When managers simply present employees with ready-made solutions, they miss an opportunity to create ownership, engagement and pride. Let employees create the solutions themselves, but make sure you agree on the goal, writes Christian Nyvang Qvick.
Recently, I needed a new dining table. Inspired by current DIY trends, I decided to make the table myself. I picked up wood from a sawmill, planed it, cut it, sanded and sanded it, glued it together to form a table top, oiled the table top and finally mounted the top on table legs.
After four days in a workshop and two office hands full of splinters and calluses, my table was finished and gracing the living room. VOILA! The pride was palpable. This wasn't just a random table from a furniture store. This was MY table.
You're probably thinking: What on earth does this story have to do with managing change? Well, here's what it does.
The IKEA effect - the problem with pre-baked solutions
In one study, researchers divided a number of participants into two groups. The first group, the builders, were asked to assemble an IKEA piece of furniture. The second group, the non-builders, were given the same pre-assembled IKEA furniture for inspection. Both groups were then asked to estimate how much they would pay for the furniture. And here's where it gets interesting: the builders would pay 63% more than the non-builders.
The difference is due to the IKEA effect, a cognitive bias that describes people's tendency to value things more when they have helped create them. The effect applies not only when we produce physical things, but also when we, for example, need to develop solutions in the form of concrete actions that can support a desired change.
Even though time in a change process can be short, and you as a manager may already know what actions need to be taken to support the desired change, it can be a good idea to hold back on presenting your own ready-made solutions. In this case, it will often be more effective to support your employees in developing the solutions themselves in order to increase their ownership of the change.
Research suggests that this is because people want to feel competent - they want to be the heroes of their own life stories. When people feel that something is 'theirs', they automatically feel a greater sense of ownership. In other words, it's easier for people to accept change when they feel like they play an active role in creating the change. And, as we all know, employee ownership of change is often crucial to its success. In other words, the IKEA effect teaches you an important lesson: it's more effective to lead a change through your employees than to lead your employees through a change.
The inherent resistance to other people's solutions
Closely related to the IKEA effect are two other cognitive biases. Not invented here is a bias that describes our reluctance to come into contact with or use products, solutions, standards or knowledge developed by others. In other words, this bias describes a resistance to ideas developed outside the individual. In relation to this, reactivity is a bias that describes our tendency to react opposite to what other people want us to do, based on our own desire not to experience a reduction in autonomy.
Research also suggests that employees who feel they have autonomy at work are more likely to support organizational change. When your employees feel that they have autonomy, it means that they are involved in matters that concern them in a change situation, that they are presented with several possible paths to take, and that they generally have the latitude and freedom to contribute to the change in the way they find most appropriate for the desired end goal. Contrast this with pre-packaged solutions, micromanagement and micro-management.
A recent study shows that involvement and a sense of freedom in task performance are essential for Danish employees' job satisfaction. This probably comes as no surprise, as the Danish management culture is characterized by a tradition of low power distance, co-determination, influence and an otherwise inclusive management style. But apparently, autonomy is also crucial in a broader sense when the aim is to create commitment to change. This is emphasized in a well-known quote by motivation researcher Daniel Pink, who points out that "control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement".
Set the goal and let employees find the path
So what can you do to increase the sense of autonomy? To put it simply, you can point out that the destination is predetermined, but that the path to get there can take a number of different forms.
In other words, the desired outcome of the change is not up for discussion, but your employees can help clarify how to get there. You can heavily involve selected employees in the change by designating them as change agents, project managers or a similar term for resource people who support the implementation of the change.
You can also ask all employees to develop proposed solutions that support the desired change based on the question: "What do you think we should do to best achieve the desired end result?" Or you can give them options based on the idea: "Here are two possible paths to take if we're going to succeed with the change - which one do you prefer?", rather than presenting a ready-made solution based on the idea: "Here's what I want you to do".
In other words, don't talk to your employees about the implementation of the change, but with them about the implementation of the change. This way, you create ownership and commitment to the change - and prevent your employees from experiencing a reduced autonomy that can be demotivating.
Learn more about change management through our knowledge universe
In most organizations, creating change and development is an ongoing challenge. Whether it's time pressure, process fatigue or resistance to change that makes it difficult to reach the finish line.
On this page you can find some of our articles and videos on the topic. Read along and get input on how to succeed with change management.
Extensive autonomy requires agreement on the end goal
The above may give the impression that there are no limits to how much autonomy your employees should be given during a change. However, this is not the case. A prerequisite for extensive autonomy is that there is agreement on the desired end goal.
If your employees have their own agenda and pursue a different end goal than the one you have set, it can lead to a failed implementation of the change. Autonomy requires the absence of conflicting goals.
Bottom line: If you find that there is a consensus on what you need to achieve, then leading change through your employees will be more effective than leading your employees through change - and this is best done when you involve them in the implementation of the change through a high degree of autonomy.
Reference list
Norton et al. (2012): 'The IKEA effect: When labor leads to love', Journal of Consumer Psychology
Mochon et al. (2012): 'Bolstering and restoring feelings of competence via the IKEA effect', International Journal of Research in Marketing
Sally Khallash: 'Decision Strategy - Behavioral Economics as a Catalyst for Growth', Djøf Forlag
Hornung & Rousseau (2007): 'Active on the Job-Proactive in Change: How Autonomy at Work Contributes to Employee Support for Organizational Change', Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
'When leadership creates job satisfaction,' Krifa
Daniel Pink: 'Drive - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us', Canongate Books Ltd
