How to balance control and trust in an age of uncertainty
“Trust is good but control is better” is a famous quote attributed to Vladimir Lenin. Many companies seem to live by it. The trouble is that in real life it is a double-edged sword. Relying on trust alone may leave your business vulnerable whereas too much control will stifle it. This post will revisit the influential management thinker Robert Simon to explore how you find a balance between trust and control in these times of regulatory pressure, misinformation and remote work.
The manager’s four levers of control
In the mid-nineties, the management thinker Robert Simons wrote “Control in an Age of Empowerment“. This influential article introduces four “control levers” that can help managers find the balance between trust and control. To summarize, the four levers are:
1. Belief systems
These include the core values of the company. They can set employees free to search for solutions that e.g. satisfy their customers. However, a co-located team with people from the same culture that speak the same language will be able to rely on this lever more than a dispersed team with many nationalities.
2. Boundary systems
These include e.g. policies that describe the company’s rules and actions and risks to be avoided. They are essentially the company’s brakes. This is where e.g. a Quality Management System comes in.
3. Interactive control systems
They enable top-level managers to understand their competitive environment and respond to this in time. Such systems may include market share data, competitive surveillance, and customer satisfaction data.
4. Diagnostic control systems
They allow managers to set and measure progress towards goals. A budget is one example.
How to find the balance in your company
Simon’s point is that each lever of control has its own drawbacks and advantages. Therefore it should be pulled with different strengths depending on your company and its business environment. The four levers should complement each other. As diagnostic controls and boundary systems are implemented to constrain and interactive controls and belief systems help your organization to further develop and grow.
Stable market? Use budgets and work instructions.
If you are a mature company in a mature market then you may prioritize budgets, business policies, and work instructions (boundary systems and diagnostic control systems). You can hire employees that know how to work by clearly set rules. Your environment is stable and it is not required to empower your employees to act on their own.
Changing market? Use strong core values, clear rules, and plenty of data from your environment
On the other hand, if you are in a market that is changing fast then different levers must be pulled. Here your budgets will quickly be outdated and your work instructions will be redundant. So either you invest a lot in updating and communicating them all the time, or you reduce them to a minimum. Hence you give people the tools to deploy their skills, experience, and initiative in the interest of your company.
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In this case, nurturing strong core values are essential. E.g. the famous US shoe retailer Zappos became the market leader on the core value of excellent customer service. Its staff had hardly any boundaries in their pursuit of customer satisfaction. On the other hand, Simon puts it this way:
“if you go very fast then you need powerful brakes”
You may need to control your company’s exposure to risk with boundary systems when everyone is ready to act proactively. Lastly, you should use interactive control systems to respond timely to new market developments.
Start-up? Find the right mix so you can scale
If you’re a start-up then you may be able to control your company directly. Have a daily meeting and share examples of what is desirable behavior, mix in some insights from the market. Show your colleagues a little bit of what not to do and what not to spend time on. As you develop, you can gradually formalize this meeting into control levers that you can apply when people are traveling or if you open new offices.
To stay with the driver’s analogy it’s (probably) a lot easier to learn how to drive a racing car if you first have learned to handle a normal car. Or perhaps you have done some laps in a go-cart or tried a simulation game. Pulling the levers of management is the same – start early so you don’t find yourself at the Grand Prix without any knowledge of how the car works…
👉 Recommendation: The article “Balance Trust and Control” from Gluu offers insightful information relevant to any organization striving for productivity and competency in a rapidly changing world. It proffers an interesting perspective on the necessary equilibrium between trust and control within a team, arguing how traditional ‘command and control’ management models are obsolete in today’s culture. It further provides practical steps on how to maintain a balance, such as defining clear roles and promoting ownership of tasks. This article is highly recommended for managers, leaders and professionals seeking strategies to promote trust and control within their teams.
How the Gluu platform could help you balance control and trust
The Gluu platform blends business processes, work instructions, measurable tasks and communications to help companies achieve a common way of working. Having a ‘single source of truth’ with full transparency through change automated change logging provides control without having to centralize and slow down a company’s development. This way managers get full control of any process while still being able to decentralize its ownership and show trust to the people that are responsible for changing this.
I hope this short intro can inspire you to see that the trade-off that Simon referred to no longer needs to be there. Even in these times where an ability to work remotely is more important than ever before.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the article “Balance Trust and Control” from Gluu comprehensively discusses the critical balance between trust and control within modern businesses. It postulates that traditional management styles no longer apply and instead encourages the definition of clear roles and promoting task ownership to foster team efficiency. It offers a novel perspective, providing valuable tips that can be pivotal for enhancing team productivity and management practices in any organization.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Achieving an optimal balance of trust and control in process management is pivotal for the success and growth of organizations. For instance, by applying the principle of empowerment, organizations can provide their employees with the necessary independence to execute their tasks. Simultaneously, they can ensure guidelines or frameworks are in place, stipulating accountability and aligning with the company’s goals. By fostering open communication and regularly collecting feedback, they can assess the need for rebalancing. This approach motivates employees and makes feel them valued, and keeps the processes organized and efficient.
Leaning heavily towards either trust or control in an organization can have its advantages and potential downfalls. On the positive side, a culture with a high level of trust can foster creativity and innovation. It encourages employees to take initiatives and responsibility, promoting engagement and job satisfaction. However, excessive trust without proper control mechanisms may lead to slackness, misalignment with company goals, or even misconduct. On the other hand, a control-focused environment often ensures consistent quality and efficiency while minimizing risk. The downside is that employees might feel micromanaged, leading to lower morale and stifled innovation.
Organizations struggling to establish a balance between trust and control should consider several successful strategies. Firstly, organizations should establish clear expectations and objectives at the beginning. This gives each team member a clear understanding of what the organization expects and where they can make their own decisions. Secondly, organizations should foster a culture of open communication. This allows management to share their vision and expectations and, in turn, allows employees to share their challenges and suggestions. Thirdly, employers need to create opportunities for employees to demonstrate reliability and gain more autonomy gradually. Implementing mentoring or coaching programs can facilitate this. Fourthly, including regular reviews and performance assessments in their process can help maintain oversight without resorting to micromanagement. By adopting these strategies, organizations can create a healthy balance between trust and control, leading to a prosperous and productive work environment.
