Establishing a progressive workplace necessitates a strategic amalgamation of leadership, a dedication to diversity and inclusion, and a culture that prioritises learning and development. Embracing collaborative leadership, work-life balance, and sustainable practices, progressive organisations redefine success beyond shareholder value.
This transformation involves a shift from command-and-control structures to autonomy, experimentation, and aligning tasks with individual strengths. In this dynamic landscape, trust, teamwork, purpose, and ownership emerge as key characteristics shaping a progressive workplace.
A progressive workplace can be characterised as an organisation that utilises modern technology to solve modern problems, adopts employment practices that create and sustain an inclusive workplace, as well as promote the well-being of employees and focuses on ecological sustainability, respect for future generations, and pro-socialness.
The development of progressive culture starts with strong leadership, is interwoven with business strategy, and organically grows from the bottom up.
Employers have a vital role in perpetuating a strong culture, starting with recruiting and selecting applicants who will share the organisation’s beliefs and thrive in that culture, training and performance management programs that outline and reinforce the organisation’s core values and ensuring that appropriate rewards and recognition go to employees who truly embody the values.
Progressive organisations no longer focus solely on increasing shareholder value. They also focus on building a workplace around common purpose and values. Because having purpose and meaning gives people the energy, passion and motivation to get out of bed in the morning.
Progressive organisations know the familiar pyramid is out-dated. It simply does not fit with today’s quickly changing environment. The rigidity of command-and-control does not promote agility, speed, and engagement. Teams are often organised as networks of people. They may be multidisciplinary and are responsible for their own results. They are connected as needed to other networks to form networks of networks.
Most command-and-control structures operate with a directive leadership style. Collaborative leadership however, focuses on encouraging employees to contribute and nurturing a collaborative environment. They constantly challenge the status quo – the way we have always done things – and encourage the entire organisation to do the same. Authority is no longer linked to rank, but rather to the ability to lead by example.
Progressive organisations embrace experimentation in everything they do: policies, practices, ways of working, and even structures. Change is no longer a once-in-a-year event. It is a part of every-day work. The adaptive organisations we have studied believe that it is better to experiment and fail than to never make mistakes at all.
Such organisations strive to move from control to autonomy. They act on the belief that employees are responsible adults who can be trusted. They don’t need extensive control. They perform best when given a high degree of autonomy. They can be trusted to do their job in the way they see fit. They let employees decide where, when and with whom to work.
Director (HR)
GAIL
Traditional organisations tend to distribute activities based on job titles and descriptions. But many of these are out-of-date the moment they are crafted. This old habit forces people to work on things they are supposed to do, but not necessarily disposed to do. In a progressive workplace, employees will be given task tasks they like; ones that fit their talents and strengths. We know that doing what one is good at increases motivation and engagement.
For an organisation to transform into progressive workplace, efforts have to be made to bring initiatives that promote a culture of learning and development and guide employees toward the right learning path, and prioritise employees. Organisations that have initiatives that support their subordinates to innovate, challenge the status quo and help their employees thrive, find themselves in the ranks of Progressive Employers. Thus, Trust, Teamwork, Purpose, and Ownership are key characteristics of a Progressive Workplace.
