management skills, first, you need to understand the specificity of your role and how best you can contribute to the company to help achieve desired outcomes.?

Importance of self-management in the workplace

Employers often look forward to having employees who show accountability and take ownership of their actions. After all, every employer dreams of achieving high levels of coordination without a supervisory structure.?

Employees with significant management skills tend to be more successful at work while staying productive and autonomous, reducing workplace friction. They are usually better able to manage their work, thoughts and emotions well, which is good for business.?

Advocating self-management is critical when, as an employer, you are considering empowering employees to be more creative, innovative and resourceful. When every person on the team is aware of their responsibilities, goals and what it takes to achieve them, they can make better decisions and do their part to the highest level of justification.?

Benefits of self-management

Being better in control of what you think and do can have benefits that extend well beyond the workday.?

Some of them are-

· Use skills and experience outside the specified remit (or job title)

· Increased discretion over their work (self-managed teams are more fluid in hierarchical teams) can lead to greater motivation and improved performance.?

·?Complement each other's skills at work.

·?Team leaders can act more strategically, resulting in purposeful development.

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Self-management vs micro-management

One of the most challenging parts of leadership is figuring out how to get your company, team or fellow team to work without constant interference.?

Micromanagement is a way of management whereby a manager micromanages or monitors and assesses every step of a business process and avoids delegation of decisions. It usually has a negative connotation, mainly due to the lack of freedom in the workplace. Often, a micromanager requires constant and detailed performance feedback and focuses excessively on procedural nonsense (often in detail bigger than they can process) rather than on overall performance, quality and results. This results in "low-level" drivel, delayed decisions, clouded overall goals and objectives, restricted flow of information between employees, and misguided directions in the various aspects of a project.

While executives do enjoy many aspects of management and leadership, they do not want to spend every minute giving specific directions or checking in.

Instead, you want to create an environment where everyone is capable, self-motivated, and accountable for their work and duties. But how do you reverse the need for micromanagement and help your team or employees help themselves??

By implementing the concept of self-management!

Businesses and employers do not have the time or resources to carry employees who cannot keep on top of their own time and complete their work without being reminded. Employers invariably prefer employees who have high self-awareness and can align their ambitions with the company. They trust Employees who hone self-management skills as they can make a call or decision when required .

Self-management is the management of your workflow and productivity in the workplace without a supervisor. Self-management abilities encompass your capacity to plan and organize your career and take responsibility for upgrading your qualifications. These skills help you to manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviour.?

The best and most successful businesses are headed by driven people who understand what needs to be done and how crucial it is to accomplish it.

Steps to implement self-management in the workplace

Although self-management is an individual pursuit, organizations can—and should—support the development of these skills

Some steps to implement self-management in the workplace are –?

Focussing on enablement?

Self-management of an employee largely depends on their direct manager’s attitude towards it. Great managers listen to diagnose what their employees need and work to ensure they have the right tools and access to complete the work. To help employees become better at self-management, focus on enablement rather than control.?

Setting clear objectives and expectations

Often, in workplaces, expectations and objectives are vague or completely absent. An employee must know the goals and expectations of an organization to develop assertive self-management skills because he cannot deliver if he does not know the results he is supposed to deliver on

Utilization of development tools to create transparency

Employee development tools help create a pathway for employees, providing them with clear goals and expectations and nudging them towards future growth.?

Creating a culture and atmosphere of safety?

Employees are more likely to take small risks to build their self-management skills when they feel safe in the workplace. Lack of safety stifles employee growth due to the absence of certainty or autonomy they need to manage themselves.

?Final comments

The purpose of creating a self-managed team is not to eliminate the need for management or executives but to put their skills to better use.

Slowly creating this shift will help your employees, whether self-managed or not, acclimate to their new expectations. You will be surprised how many people flourish without micromanagement and thereby be able to focus on what you are best at growing the business.?