Introduction to Fair Process Leadership

Mistrust

Lack of engagement

No information sharing

Inflexibility

Even sabotage
What is the price of unfairness?
Engagement

Explanation

Expectation clarity
Principles of a Fair Process
Requires flexible leadership types

Much more ASK than TELL

Against traditional managerial beliefs and behavior
Why is FPL so difficult
to apply?
Fairness Behavior
Introduction to Fair Process Leadership
Why Fairness is so important?
How to be Fair?
Depleted Effectiveness and efficiency
What does it mean to be fair?
Outcome Fairness?
Process Fairness?
Management:
Set ambitious goals
Provide tools & resources
Incentivize and reward in line with achievement
Management:
Engage impacted people openly in decision-making
Consider honestly all options brought by them
Explain decision to all
Make all focus on implementation
Conduct evaluation, acknowledge mistake and make necessary changes
Growing evidence that this style of management is both more effective and sustainable.
This is not:
Decision by consensus
Compromise
Democracy
Distributive justice, i.e. a reward by outcome
Involve individuals impacted by the decision

Ask for input

Allow refutation of each other's ideas & assumptions
Explain fully and openly why the decision is made

Confirm all opinions were considered

Demonstrate decision is in the company's interest
Explain clearly and without ambiguity the new rules of game:
Who is responsible for what
Performance standards
Penalties for failure
Why is fair process
so important?
Reciprocity


Feel respected


Be valued
You trust me,
then I trust you
I am more than just a tool, a resource; you respect me as human being
My intelligence and my know-how is valued
5 Cs:

Clarity (Transparency)

Consistency (no bias, through time and across people)

Communication (Voice)

Changeability (with evidence)

Culture (authenticity)
Ambiguity, fog,...

Bias



Only tell, only orders

Rigidity


Artifice, pretense
Fair Process
Leadership
(5 E)
Exploring
Explaining
Engaging
Executing
Evaluating
& Seeing
& Framing
Generating &
& Eliminating options
Deciding &
& Setting expectation
& Realizing
& Rewarding
& Learning
& Adapting
FPL requires leaders to adapt leadership type of the phase
Communication
Clarity
Consistency
Changeability
Culture
Exploring
Explaining
Engaging
Executing
Evaluating
& Seeing
& Framing
Generating &
& Eliminating options
Deciding &
& Setting expectation
& Realizing
& Rewarding
& Learning
& Adapting
Good
mother
Fairy
Queen
Good
King
Winning
Warrior
All 4
types
FPL requires from leaders more listening than telling
Communication
Clarity
Consistency
Changeability
Culture
Exploring
Explaining
Engaging
Executing
Evaluating
& Seeing
& Framing
Generating &
& Eliminating options
Deciding &
& Setting expectation
& Realizing
& Rewarding
& Learning
& Adapting
80% ASK?
80% ASK?
80% ASK?
80% ASK?
80% TELL
Management Resistance
Misconception (from economic theories) that people are purely utility-maximizers.

Benefits not known in advance

Against social "male" norms

Private and hidden agendas, win-lose mode

Risky exposure (errors and problems)

Most prefer assumptions to hypothesis
Communication
Clarity
Consistency
Changeability
Culture
Exploring
Explaining
Engaging
Executing
Evaluating
& Seeing
& Framing
Generating &
& Eliminating options
Deciding &
& Setting expectation
& Realizing
& Rewarding
& Learning
& Adapting
In summary, Fair Process Leadership: 5 C and 5 E
Benefits
Trust
Willing cooperation
Idea sharing
Greater commitment
Collective wisdom
Higher Effectiveness & Efficiency
Leader asks subordinates what they see:
Issues and concerns
Priorities
"What would you set as priorities if you were in my shoes?"
Agreeing on the agenda
Problem formulation
See what solutions the team can come up

Explore options provided by the team members

Let express arguments opposing options

Leader remains an impartial judge:
if team consensus, no argue, just agree.
carefully listen to counter-arguments
Leader takes decision

Explain:
the why (meaning and understanding)
the what (objectives and how-to)

Be clear why some options were eliminated

Set expectations:
How
Who does what with which objectives
Reward
Leader makes sure action is resolute and disciplined

No on-the-back overturn is tolerated

Stop debates:
"No time for rediscussion"
Issues postponed to Evaluating phase
Apply evaluating, learning and adapting in a systematic and disciplined manner

Recognize errors, mistakes and admit them

Address them as they arise

Use FPL for solutions

This is the secret of continuous improvement