26 ian. 2015

About ownership in the workplace (1)


’The incentive effect is necessary, but the real power of employee ownership results from the culture effect.’’ (Ownership Culture Reports, published byOwnership Associates, Inc.) 

I think this is the key perspective to grow upon this very useful article lead to. Organizational culture is the way people – managers and employees - and environments communicate in the workplace. 

Usually, people associate ‘’employee ownership’’ with owning shares - or, as in the above cited research, with “investment,” “incentive,” “teamwork,” “bogus,” “equality,” “a good benefit,” “employee involvement”.  Lets acknowledge that wage’s level is important – Maslow basic needs pyramid -, and as participation to company’s profit it is thoroughly important to developing a sense of ownership – nobody would agree ‘’to own an uncomfortable situation’’.

Figure 1: Aspects of Ownership
 Copyright: http://www.ownershipassociates.com/ocr4.shtm

From the reported data, is interesting to notice that ‘’fairness’’ (to be treated fairly at work) has the highest level against the so perceived more practical dimensions of ownership related to financial aspects. Lets observe that fairness is one of the main values even so called ''bad people'' have – any thief cherishes his fairness toward his bad conduct. Fairness is something we own by default. The fact that it springs on the first place of ''needed conditions for feeling a sense of ownership in the workplace'' is a sign that people are aware of living their very lives in the workplace. And they want to live it properly.

Leaders and managers are advised to also be aware of that, and to put needed actions in their strategies to welcome ‘’employee's ownership’’, paying attention to fairness, incentives, participation: communicate with honor; elicit involvement at all levels, and celebrate support personnel does offer; ask what ownership means to people, and ‘’tailor plans’’ to fit their needs to feel ownership.