How To Increase Productivity And Improve Worker Autonomy
In a capitalist model like the current one, The dream of many entrepreneurs is to increase the productivity of workers so that their organizations generate more benefits. And, although there is no definitive answer to how to increase the company’s profits, the ways to do it or the tools that exist to do so, one of the methods on which the business system has been based in recent decades has been ( and, unfortunately, mostly it is) control over workers (Jódar and Alós, 2008).
However, there is evidence that the path to improving productivity is, in fact, the opposite: enhance staff autonomy
Many authors (eg Peña, 2004) agree that as humans we always seek to eliminate insecurities , keep our self-image in good condition or simply feel less dependent on factors outside of us, which usually converges in a tendency to control the environment and ourselves. In psychology, this is called the well-known “need for control.” Of course, the feeling of control or, in this work context, of being controlled, greatly affects how a worker perceives an organization.
Today we can talk about a degree or scale about the level of control in companies. ANDAt one extreme would be those very controlling companies in which the worker normally feels that he is obliged not to deviate from the rules and is only there out of necessity (mainly economic) and is limited to following orders from “above”, whether he wants to or not.
On the contrary, at the other extreme we find those companies that leave and distribute control to the workers, increasing their autonomy (eg companies like Zappos, Google and Twitter).
At this point, certain basic premises can be established relating the level of control and productivity. From the clear everyday examples that reflect the reality of our daily lives, where we see that if we do something that arises from ourselves we do it in a much more efficient way than if it is ordered to us, to empirical studies that already demonstrated that transformational leadership (Mendoza et al., 2007), compared to other more authoritarian leadership styles, is associated with a greater feeling of control on the part of the person (internal locus of control), as well as a significant improvement in performance at work. (Howell and Avolio, 1993).
The way of perceiving the different organizations is key in the production process since intrinsic motivation (the primary driver for productivity) is usually diminished in the first case explained above in the grade-scale, that is, the more control there is.
Unfortunately, the world has been built under that construct and a large percentage of companies They still have a pyramidal hierarchical model where the one in charge is the one higher up, has more control and the power to make decisions. In this type of company, it is clearly seen that the workers “work for” and do not feel committed to the company’s values.
The importance of motivation
With the evolution of the market and human resources systems, the need has been seen to give more value to the user and provide them with more power and motivation both by law and for comfort in the workplace (in addition to eliminating certain psychosocial risks at work that could pose a problem for the company).
But what is also being seen is that The more autonomy or control the user has, the more productive they are and increases their feeling of belonging, as many authors theorized. It is worth highlighting Deci and Ryan, who in 1985 already explained with their self-determination theory (SDT) that there are three psychological needs that must be satisfied for individuals to develop both personally and professionally: autonomy, feeling competent and relating.
To give the importance it deserves to worker motivation linked to their productivity, we bring the latest survey State of the Global Workplace (O’Boyle and Harter, 2013) from the prestigious firm Gallup, stating that 63% of employees worldwide, a majority, are demotivated , and this means that they will devote less effort to achieving the organizations’ objectives. What’s more, another 24% of the total are actively unmotivated, indicating that in addition to being unmotivated and unproductive, they are prone to spreading negativity to their co-workers.
Now, there are already numerous success cases where it is proposed that the company provides self-management tools to the worker or reinforces and motivates them in an additional way not only with economic resources, following the multiple theories related to increased productivity and satisfaction. labor.
This is where an applied research project in the area of quality of work life comes in, co-financed by the Center for Industrial Technological Development, CDTI (2015-2017) within the framework of research and development projects and by the European Development Fund. Regional Development (FEDER) linked to the FEDER 2014-20 smart growth program. The project is called GAMeeP (Gamified Employee Engagement) and has been developed by Compartia, a small Spanish company.
GAMeePfollowing the plot line, proposes a gamified team management system whose objective is to improve the quality of work life and increase the overall productivity of teams and organizations in addition to simplifying human resources management, while increasing the sense of well-being and engagement of employees.
The power of gamification
In the context of games, a study by Ryan, Rigby and Przybylski (2006) concludes that individuals are attracted to gaming through computers (video games, but extendable to gamification) in part because we experience autonomy, competition and interrelation while playing ( precisely the three psychological needs mentioned above so that a person can develop optimally).
On the virtual platform already developed A system of tasks and incentives has been designed , providing the worker with the power and autonomy to be able to choose and carry out the tasks they want freely, always within a time frame. Not content with just the development of the platform, research was carried out (pre-post test model) to really demonstrate how the innovative gamified system improved workers’ behaviors. The indicators that were measured were, on the one hand: Autonomy, Competence and Interrelationship (Spanish version of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale at Work; Vargas Téllez and Soto Patiño, 2013; Deci & Ryan, 2000) and on the other hand, performance indicators (Involvement/Commitment, Collaboration, Efficiency, Productivity).
The conclusions were very clear: thanks to the GAMeeP system, users are more engaged, more collaborative and more productive in addition to increasing levels of competition in certain contexts.
Conclusion
With the data on the table and previous research, we can conclude that the world evolves and with it companies and leadership styles. What’s more, with the change in the management methods of organizations changes in people’s behavior come hand in hand Having more control over tasks, being more motivated or having more flexible hours are just some of the changes that enhance the feeling of job satisfaction that we see today.
With the change seen and anticipated in leadership styles and business management models of human resources, current and future market needs are glimpsed (especially in certain sectors such as entertainment, technologies, content, etc.).
Currently, moment when the information age gives way to the age of people and talent skills (of a creative nature) are identified on the part of the workers and, on the part of the companies, new models such as GAMeeP to enhance humanity and certain business values that lead to greater job satisfaction and productivity.
