People support that which they help create.
In behavioral economics, this is called “Participatory Bias” – people are more inclined to support decisions they help to make and solutions they help to create, even if the end result is not theirs.
Having participated, they are more willing to defend the outcome. Their ego won’t allow them to support the process and oppose it at the same time.
The opposite is also true. When we don’t include people in decisions, projects, or solutions, they are more likely to resist, oppose, and even sabotage the end result.
Knowing this, why wouldn’t we go out of our way to create opportunities for people to participate, even when we don’t need them to?
We cannot ignore the enormous influence participation has on human behavior.
The simple act of including someone…
- helps that person feel valued, recognized, and appreciated
- increases their engagement and patronage
- fosters their effectiveness through understanding, learning, and discovery
- encourages their creativity and innovation
Easy ways to create participation:
- Solicit suggestions for improving the team, the meeting, a project, or a process
- Ask someone new every week for their perspective on an issue
- Seek advice on solving a problem from someone not involved with it
- Request a your team’s help in generating new ideas or approaches
- Nominate people for a task force, a committee, or a development program
If we want to be great leaders, we need to intentionally provide people with the opportunity to participate, contribute, and make a difference.
