Q: How can I give employees the freedom to choose their own work?

A: Innovation Partners International (IPI) is the world’s leading strength-based consulting firm, specializing in participative organizational analysis, learning, design and transformation.

One way IPI implements the democratic principle of choice is that there are no traditional “work assignments” at IPI, and yet all the “work” gets done on people’s own inspired authority.

For example, by the time the staff completes a strategic plan they all know where they want to go and how to get there and the boundaries in which they need to operate. Individual members then simply sign up for the aspects of the plan they want to follow-through on, inspired by their own volition. In essence, employees choose their own work versus having a boss tell them what to do, and this in turn engenders a greater sense of ownership and motivation.

As a result, when the staff did a one-year review they found that 90 percent of the plan had been implemented - and all work was outside of each person’s professional consulting responsibilities.

IPI’s Managing Partner, Ada Jo Mann, explains how a democratically run company is valuable when she states: “Emerging now is a vibrant, adaptable and high performing form of strength-based business democracy - one which brings out the best in people while fully integrating notions of accountability, trust and meaning in the work that we do. Our pursuit of this quest at IPI provides us with a high internal level of professional engagement and a wonderful laboratory from which we can share best practices with our clients.”

For more information about Innovation Partners International and their democratic practices, click here.