Inspiring Ownership Among Employees in a Small Business

The article I read displayed how important the ability to inspire a sense of ownership among employees is, especially in small businesses. The idea is to get employees to buy into what the owner and management is striving for with the business and possess the drive to help achieve such goals. Instilling this passion often makes employees more willing to go beyond their job expectations and collaborate with management. The article identifies a few ways in which management can go about achieving this. First, employees must understand the bigger picture in what the company is hoping to accomplish. Small businesses can make this happen by educating their employees about every part of the business process, allowing them to understand how their role is so crucial to overall success. Second, management should provide incentives for employees that go beyond the norm in their work. The more an employee feels that their work is being recognized, the more likely they are to continue to push for more and better results. Third, management should allow the employees in a small business to know every reason behind company decisions. Employees will in turn be more likely to buy into the ideas even if they may not completely agree with such decisions. Lastly, small businesses must be willing to collaborate on company goals/decisions. If employees have a part in achieving company goals, they will inherently have a feeling of ownership towards the company successes.

I believe that these practices are best achieved with a transformational leader. As Chapter 12 explains, strong leadership is crucial to the success of a company and its employees. Although transformational leadership is a very contemporary approach to leadership, I believe it is especially fitting for small businesses. Several aspects of transformational leadership go hand in hand with the previously mentioned ideas. This type of leader must use inspirational motivation, making sure that the company’s vision is clear to employees and one that makes them willing to work towards such a vision. By using intellectual stimulation, they push employees to go above and beyond company norms. This freedom provides employees incentive to be creative in their ideas; small businesses largely rely on creativity. Individualized consideration, caring for employees’ well-being, also goes a long way in convincing them to work hard for the company. Most importantly, charismatic leaders that make employees believe in them have a very large part in instilling commitment to a small business’ organizational goals.

Transformational leaders have been proven to increase their employees’ feelings of ownership and commitment to their company. It is crucial that every employee in a small business buy into company goals and be willing to put in the hard work to achieve such goals so transformational leadership may be the exact solution to making that happen.

Do you agree with me in the belief that transformational leadership is the key to achieving what the article talks about? Or are there better, more attainable types of leadership that could be enacted?

Posted By: Brittany Meredith