What is self-direction?
Self-direction; a term you hear again and again. But what exactly is the definition of self-direction? Self-direction means that an organization works in teams where leadership is distributed. All members in each team is equal and together they divide the work that needs to be done. Just because everyone is equal to each other does not mean that there is no leadership in self-direction. In fact, each team member is in charge of his/her part. These parts are often based on talents and qualities of the employees. Who is good at what and who can best fulfill which role?
Why work in self-directed teams?
The reason that more and more people start working in self-directed teams is that they increasingly want to get rid of hierarchical division of the organization. This is because this hierarchical division no longer fits the network society, with all the technological developments, in which we live. Organizations want to be more agile and able to respond more quickly to innovations. Because decision-making power is much lower in this way of working, you can actually respond more easily to innovations.
What is the difference between self-direction and self-organization?
Many people think that self-direction and self-organization are the same thing, but they are not. The difference is in who sets the goal. With self-management, the team does this itself, and with self-organization it is determined by the manager or the board (though in collaboration with the team). Who determines the course you take? However, in both cases the team does choose how the goals are achieved.