Chapter 1 A Case for Agency

Later that day, Jaime wasn’t surprised when Kristina asked if they could meet. They went into Kristina’s office and sat down.

“I wasn’t expecting this.” Kristina paused. “Can you tell me why you’re leaving?”

Jaime hesitated. She wasn’t sure how much to share.

“Is it the money?” asked Kristina. “If so, I can look into that. Is it your work hours or work location? Or is it me, would you rather work for someone else? Has your life outside of work changed?”

Jaime’s response to each question was “no.”

“What is it then?” asked Kristina, baffled. “What has moved you to this decision?”

Jaime took a deep breath. She decided to be truthful, given her concerns for the organization and because Kristina had always been honest with her.

“I’ve wanted to have a conversation with you before about how constrained and undervalued I feel in the way this organization functions. I even came into your office a couple of times to talk about my concerns, but the timing never felt right. But now, I feel like I owe it to you to tell you what led me to this decision. I’m tired of the naysayers. I’m tired of being overly controlled. I’m tired of being second-guessed all the time,” she said. “When I first joined, I understood there would be some restrictions to what I could do because it takes time to learn about how an organization works. But now, after all these years, I thought my track record would be worth something—that you’d see what I bring and am capable of. I thought you would allow me to make decisions and move things forward in areas where I have knowledge and expertise, where I know my efforts would benefit the organization, and where I’m pretty sure you and others would agree with me or, at least, see my actions as viable. I need to have the freedom to act on the things I know are in the organization’s best interests.”

“But you have that now,” said Kristina.

“No, I don’t. Whenever I have an idea or want to make a decision in an area where I have knowledge, expertise, and prior experience, I still need your permission to act on it. You always say, ‘Let’s think about that,’ or ‘Can you explain that further?’ I have to justify every thought. And often, even after that, you still want me to check with others. It’s just a waste of time, and it frustrates me and saps my energy. I need to find a place to work where I can fully apply my knowledge and be valued. And there are other people here who feel this way, too.”

Kristina was silent for a moment, thinking. Then she spoke. “I don’t want to lose you, or other people who are talented like you, nor does the organization. You’re too valuable.”

Jaime said. “Then there are going to have to be some big changes.”

Many organizations in the United States and around the globe are receiving wake-up calls from dissatisfied team members who want more from their jobs, the organizations where they work, and their managers. You may be experiencing this in your organization. There are many people like Jaime who feel smothered in their jobs by unnecessary controls and micromanagement, and wind up feeling underutilized and undervalued. They are either speaking up about the need for change, or searching for jobs elsewhere—and organizations are paying the price. Many organizations need to transform the way they treat people if they want to keep talent.

Increasing numbers of people are redefining what work and job success mean. There is no disputing the fact that workforce conditions and expectations have changed dramatically in the last few years. Even before the 2020 pandemic, people had started to rethink their relationship to work, questioning the role it played in defining their identities, and re-evaluating how much energy they gave to work versus other aspects in their life such as family, community, self-care, and down-time. For many, the pandemic upended long-held ideas of where and how work could be accomplished, and with the introduction of remote work, virtual meetings, and hybrid workplaces, some of these aspirations have become realities, or at least possibilities.

Additionally, the discussion of inclusion has raised the bar on expectations in the workplace as organizations have said they want employees to have a greater sense of belonging, a greater voice, and recognition for their contributions—and employees are holding them to that. Furthermore, people are looking for more independence in their jobs.

People want to be able to make choices and take actions they feel are right without a multitude of roadblocks or feeling smothered by their manager. Some people were given a high degree of latitude growing up, some were even allowed to become co-decision makers with their parents who gave them the ability to challenge and push back, and they expect that in the workplace, too. They have less patience to wait or ask for permission when they know they have the skills to do something. They have greater curiosity and ask questions—which some managers see as threatening or challenging. Many have grown up in a culture of customization, in which products and services are uniquely individualized, and so they expect that level of curation in their career paths too, along with greater focus on development and learning rather than tenure and rank.6

Technology and, more recently, generative artificial intelligence (GAI) have shepherded in a new level of speed and information availability that have contributed to higher expectations in accomplishing tasks, especially in individuals who have grown up with the internet and are used to things happening with speed. When people feel slowed down or thwarted in their ability to carry out their work effectively, they grow dissatisfied with their job and think about moving elsewhere.

Many people today view themselves as free agents in the workplace.7 Just as in sports, in which players can move from team to team, so, too, do individuals see themselves as able to move between organizations quickly and easily, without the need to stay in one place. Many people are asking for a decrease in work hours and some countries are moving to a thirty-two-hour work week. Those who work on the front lines and in other positions that don’t have the opportunity for hybrid work want to have a shorter work week, or some schedule that allows them to have greater flexibility in their lives.8 There is a significant shift in what people need and want from their organizations to do their best work, and an incremental response will not do. The workplace must take a leap forward to address the needs of today’s workforce.

Unfortunately, there is a disconnect between what people need and what many leaders believe is necessary or even possible. Leaders may see the need for change, but they also feel a responsibility to protect their organization and some of its practices. They may know that innovation is important for the longevity of their organization, but they feel they have to ensure it does not put the organization at risk, so they want everything checked and proven before it moves too far along. With this kind of thinking from their leaders, organizations risk operating too slowly as decisions are made only at the very top and innovations are not embraced. Capable and skilled people are often underutilized, devalued, and demoralized, leaving them with few options other than to contribute less, check out, or move on.

In this highly competitive and evolving world of work, it is no surprise that organizations are feeling extremely challenged, some for their very existence. To survive, they must continue to evolve, especially around manager-employee interactions. The old saying “ people join organizations and leave managers” has never been truer. In today’s work world, we consider all employees knowledge workers—individuals who use their expertise, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills to add value to their job. These capabilities are needed more than ever but, in many organizations, they are not valued as much as they need to be. As a result, when knowledge workers feel unheard, smothered, or aren’t treated in a manner that works for them, they will make a move.

In recent years, we have seen knowledge workers struggling with how they are treated in many of the organizations where we consult. We believe unleashing the power of agency is key to reshaping our work-places to meet the needs of individuals and teams, as well as the demands of a fast-paced, global economy. But what do we mean when we talk about agency? We define agency as:

Ensuring that all people, of all roles, levels, tenure, and identities have the power, influence, and voice to make choices and decisions related to their jobs and the betterment of their organization.

When everyone has agency, people know they are full and deserving members of the organization and their voice will be heard. With agency, every person feels a sense of ownership and accountability for the organization’s success. They feel an obligation to share their thoughts and to make things better. They have the decision rights to make things happen within their area of responsibility, and improve things there and throughout the organization. Everyone’s expertise is valued. They are the Operations Leaders of their jobs. Or as one of our clients defined it, people in the organization lead from any chair.