How can you manage a team democratically?
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Managing a team is not a one-size-fits-all task. Different situations and goals may require different approaches and styles. One of the most popular and effective ways to lead a team is democratically, which means involving your team members in decision-making, problem-solving, and goal-setting. But how can you manage a team democratically without losing control, wasting time, or creating conflicts? Here are some tips and benefits of democratic team management.
Define the vision
The first step to manage a team democratically is to define the vision and purpose of the team. This means clarifying what the team is trying to achieve, why it matters, and how it aligns with the organization's mission and values. You can do this by communicating your vision clearly and frequently, inviting feedback and input from your team, and creating a shared understanding of the team's objectives and expectations.
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I have found that it is very important to define a North star metric to the team. Having a metric that captures the core value of what you’re trying to achieve certainly helps the team to sync with a long term vision. Clear communication is extremely important and setting up a culture of constructive feedback is a game changer. Praising publicly and correcting wrong doings privately for team members is vital for emotional intelligence of the team members. At the end of the day, it’s team work that truly defines the success and quality of any project. So, I’ve always believed that its very important to foster an environment that enables the team to communicate, perform and collaborate at the highest level.
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You can’t “manage” a team “democratically” because management is about processes and things. You can LEAD a team using a democratic LEADERSHIP style because doing so involves getting people to think about different approaches to finding solutions that will work effectively. Dan Goleman, in his classic 2000 HBR article “Leadership that Gets Results” describes four effective emotionally intelligent styles, of which the Democratic style is one of the four. The Democratic style needs to be used in concert with the Coaching style because leaders need feedback and additional guidance to identify what went well as well as what could be changed to get better results or outcomes. The Democratic style, by itself, is ineffective.
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Delegate and empower
The second step to manage a team democratically is to delegate and empower your team members to take ownership and responsibility for their tasks and projects. This means giving them the authority, resources, and support they need to perform their roles, as well as the autonomy and flexibility to make decisions and solve problems. You can do this by setting clear and realistic goals and deadlines, providing regular and constructive feedback, and recognizing and rewarding their achievements and contributions.
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Delegating is one of those skills that new managers seem to not get right. Once you delegate a task, you should believe that the task will be completed without your input - that's the reason you're doing it in the first place. Much of it has to do with control. And a lot simply have trouble not being 'in control'. You have to learn being comfortable letting someone else be the driver. Set expectations, list consequences for failure, and follow-through. That's your ball game now.
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I really get frustrated by articles like this that confuse the reader by attempting to use “manager” and “leader” interchangeably. Leaders delegate their authority to other leaders who have responsibility to communicate, inspire, motivate, and guide others. These are NOT classic management functions like planning, budgeting, and controlling non-human resources. Let’s get the functions straight and aligned properly! A person may have the title of “Manager,” but when dealing with people, that person is exercising “leadership” when influencing others via the styles used to communicate, motivate, inspire, guide, or direct actions toward specific goals! Job descriptions need to be clear in stipulating management and leadership tasks as do evals.
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Encourage participation and collaboration
The third step to manage a team democratically is to encourage participation and collaboration among your team members. This means creating a culture of trust, respect, and openness, where everyone feels valued and heard, and where diverse opinions and perspectives are welcomed and considered. You can do this by facilitating effective communication and information sharing, promoting teamwork and cooperation, and soliciting and acting on feedback and suggestions.
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In a democratic set up that promotes free discussions and debates on diverse perspectives to arrive at best and amicable solutions or decisions, is very often hindered by late decision making, consensus is hard to come by. Above demerits could be easily overcome by leader who accommodates due respects to different views and critical enough to point out the flaws in different viewpoints and selects best course to decision making. By moderating the democratic process of decision making and highlighting the positives of best decision could hasten up the consensus. Above should be well understood by all partaking in decision making process.
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encourage participation and collaboration and Guide processes while welcoming team input. Use Democratic approach for significant choices. Maintain open communication for integrating feedback into strategies.
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Resolve conflicts and challenges
The fourth step to manage a team democratically is to resolve conflicts and challenges that may arise in the course of the team's work. This means acknowledging and addressing any issues or disagreements that may affect the team's performance, morale, or cohesion, and finding fair and constructive solutions that satisfy all parties. You can do this by listening actively and empathetically, seeking to understand the root causes and interests of the conflict, and involving the team in finding and implementing the best outcomes.
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One thing I've found helpful always is to acknowledge and respect team's opinions. To manage a team democratically, everyone should be open to listen, learn, unlearn and take collective decisions. No team exists without conflicts or challenges, but if there is a sense of trust that your opinions would be heard and respected, then resolving those challenges would occur naturally for almost everyone in the organisation. Finding solutions and outcomes have to be a collective effort to avoid conflicts.
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The team is always built by the leader. He must be strong, self-confident and this confidence is transferred to the team. The team is always ready to follow him without hesitation. Tasks must be set clearly. Roles should be distributed competently in the team. Reporting and analysis is always provided correctly. Authority must not be shaken by fair decisions.
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Foster learning and growth
The fifth step to manage a team democratically is to foster learning and growth among your team members. This means providing them with opportunities and resources to develop their skills, knowledge, and potential, as well as to learn from their successes and failures. You can do this by offering training and coaching, encouraging innovation and experimentation, and creating a feedback loop that supports continuous improvement.
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Likewise, being genuinely interested in your team's growth is crucial. People are sensitive to others' intentions. Part and parcel of being a good manager is being legitimately invested in your team's successes - even if they may not be strictly yours.
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Lead by example, also by asking people to help you learn and grow. Ask for feedback, show your doubts and insecurities (without overdoing it, of course - don't try to make it all about you). Your behavior (what you do) and learning attitude as a role model is more important than what you say. When you need to take action, you can explain what you're going to do based on current insights and knowledge. No need to wait forever on a perfect solution, but neither do you need to pretend that you know what's best or that you're infallible.
Celebrate and appreciate
The sixth and final step to manage a team democratically is to celebrate and appreciate your team's efforts and results. This means acknowledging and expressing gratitude for the team's hard work, dedication, and achievements, as well as for the individual contributions and strengths of each team member. You can do this by celebrating milestones and accomplishments, giving recognition and praise, and rewarding and incentivizing the team.
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Praise in public, discipline in private. Also, achieving a milestone is NOT a free ticket to move the goalposts. Demanding more from your team - despite clear indications of over-performance - will foster a culture of mediocrity or 'just getting by'.
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Experience thought me that money is a temporary motivational factor; however, monetary rewards for outstanding performance can be a powerful tool on managing a high performance team. I also learned from fully successful leaders that a leader shall always celebrates each victory or each positive achievement along with his crew. It helps to increase the group’s morale and built esprit de corps.
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Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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There is no one specific leadership style that works in all situations. The degree of success of a leader depends on his/her ability to adapt and switch to the need of the situation. While it is likely that leaders would have leadership style(s) that they feel more comfortable with, but a seasoned leader has appreciation of different leadership styles and can switch seamlessly between all of these as the situation demands.
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I learned that any team leader shall keep in mind that it is impossible to please everyone (not even Jesus got to do it). A leader will be criticized if he goes right, if he goes left or if he stays in the middle; therefore, unless he keeps focus on his goals, he treats everybody the most fairly as he can, and he acts honestly and authentically, he will not accomplish anything.
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