Increase engagement by implementing participative leadership

Empower Your Team with Participative Leadership Strategies

Participative leadership is a transformational approach emphasising teamwork and diversity in decision-making processes. By valuing the opinions and input of employees at all levels, organisations can cultivate a culture of engagement and innovation.

However, implementing it is neither quick nor straightforward. Developing the necessary trust requires motivation and personal involvement. Achieving this attitude cannot be done by convincing; it must be done through an emotional approach.

This is where incorporating business simulations and games as a methodology enhances impact by facilitating the connection to emotions. Participants experience and validate the concepts by integrating them experientially. They can see their potential and advantages and how to apply them in real life. This emotional engagement fosters deeper insight and helps solidify collaborative behaviours.

This article explores the essence of this leadership style, its many advantages, and step-by-step strategies for practical application.

Your guide to participative leadership:

Understanding participative leadership

This leadership model, often called democratic or collaborative leadership, prioritises collective input over traditional top-down directives. It creates an environment where diverse perspectives are welcomed, fostering a sense of belonging and shared responsibility among team members.

It is considered a set of spontaneous and interconnected collective initiatives. It distributes the leadership function throughout the organisation, becoming a driver of change. It is directly related to the delegation level, as it depends on self-willingness to act and proactivity

Benefits and advantages of participative leadership in organizations

• Enhanced Employee Engagement: When team members feel their contributions are valued, they are more likely to be invested in their work and the organisation's success.
• Improved Decision-Making: Involving a variety of viewpoints leads to well-rounded decisions that consider multiple angles, resulting in better outcomes.
• Boosted Creativity: A culture that encourages idea-sharing fosters innovation, allowing teams to explore new solutions and approaches.
• Increased Accountability: Employees who participate in decision-making are more likely to take ownership of their roles and responsibilities.
• Greater Employee Satisfaction: Contributing meaningfully to a project or task brings personal fulfilment and strengthens a collaborative mindset.
• Talent Retention: Top performers prioritise the intangible aspects of a job—such as a supportive culture, meaningful work, and recognition—over material rewards alone.

Participative leadership level self-assessment

Three primary phases to implementing participative leadership in organisations must be solved in order.

Be autonomous (I know how to do it)

The greatest enemy of participation is the perception of risk. It generates anxiety, decreases analytical skills, and overrides decision-making. Before they can contribute, individuals need to reduce uncertainty by acquiring, understanding, and sharing knowledge, thus increasing their capacity and autonomy.

Be committed (we want to do it)

Once you know what to do, the next step is to want to do it. It requires commitment and cohesion, two states that depend on oneself and cannot be induced directly. On the contrary, they result from individuals grouping to form teams through social interactions and integration processes. However, we can facilitate their emergence by creating the proper context for them to arise and promoting and encouraging these interactions.

Be distributed (we are doing it)

Once we know what to do and want to do it, we must finally be able to do it. To function distributedly, the organisation must share information, objectives, and decision-making capacity. Teams are finally ready to self-coordinate when they have room to act and do so without harm. At this point, they reach a level of self-awareness as a new entity.

Steps to develop a participative leadership style

As a leader, transitioning to a more inclusive leadership model requires intentional efforts and will necessitate reshaping organisational culture. Here are essential steps to facilitate this shift:

1. Cultivate trust within teams
   Building a foundation of trust is crucial. Leaders should create an environment where employees feel safe expressing their ideas and opinions openly without fear of negative repercussions.
2. Promote open communication
   Effective communication is the backbone of a participative approach. Leaders should actively solicit feedback and encourage dialogue among team members. Regular meetings and occasional workshops can serve as platforms for idea exchange.
3. Create opportunities for involvement
   Encourage employee participation by forming cross-functional teams or task forces representing diverse departments. For instance, when considering new procedures, allow employees to vote or provide input on proposed changes, ensuring everyone has a stake in the outcome.
4. Recognise and celebrate contributions
   Acknowledging the efforts of team members who share their insights is vital. Recognition can take various forms, from verbal praise to awards or financial incentives, reinforcing the value of participation.
5. Be consistent
   Leaders should embody collaborative behaviours by being receptive to feedback and willing to work together. Consolidating this attitude sets a positive precedent for the entire organisation.

Steps to build a participative leadership organization

Based on the Cooplexity model, the steps to develop an organisation with participative leadership would involve the organisation (actual values), a leader with a participative leadership style (team development), and oneself (a collaborative attitude). Complementarily, everyone would have to develop the appropriate skills and never lose the attitude of continuous learning.

Enhancing corporate values

Cohering and motivating teams

This heterogeneity, however, makes management more difficult and complicates cohesion and motivation. The solution is to generate enough trust to understand the difference as an ally.

Psychodiversity

Psychodiversity refers to the diversity of the human mind and the variety of ways in which people think, feel, and perceive the world around them. To foster psycho-diversity, we must emphasise the importance of having multifocal teams and embrace the idea that each person has a unique way of experiencing the world and that these differences have value.

Trust

"Relationships build trust, and trust strengthens relationships."

Trust is fundamental to every human connection. Without it, there’s no cohesion or motivation. But how do you earn your team's trust? Unfortunately, trust isn't built overnight for those looking for a quick fix.

