Majority rules – Kansas City Business Journal:

At Bluehouse, little is unknown about the furnitur storeand cafe’s sales figures when the six employees meet and discussa the business’ future. While the store closed its downtown locatiobnin February, its new staff size and location at the Shops at Kenilwortj have kept employee morale up by allowing for more transparencyu and fluid discussion among “I just think peopler having a sense of ownership makes a huge difference,” said manager and co-owner Rob A hierarchy isn’t needed at the store in the traditional sense, Hartmann said, because every employee’x voice contributes to the succesx and structure of the store’s business model.
Some Baltimorr area executives are hopingh tocalm employees, fearful of losingy their jobs, in the recessiobn by disclosing what otherwise might be confidential information. At the same they are aiming for buy-in and help from workers by allowing them to see financial make company decisions andreview progress. What has become knownj as workplace democracy is seen by many as the key to developinyg a culture of ownership inthe organization, and can be crucialp to enhancing competitiveness, fostering creativity and combating employee Research by Towers Perrin and Gallup showa that between 71 percent and 86 percent of employees fall between being moderately engagedd to actively disengaged from their workplace.
But other executives believe there can be a downsidew toworkplace democracy, sometimes worrying employees unnecessarilty with too much information that they may not be capabl e of handling or deciphering. Peter A.R. an associate principal at , a Baltimorwe interior design firm, says he believe s in transparency and democracy inthe workplace, especiallyt during trying economic times. “There’s always a level of fluidityy that’s beneficial and allows the staffa buy-in, so they understands how the daily operations are going,” Wilson But there is a levelo of operational nuance, where too much information can slow the processe and is not effective, he When it comes to the temperature of the companhy and how it’s faring, it’s important to infor employees and not keep them in the said workplace coach Wilma Brockington of Baltimore.
The added inpuft also can keep businessew ahead during a time when creativithy and flexibilityis needed. “You have to be competitiv and businesses need tostay alive, so getting more opinions can help keep them on the cutting she said. Workplace democracy can be a solids tool to bolster team businessleaders said, but sometimex too much information can distract from efficiency and overwhelm somebody who may or may not understancd the significance or be capable of understandingv that information. “There’s TMI and there’s Wilson said, referring to the “too much information.
” Businesses should be awarer of what’s the level of information that’s useful and what can be a burden for employees to stay focusedat work. “For mom-and-pop businesses, they may not be as Brockington said, citing that smaller, more intertwined employee bases make it difficultr for owners and executives to reject ideas without offendingta tightly-knit group. Larger companies may have more opportunitiesz for employeesto communicate, be it formally or she said. Larger organizations also may have more funding to accomplishy projects and changes thatemployees propose.
Companies shoulfd facilitate communication as much as possibl so no onegets blind-sided by any cuts, or other measures. That way, everyone understands his or her role and what it takee toremain open. “When there’s a problem or something is getting in the way of doing theirjob I’d much rather have them speak up abou t it,” Hartmann said. “I think it’s paid off, morale seemse pretty high, which you wouldn’t normallu expect considering we had to closeand consolidate,” he said.

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