Participatory Management: A Model to Adapt to Your Structure
I was called upon to implement a unifying project in a hotel with 350 employees. The idea was to involve all team members in the reorganization of the hotel. We gathered them in plenary sessions and then in groups of about ten people to give everyone a voice. In each subcommittee, employees, regardless of their level of responsibility, expressed themselves freely on various issues concerning the organization of services. This was a wonderful example of participatory management that left a lasting impression on the teams in their professional journeys. Some still talk to me about it today.
Housekeepers, receptionists, valets, accountants, sales managers, and cooks met regularly during their working hours to collaborate on a new organization. After a few months, each committee presented its work to the entire staff, and everyone could vote for or against the proposals, suggest additions, or modify the proposed structure. Then, on the ground, the decisions validated by the majority were put into action. The management was present at key moments to guide the reflections.
Thus, alongside each department, we organized a new network characterized by the sum of individualities. This allowed employees not only to know each other better but also to work more effectively across the hotel's different departments. We created the conditions for collective intelligence, enabling teams to find new solutions and adapt to each new situation. It is essential to give employees the opportunity to reconsider a decision when a situation requires it. Everyone involved must gather around the table again. The key is to reach the best decisions in line with the objectives set at the beginning of the year and the company's vision. This represented a new state of mind and a higher level of awareness, which was embraced at the time by nearly 80% of the staff.
Our managers had to learn to take a step back, even if they already knew the solutions to implement. The success of the project relied on the employees' ability to propose new ideas. A team leader must set aside their ego and adopt the posture of a coach. The manager is there to facilitate exchanges, but under no circumstances should their voice override those of their team members. Consequently, the decisions belonged to everyone, and everyone was committed not only to applying them but also to promoting them. Moreover, they were more aligned than ever with the realities of the situation. It was no longer the 'boss's' decision; it had become 'our decision,' even for the 20% of employees who had chosen not to participate in the discussions.
When you reach this state of mind, you have developed a new management model and the necessary synergy within your teams. You strengthen their situational intelligence, unlike organizations where employees expect everything from their manager. This is also what we call an entrepreneurial spirit. At HEC, Robert Papin, professor emeritus and founder of HEC-Entrepreneurs, taught this mindset to his students so they could innovate within corporations or start their own businesses. An individual can be an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur within an organization. This sometimes-overlooked concept is crucial. We must encourage decision-making and the creation of new ideas and services. Employees are in direct contact with guests. They understand their needs and desires, which can generate new service offerings. This is how you develop your capacity for innovation, which is so often lacking in the hospitality industry.
Is the executive committee the only decision-making body in your business?
In every large hotel, there is an executive committee that addresses organizational structure and strategic questions. Each department also organizes its own operational meetings to address daily actions.
Operational meetings are the most pragmatic. The objective is to make quick and efficient decisions regarding company events. Department heads can participate in several committees to represent different interests and share best practices.
In parallel, circular organizations of small groups can be set up to address strategic, operational, organizational, and performance topics. By involving everyone affected by a company issue, you create an environment that generates solutions and fosters change. This builds cooperation within the group and the necessary trust between team members. It is a way to rebuild simple, sincere connections among members of the same organization, freed from individual fears and ambitions. You share power and motivate everyone.
By sharing all information, you develop your collective potential and free your organization from individual fears and ambitions. Your organization becomes agile and efficient. By sharing decision-making, governance opens up to the creativity of its employees. By creating self-managed groups within your organization, you allow them to pursue set goals, measure their results, and adapt.
Meetings related to governance address changes in policy and responsibilities. Each committee member is encouraged to reflect on the keys to successful meetings and to define roles and rules for decision-making. A facilitator ensures the meeting runs smoothly: getting to the point, respecting others' voices and the meeting's duration, setting aside egos, and taking notes finalized by a collective agreement on actions to take.
As long as every discussion is well-reasoned, the democratic process prevails while considering the viewpoints of minority opinions. Every voice remains important. The idea is to bring a collective awareness out of the meeting, serving collective intelligence.
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