• Trust takes time.
  "Don't expect to fall in love on the first date."
  Think of it like a relationship—you wouldn’t expect to fall in love on the first date. Team dynamics develop through phases: initial contact, gradual rapport, fitting in, and finally, consolidation. Each phase requires positive interactions, naturally reinforcing the current stage and paving the way for the next.
• Consistency is key.
  "I trust the one I see coming from the front."
  Trust grows when actions align with expectations. At its core, trust is the belief that others will act in a way that protects and respects your interests. Sincerity, honesty, transparency, and integrity are essential; consistent behaviour builds your reputation over time.
• Actions speak louder than words.
  "I hear your words, but I listen to your actions."
  Promises alone won’t earn trust—deeds will. To gain someone’s trust, be generous in your interactions and strive for balance in the relationship. Genuine, balanced actions make all the difference.
• Be authentic.
  "Show me who you are, and I'll tell you what I believe."
  We all reveal our true selves over time. When we’re consistent and authentic, we build trust naturally. But when our actions and words don’t align, distrust forms quickly.
• Blend rationality with emotion.
  "We are not thinking machines that feel; we are feeling machines that think." —Antonio Damasio.
  Trust deepens when both reason and emotion are considered. Some people respond best to logic and facts, while others connect through emotional stories. A blend of both ensures your message resonates across different personalities.

Remember, it’s not just about you.

Your actions impact more than just yourself in a team or organisation. Your role may temporarily give you influence, but ultimately, the team's collective strength matters. Recognising this can help you foster trust more effectively.

Strengthening positive attitudes

Mental attitude: Absolute versus relative.

As a logical consequence of complexity, we are sure that there are no absolutely optimal decisions, no perfect analyses, and that total foresight is impossible; in short, we cannot expect, or even pretend to have, such a level of security. We must be flexible in our judgments, open to other mental models, and open and accepting of diversity. This mental attitude will positively impact our ability to generate new options and solutions to problems or adapt and take new approaches.

Developing Soft Skills

• Learning capacity: Grasping and synthesising complex concepts, demonstrating a deep understanding.
• Relational skills: The aptitude for engaging with team members, fostering open communication, influencing others positively, and leading by example.
• Integration capability: The skill to harmonise team dynamics, supporting weaker links within the group while nurturing a cohesive team spirit.
• Commitment aptitude: The ability to prioritise collective interests over personal gains, showcasing a willingness to make sacrifices for the team's greater good.
• Agreement proficiency: The knack for negotiating effectively internally and externally, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes for all parties involved.
• Adaptability quotient: The agility to easily navigate uncertain environments, embrace change fluidly, and handle setbacks collaboratively.

Having an attitude of continuous learning

Real-world examples of participative leadership

These three real-world business case programs are best-practice examples of how to implement participative leadership in a company.

Abertis: A Top-Down Transformation Program

In a global gathering of 140 executives, Abertis explored eight critical areas of transformation, from innovation and new business ventures to M&A strategy and talent management. Participants from different business areas shared insights that created valuable synergies, and a broad range of ideas were discussed. The group prioritised key challenges and reached consensus on the most pressing actions. Leaders were appointed for each project to ensure smooth implementation and follow-up.

Holcim: A Bottom-Up Leadership Program

This leadership development initiative focused on empowering shift managers. By enhancing their ability and motivation to make a real impact, the company ensured smooth factory operations outside regular hours with fewer staff and managers. These managers played a critical role in maintaining productivity, and the projects they led directly impacted results. The company emphasised recognition and motivation, creating a positive engagement cycle and continuous improvement.

Puig: Strengthening Corporate Values

Puig launched a program to promote its core values and foster collaboration across its global workforce. The initiative connected talent from China to Chile, focusing on navigating uncertainty and encouraging exchange. A competitive virtual business simulation, especially engaging for young talent, sparked team interaction. Over several weeks, teams met to share ideas and strengthen bonds. The result was excellent knowledge-sharing and cohesion among employees from diverse cultural backgrounds, all centred on values like teamwork, diversity, and commitment.

Common obstacles when shifting culture

Adopting a collaborative leadership style is more than just a management strategy; it is a transformative approach that can significantly enhance organisational effectiveness. By fostering trust, encouraging open communication, and actively involving employees in decision-making, organisations can unlock the full potential of their workforce, leading to more significant innovation and success.

Challenges of Implementing Participative Leadership.

While the benefits of a collaborative approach are significant, organisations may face challenges during implementation. Understanding these obstacles can help leaders navigate the transition more effectively.

Applying long-term solutions

“Structures influence behaviour.”

One key lesson from systems theory is that structures influence behaviour. It's easy to recognise the "forces" that affect us, such as procedures, rules, manuals, databases, and task or report instructions. These include physical elements such as infrastructure, workspace, and logistics, as well as informal factors such as company culture, history, and unwritten norms. All of this shapes how things are done.

Structures affect our daily choices. In a hierarchical company, for example, our ideas may be limited, while a participative leader might encourage involvement. Personal performance bonuses discourage collaboration, whereas a balanced reward system or flat organisation promotes teamwork.

To change behaviour in an organisation, we should avoid simplistic solutions that rely on direct control or economic incentives. Policies focused solely on outcomes or coercive measures often fail. Instead, we need to identify the underlying causes of behaviour and address those. Creating opportunities for proactivity and removing obstacles can release energy and allow others to take the lead.

Ultimately, changing rules can often shift behaviour more effectively than trying to influence it directly.

Conclusion

Adopting a collaborative leadership style is more than just a management strategy; it is a transformative approach that can significantly enhance organisational effectiveness. By fostering trust, encouraging open communication, and actively involving employees in decision-making, organisations can unlock the full potential of their workforce, leading to greater innovation and success.

While challenges may arise, the long-term benefits of increased engagement, creativity, and accountability make this approach a worthwhile investment for any organisation seeking to thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape.

The Cooplexity model as a reference framework

Further reading and resources

Zamora, R. (2020). Cooperation in complexity: Cooplexity, a model for collaboration in complexity in times of uncertainty and change. Ricardo Zamora.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349341671_COOPERATION_IN_COMPLEXITY