Many writers have observed a global trend – the emergence of authoritarianism and the decline of democracy. It is being seen in Europe and the United States. Are there lessons for corporate managers in the rise of political authoritarian leadership?
Over my many years of consulting and writing I have promoted more inclusive or democratic forms of management that engage employees and form the basis for continuous improvement. This is Team Management. Modern corporations succeed not only due to the brilliance of a founding leader, but because of collective wisdom that emerges from dialogue. It is our job to design the organizational systems that enable fact finding, brainstorming, consensus reaching and the resulting creativity and productivity that emerges from collective wisdom.
Have I been wrong?
I fear that the rise of authoritarian political leadership may act as a model for increasing authoritarian leadership in the corporate world. Before President Trump ordered the end of remote work at the Federal government, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy ordered the return of hundreds of thousands of Amazon workers to be back at their desks full-time or look for another job. When Jassy gave his command to return to the office it didn’t go well. One hitch: In many offices there weren’t enough desks to go around or parking spaces. There was no analysis of talent that would be lost or consideration of hybrid forms of work.
Among those ordered back to the office on the Federal level were workers whose very job it is to be out in the field, conducting inspections of food processing or factory safety inspections. Sitting in the office is exactly “unproductive” for these and many other workers in government and in the private sector.
Hundreds of “probationary” FAA employees were let go last week. These dismissals primarily targeted probationary employees—those with less than one year of service—across various roles, including maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, aviation safety assistants, and management personnel. Notably, air traffic controllers were not among those terminated. It is a mistake to assume that these employees are not necessary. There expertise is essential to airline safety. It is not smart! It is also the result of an authoritarian mindset – a belief in the need for motivation by command, a belief in simplistic solutions in a complex world. It is typical of decisions made high up, divorced from the daily work of an organization.
There is a problem with authoritarian decision making. It often results in mindless and counter productive decisions. It assumes knowledge by those who are often many levels removed from the work itself and who lack understanding of the actual work. Who should return to the office full-time? Not everyone. In my course on Designing Hybrid Teams, Work and Organization I provide a model and process for engaging managers and employees, those who have direct knowledge, in designing their own system to optimize productivity.
Those who do the work can define who, when, where and why employees should be in the office to encourage teamwork and shared problem-solving or to stay home and stay focused on work that is done on the computer without the distractions of the office. This process of design requires teamwork and face-to-face creation of collective wisdom, better for the company and better for everyone involved. These design teams would certainly have figured out whether there were enough desks or parking places.
President Trump ordered the release of 2.2 billion gallons of water from two California lakes with the intent to address water shortages that were allegedly hampering firefighters in the Los Angeles area. Trump had heard from some under-informed individual that California was holding back water needed to fight fires. Unfortunately, this did not help the firefighters. The water from these lakes are used to irrigate farmland in Southern California. That water will now be unavailable when it is needed. Your lettuce may cost more as a result.
When designing decision processes, I encourage teams to ask “who knows, who cares, and who acts?” They are the ones who should be involved in the decision process. The authoritarian leader images that it is he who knows, cares and others must act.
My fear is that authoritarian decision making has an addictive appeal to corporate leaders as it does to political leaders. It just feels good to give orders and declare that anyone who doesn’t follow can find another job. This then creates a culture in which the leader is denied feedback as subordinates fear they may appear to be insubordinate. The “emperors new clothes” and the leader will soon be naked dancing on the golf course.
When I was involved at Honda some years ago, they would refer to front line associates as the “world’s greatest experts who are on-the-spot.” They are involved in problem solving, thinking together, every day and by this they become smarter, and the system is continuously improved. It is the opposite of authoritarian decision making, it is the search for collective wisdom. It is in the spirit of democracy. I fear the loss of this spirit.
