How Leaders Can Build an Autonomous Work Environment

IN HIS BOOK Thank You for Being Late, author and award-winning journalist Tom Friedman argues that to understand the twenty-first century, you must realize that “the planet’s three largest forces”—technology, globalization, and climate change—are accelerating all at once.

As a business leader, you already understand the impact of these forces. However, it’s important to navigate other realities, like defining your own goals, understanding and excelling in your role, and creating a work environment that fosters autonomy.

The pandemic has caused unprecedented distress among workers, and now they are being forced to rise to the occasion, navigating new ways of working and taking control of their purpose. They need to work autonomously, and research has shown that this requires a sense of agency and control.

To achieve this autonomy, workers need to build self-confidence, self-accountability, and self-sufficiency. As a leader, it is your responsibility to create an environment that fosters these qualities.

Seven Ways to Create an Autonomous Work Environment

Reinforce an autonomous narrative
Keep people fully informed
Have a digital nervous system
Create a project structure
Recognize and reward value creation
Hold regular reflection sessions
Balance independence with dependence

In conclusion, as a business leader, it’s imperative to create an environment that supports autonomy. Workers need agency and control to thrive in the 21st-century workplace, and it’s your role to foster their growth and contributions.

Jane Frankel is the managing principal of The Art of Performance LLC, an innovation and workforce consultancy, and an adjunct professor in economics at Temple University. She is the author of The Intentional Mindset: Data, Decisions, and Your Destiny (Business Expert Press). To learn more, visit artofperformance.net.