Imagine a workplace where you have to implement ladders with every decision before taking action. Team members are waiting for instructions and cannot make progress without express consent from top leadership. The leadership team must approve everything from new business cards to new recruits. We've worked with teams like this and we've seen how it can curb innovation, slow progress and cause departures.
Now, imagine a workplace where teams are empowered to make decisions quickly and nearby. It's not about giving free reins to every idea, but about involving employees early in order to form strategies and initiatives that will be implemented later. We call this “authors are ownership.” People are invested more in the ideas and outcomes they have created. This shift could lead to faster execution, faster adaptation to market changes, and more effective decision-making.
For leaders, this means reducing bottlenecks, increasing agility and promoting a culture in which employees are active problem solvers rather than passive participants. In today's fast-paced market, this can make the difference between staying ahead or falling behind the competitors. To embed “Author is Owner” in your team's DNA, follow these steps:
1. Involve team members in decision-making. Rather than relying solely on top-down directives, it creates structured opportunities for employees in related departments to share experiences and insights. These could be intensive input sessions or small cross-function workshops where the closest team members and customers to work can provide a unique perspective on what is working and what needs to be improved. Although not all inputs directly shape the final decision, collecting these perspectives ensures that decisions are better informed and that they acknowledge the diverse perspectives in which the rationale behind them is considered.
By intentionally attracting employees in this way, they are more likely to develop a sense of ownership, support the outcome, and act. Carefully consolidating this input translates high-level strategies into practical criteria that resonate with the team's everyday reality. Furthermore, research has demonstrated that participatory decision-making has a positive impact on employee innovation behavior, leading to creative problem-solving as well as improving the quality of decisions.
2. Empower teams with clear guidance and flexibility. A successful organization can balance providing strategic direction with encouraging the adaptability needed to meet changing demands. This starts with giving a clear direction and providing a guardrail to what is expected, allowing the team to understand “how” they will get there. This often outlines a particular constraint or defines the most important metrics and values in a particular situation.
For example, when telecom companies set up a bold new direction, the leadership team engaged VP level leaders across functions, modeling future strategies and focusing on transparent and coordinated decisions. The goal was to start a conversation and ensure transparent decisions, rather than determining a single best plan. This empowerment helped create a sense of ownership and accountability so that teams could adapt quickly and effectively to new situations.
3. Sharing a culture of trust and responsibility. Trust is the foundation of “Author is Owner.” To build it, leaders must show confidence in the decisions and capabilities of their team. Traditional top-down approaches often bring resistance and liberation. Instead, fostering a sense of joint responsibility ensures that everyone is invested in the outcome.
Rather than making decisions in a vacuum during critical projects, we actively seek out team opinions and solutions. He expresses his trust by saying, “I value your expertise and need your insight to solve this problem.” Before you offer your own, first seek insights and test it further. Conduct team meetings regularly to discuss progress, challenges and next steps, so that success is a common responsibility. Ask, “If it fails, why do you fail?”
For example, during the pandemic, we were a professional services company that collaborated with our teams, building trust by making customer-centric decisions to our teams and bringing business continuity and growth. If the team knows their contributions are trusted and appreciated, they are more likely to own their roles and responsibilities, and are more likely to promote a joint, accountable work environment.
4. Measure and adapt based on feedback. Establish clear measures to assess the impact of ownership initiatives and ensure they are consistent with the broader organizational goals. Start by identifying what you aim to achieve by promoting an ownership culture, both in terms of concrete business outcomes and more qualitative outcomes, such as employee engagement and connections with the company's mission.
To get a grasp of these insights, ask Pulse Survey questions that measure how connected employees feel about the organization's strategy, how they are valued, and whether they believe they can contribute effectively to their expertise. This feedback complements quantitative data such as project timelines, budget compliance, and performance metrics. Consider sharing these findings across your organization and using them as a basis for open discussions with your team. Ask questions like, “What barriers do you face?” And “How can I support you better?”
This comprehensive feedback loop identifies areas of improvement while reinforcing the culture in which continuous improvement and employee input is valued. Consider the organizations that you collaborate with during the transition to a new operating model. To engage employees amidst the change, leaders conducted quarterly wellness checks where employees could share their concerns and reservations. By surfaced these concerns in advance, leaders were able to identify potential pitfalls and leverage frontline people's insights on how to avoid them. This approach not only invited a variety of perspectives, but also created a sense of ownership for the entire team.
By incorporating “authors are ownership” into an organization, it changes how decisions are made, promotes deeper trust and creates a culture of shared accountability. Ultimately, if employees are involved in shaping the strategies they implement, they become more enthusiastic and agile and invest in the driving outcome. Continue to build an environment where progress is reviewed, adapted based on feedback and ownership is successful.
