DEMOCRATIZING MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS

 


The intention of this reflection is to share what more participatory, more democratic management models should be used for, as well as point out some ideas to promote change based on learning from lived experience.

By promoting participatory management models, we are essentially democratizing management within organizations.

But what are we really talking about? By "democratizing management," we mean that the responsibility of managing should not be limited to a few individuals or teams within the organization—such as a management committee, coordination committee, department heads, or business unit leaders. Instead, this responsibility should be taken on by multidisciplinary teams with diverse knowledge bases, and these teams should be flexible over time when needed. Thus, the goal is to develop management through more complex organizational structures to better respond to the complexity of our environment[1].

It’s important to clarify that when we talk about management, we are not referring to bureaucratic processes or administrative tasks—which will inevitably exist—but to the core activities or business development of the organization. When we discuss participatory management models, strengthening participatory management, or democratizing management, we are talking about creating teams focused on thinking, organizing, and carrying out their activities or business in the most effective and efficient way possible. In some cases, "efficiency can result from the absence of resistance or, in other words, the ability to create synergies with everyone who can either support or hinder an activity.[2]"

As people and teams mature, understand, and internalize this new paradigm, unexpected outcomes begin to emerge: richer and better decision-making, improved quality and customer satisfaction, and a stronger sense of belonging among people in the organization, among others.

However, for all this to happen, it is necessary to trust that every individual—regardless of their role or background—has something valuable to contribute. It is at the intersection of this collective knowledge[3] that individuals, teams, and the organization will undergo a cultural shift, moving toward more horizontal, agile, and likely more effective and efficient structures. These structures will enable workers and stakeholders to feel a greater sense of ownership of the organization they belong to, thereby enhancing their contribution to achieving the mission.

What are some key aspects of fostering more participatory management?

First, promoting a real organizational transformation essentially means promoting a cultural change[4], both within the organization and among the people who comprise it. Therefore, it’s important to remember that cultural change takes time to materialize.

At the same time, this change cannot rest solely on a few individuals, regardless of their position in the organization. The change must permeate everyone, be understood, and be incorporated into daily practices by as many people as possible, spreading like an oil stain.

Another important aspect are actions. We tend to focus communication on words, but we usually learn more from lived experiences than from what is explained to us or what we can explain. It is crucial to remember that verbal communication is significantly influenced by everyone’s mental frameworks[5] and beliefs. Thus, the best way to understand, adopt, and transform the organizational model will be by experiencing the new way of working and the new organizational dynamics.

It will be necessary to agree on changes in the organization chart, in work teams, but what will really encourage change will be participating an experiencing the new ways of working. We will have to leave the plan of ideas and words to move to actions. This will be a key point.

However, for this change to be experienced, one essential prerequisite that must exist is trust. Trust in several dimensions: trust that the outcome will be relatively better than not making the change, and above all, deep trust in people that works in the organization. As I’ve written in other reflections, organizations are not abstract entities—they are the people within them, with all their knowledge, experience, aspirations, fears, and visions[6].

By building with everyone and for everyone, we will truly advance cultural change within the organization and develop more participatory and democratic organizational models.


Image: Tom Fisk on Pexels



[1] Innerarity, D. (2019). Una teoría de la democracia compleja. Barcelona: Galaxia Gutenberg:

“Hay un principio general de teoría de las organizaciones que advierte que el aumento de incertidumbre del entorno exige un incremento de complejidad del sistema en términos de capacidad de anticipación y respuesta (Wagensberg, 1985). La complejidad interna del sistema debe estar en una relación adecuada con la complejidad del entorno (Luhmann, 1970). Los sistemas complejos necesitan una correspondiente arquitectura compleja de gobierno para su autoorganización”

[2] Brugué, J., & Gallego, R. (2001). ¿ Una administración pública democrática?. Ciudadanos y decisiones públicas, 43-58.


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