Ralph Stayer, CEO of Johnsonville Sausage, recounts his journey of transforming the company by empowering employees and distributing decision-making.
Initially, Stayer felt burdened by the need to control every aspect of the business, leading to disengaged employees and missed opportunities.
He recognized the need to shift from an authoritarian style to one where employees embraced responsibility.
Stayer describes the challenges of implementing changes to the systems and structure within the company so that teams took over the function of many management roles.
This included handing over quality control, personnel, and even strategic decisions to teams of workers, resulting in improved performance and a more engaged workforce.
Stayer's experience highlights the importance of fostering a culture of learning, shared responsibility, and continuous improvement, a culture that ultimately redefined his role within the company.
Link to essay: https://hbr.org/1990/11/how-i-learned-to-let-my-workers-lead
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