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When to Tell Versus Ask
"Let him who would be moved to convince others, be first moved to convince himself."
Thomas Carlyle
During the beginning of the industrial revolution in the United States and through the 1960's many employers believed that their employees should "check" their brains at the door in the morning because they would not be needing them during the workday. The reason worker's did not need to think or problem solve was because their boss knew all the jobs and would tell them exactly what to do and when to do it.
It was during the late 1960's and early 1970's that many U.S. employers began following what the Japanese had been doing for years....bringing their employees together to help solve problems that the boss could no longer solve alone. These groups of problem-solving employees were called Quality Circles and they became the catalyst for teams in the United States. The idea of asking your employees for their thoughts, opinions and ideas in a team environment began a movement called "participative management" that is still prevalent today..
This movement of teams making critical decisions versus just a manager began to flatten the way organizations were structured. Instead of layers of management, many organizations tried to get rid of supervisors or limit their role to coaching versus setting direction or disciplining their subordinates. The rise of the self-directed work team became the goal and supervisors were unsure and unclear of what their role needed to be. Through trial and error most companies found that eliminating the traditional role of supervisor caused chaos in departments and on teams as no one was responsible for holding employees accountable and disciplining or terminating those members that were not performing.
Fast forward to 2011 and you will see that many decisions today are made with a leader who has a group reporting to them as a natural work group or team. Decisions are made by consensus when possible, or compromise when time does not allow. But what is the role of the supervisor/manager/leader today? When should the leader stop the participative process and just tell their employees what to do? Read below for a few of my insights into this interesting question:
When to tell versus ask:
- When a task is new to an employee- Ken Blanchard's Situational II Leadership model is a great tool to use when deciding if you should ask for an employee's opinion versus telling them what to do. In his model he proposes that their is a small window of opportunity when telling is appropriate. If the employee is learning a new task or if they have been trying the task but have not found success, the leader should step in and tell them what to do. It is amazing how many managers think they should ask their employee's opinions when the employee is new. In other words, the new employee doesn't know what they don't know.
- When time does not allow- if the office building is burning down or a client needs a product by tomorrow, you may not have the time to ask all of your employees how to handle the situation. You may need to give direction and let them know that you will be responsible for the results whether they are good or poor.
- When you have more information- often in tough situations with budget cuts or employee layoffs, you as the leader, have more information than your team, and therefore, will be able to make a better decision. If time allows and you are able to inform and educate your team on the bigger picture, then the group or team may be asked for their insights into the decision. Once again, you need to take responsibility for the outcome of the decision whether good or bad.
Another perspective to consider when telling your employees what to do is the generation of worker you are leading. In my experience working with different generations, the older workers, i.e., Traditionalist and Baby Boomers born between 1930-1964 may be more receptive to taking direction from a boss versus the Generations X and Ys who have been taught to question authority. If you have a younger workforce reporting to you, make sure that you emphasize the "why" of your decision and that you are taking ultimate responsibility for the decision. This should help in the implementation of your directive.
Making the best decisions possible is what every manager and leader hopes for, and knowing when to tap into your group or team, is critical to reaching those best decisions. By following the tips I have provided above, you will find more success on those rare occasions when you need to "pull rank" and make a decision you feel is best for the organization. |
