Step 3: Get Permission

Once you’ve decided that you want to go with self-selecting teams, you’ll have to convince others in the organization that it’s a good idea. You don’t just walk up and say “Hey, we want to do this” and then do it. Many people need to be convinced, and you’ll need to manage their expectations. 

It’s unlikely that you’ll get complete buy-in for self-selection from the outset. If you know you can, great. If not, you’ll have to start selling your idea and persuading the staff that self-selection is the right way forward.

Initial Buy-In May Be Difficult

Depending on where you are in the management hierarchy, you may find that seeking forgiveness after the fact, rather than asking for permission beforehand, is the best way forward.

The question we’re most often asked is, “How did you get management to agree?” We didn’t have full buy-in at Trade Me in the beginning, but at least it was an organization that operated on trust where managers were inclined to give you enough rope to try something new.

We felt we needed to just go ahead and do it rather than try to persuade everyone at first. While we didn’t ask for permission, we didn’t act like cowboys either. We moved slowly and kept everyone in the loop along the way. Our aim was full transparency from start to finish. In fact, we probably erred on the side of over-communicating, but at least we were explaining what was actually going to happen rather than asking whether it would be a good idea.

Sandy remembers what it felt like:

We were scared ourselves. We didn’t know whether this was going to work. We were waiting for someone to stop us at some point because we were doing something that felt so outside of everyone’s comfort zone. We were expecting a tap on the shoulder, someone telling us, “Stop, you can’t do this,” but it never came. And that was quite scary in itself. We went higher and higher up in management explaining what we were planning to do, and everyone just said, “Yeah, awesome. Do it. But have you thought of these fifty reasons why it’s never going to work?”

We talked a lot about risk and were very honest about the fact that we didn’t know for sure whether our idea would work. What we did know, however, was that the worst-case scenario wasn’t so bad. Ultimately, the worst thing that could happen was a day of lost productivity, which we were able to put a monetary value on. We explained that if this didn’t work, we could easily move back to managerial selection but with a lot more information than before. Also, there was risk associated with managerial selection, too. There’s no certainty that what managers come up with will be a good solution either.

That’s what we talked about and recommend you steer the conversation toward, too: the small size of the risk. What’s the worst that can happen?

We were also in a position of strength by having already run a trial event, which meant we knew what was to come and could manage expectations accordingly. If you have doubts whether self-selection will work for you at scale, try running a trial.

In your communication to get permission, the key is being transparent, honest, and determined. You will see that you’ll get a long way with this!

Stages of Acceptance

We know from experience that people will likely feel scared or challenged by a concept like this in the beginning. Often their first reaction is shock and surprise, and they usually present you with a long list of fears and reasons why self-selection probably won’t work. While accompanying coworkers on their journey toward enthusiasm for or at least acceptance of the idea, we discovered that most people, including us, seem to go through a number of stages.

Stage 1: Doubt (What if It Doesn’t Work?)

At the very beginning people are taken aback by the idea and voice fears mostly in the form of “what-if” scenarios. We usually hear the following:

• “What if everyone wants to work in this area?”

• “What if no one wants to work in that area?”

• “What if I don’t know what I want?”

• “What if I make the wrong choice?”

• “What if it ends up in total chaos?”

• “What if no one wants to work with this person?”

The main sentiment is “Nice idea, but really, this is not going to work.” We went through that ourselves and then realized that everyone would go through similar stages. At some point we walked around the business and watched jaws drop when we explained what we were thinking of doing.

During this first stage the most important issue is to take everyone’s fears seriously and to acknowledge their concerns. Take the time to talk through their worries and ideas, but slowly encourage them to see the opportunities.

Stage 2: Inspiration (What if It Does Work?)

At this stage people begin to see the potential of self-selection. The power of the idea of working with whomever they want on whatever they want begins to take shape in their consciousness. It’s now seen as a far-fetched but feasible option.

It’s very important in this stage to keep communicating. We recommend utilizing all company presentations, group meetings, emails, and one-on-ones. (For more information see Step 6: Communicate Early and Often .)

Stage 3: Acceptance (How Will We Make It Work?)

Employees start to realize that self-selection is a serious option and that issues will be overcome. They start to trust the process and actively support the idea.

During this stage a lot will depend on you being able to make them trust you—trust that you are well prepared, have thought through potential issues, and have a genuine facilitation plan for the day. The best way to achieve this is to be absolutely transparent with everyone involved, including management.

Don’t ignore these stages of acceptance. Expect them to happen and be aware of what people will go through. Don’t fight or ignore them; anticipate and work with them!