The Importance Of Autonomy In Creating A Successful Business

Most people have something in their lives that they do even though they don’t want to. They do that because of a resulting reward or punishment. Very few people enjoy that kind of work. But, what if one actually enjoyed their job? What if one worked because they like what they do and not just because they need money? The current system of working does not provide an opportunity to be able to achieve this because most of the aspects of the job are fixed. That means that it cannot be changed. For example, one has to come in at a certain time, leave at a certain time, and do a certain series of things that day. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for comfort and self-motivation. That is what autonomy is. It is where employees have a very open workplace without any start or finish times set in stone. Instead, they can come and go whenever they want to. Any commitments that occur during the day don’t have to be compromised. People can leave work whenever they feel like it. Workers don’t have to do a series of things every day. Instead, they can do things that they are interested in (relating to their job of course). This fosters more creative ideas and is great for the company as a whole because people are more motivated to do things since there are fewer things to complain about in their workplace. A common question is, “How has humanity survived and thrived for thousands of years with Motivation 2. 0?” This is not to say that extrinsic motivation is bad because it is not. It is very effective when it comes to short-term goals like getting as much money in a short, defined amount of time as possible. But, that is not the goal of most businesses. Instead, most businesses want to make the most money in a more long-term way. Autonomy is a vital building block in creating a successful business and becoming successful. The ability to come and go whenever they want to and to do anything that they want to do that is productive in people’s goals at the workplace really enhances one’s interest in their job.

In most of the businesses in the world, autonomy is very limited. There are structured work times and not much flexibility at all. This lack of autonomy and freedom will result in less efficiency and a more short-term approach to everything. It will also lead to the absence of creativity. Creativity is linked to motivation, specifically intrinsic motivation. William A. Darity Jr. edited a document called “Creativity” that talks about the connection between autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and creativity. The document says, “Personality studies often include intrinsic motivation as one of the core characteristics of creativity. Other relevant personality characteristics include a wide range of interests, autonomy. . . ”. This demonstrates the idea that if a workplace has to be as efficient and as creative as possible, autonomy and intrinsic motivation are required. Without them, a business cannot differentiate itself from the competition. Autonomy is vital for the proper functioning of a business. A business must have employee motivation, an engaging workplace, and an abundant source of creativity. These are only possible by implementing the ideas of autonomy.

Most businesses nowadays run on micromanagement. Micromanagement is where the manager monitors every little thing that the employee does. There are specific goals to be met in a certain amount of time. Even though things may seem good, in reality, it is very inefficient. People won’t want to exceed the expectations set by the manager. This will cause the whole business to be stagnant, and without any development. The lack of development will eventually lead to the downfall of the business. Daniel H. Pink, the author of the book Drive, talks about the benefits of autonomy and the downfalls of management. He says, “Yet too many businesses remain woefully behind the science. Most 21st century… presume that, in the end, people are pawns rather than players”. This confirms the notion that people are treated like pawns, and that micromanagement is bad for business because it can suppress the productivity of the employee. Treating people like pawns will make them feel that they shouldn’t work as hard as they can.

Autonomy, if implemented, can exponentially increase efficiency, production, and profits in a job. Basically, people have to be self-motivated, not extrinsically motivated. If one takes children as an example, they will automatically like to play with friends and watch a lot of TV, but they won’t voluntarily do their chores, help out around the house, or other work. This applies to adults too. If they are actually enjoying their job, they will perform a lot better and will make a substantially higher contribution to the job. For them, they are working because it is fun, and money is just a side benefit. Daniel H. Pink wrote an article called “School’s Out”, which talks about the effects of intrinsic motivation and autonomy on efficiency in a school. But his points are also true for adults. He says that students “lose the intrinsic motivation and the pure joy derived from learning and working when somebody takes away their sense of autonomy…”. Even though this article was directed for adults, it is also applicable to any other person. Another benefit of autonomy is that since there are no requirements, people won’t stop at a certain level. They will keep doing stuff and working which will improve the business a lot. If there are limits, there will not be a feeling of completion, which will lead to higher accomplishments. All of these benefits are acquired just by implementing autonomy.

Autonomy is vital for businesses because of its positive effects on efficiency and productivity. The lack of autonomy will promote short-term thinking, which is useful if one wants something done at the moment and nothing long-term. But, if they want something long-term, then autonomy is a must-have. Even though it is not as efficient short-term, it does wonders in the long-term. Autonomy is a very important element to incorporate into a business so that it can function properly. People have advanced this far without it. Imagine if they embrace it now! People could rise to heights and really be successful. Just by incorporating a little autonomy, Google has become so successful. If more businesses follow it, then the world would be a much better place.