Dispatch Box: Humanizing Organizations
The organic–humanistic model of organizational theory is all about making workplaces more pleasant environments so that both managers and staff are more contented and more productive. That should rub off into better service delivery.
How do you humanize an organization? Here are just a few ideas:
Flatten hierarchies. Aim for simplicity in organization, with as little hierarchy as possible.
Teamwork. Organize managers and staff into functional, project-oriented teams in which all members are encouraged to work together to achieve common objectives.
Participatory management. Involve staff in the design of organizational programs and their implementation. As Peter Drucker (1954) argues, employees are one of the greatest sources of operational knowledge in any workplace.
Promote workplace informality. Loosen up on dress codes and have more relaxed manager–staff relations.
Casual Fridays. Encourage people to wear casual clothes to work at least one day a week.
Open-office concepts. Design workplaces so that managers and staff are not separated into different work areas and staff are not cooped up into separate cubicles. Have managers and staff mix and mingle.
Workplace attractiveness. Provide good lighting, comfortable chairs and desks, potted plants, artwork, pleasant lunchrooms/staff rooms/relaxation rooms.
Employee suggestion boxes. Encourage new ideas.
Staff recognition awards. Promote excellence through monthly, quarterly, or annual awards that carry meaningful benefits and prestige.
Staff parties and picnics. Encourage managers and staff to get to know one another and to have fun together. Create bonds of shared community.
Work–life balance appreciation. Recognize that staff have busy lives and multiple obligations outside of work. Offer flex-time hours, emergency time off to care for children or elderly parents, or work-from-home options.
Staff and management training programs. Invest in staff and management, providing them with training not only in their current work but also in the skills they will need for future work and promotion.
Employee mentoring programs. Pair new employees with a senior employee or manager nearing retirement so that the new employee can learn from both the formal and informal knowledge of the senior person.
Executive succession programs. Pair junior and middle managers with senior managers nearing retirement to facilitate the transfer of executive knowledge. Good organizations should not be losing executive savoir faire when senior managers retire.
What would you add to or subtract from this list? Why?
