By Benjamin Laker,Senior Contributor

Copyright forbes

Employees are not passive recipients of instruction. They are active participants in a shared enterprise.

For much of modern business history, the employment relationship has been built on a simple premise: employees work for their leaders. Leaders set direction, assign tasks, and evaluate results. Employees execute. This model assumes control drives productivity. Yet in today’s workplace, control often does the opposite.

Hierarchical control depends on compliance, and compliance produces only the minimum effort required. It does not inspire creativity, initiative, or problem-solving. These qualities emerge only when people feel they are contributing to something they co-own. When employees see themselves as working for leaders rather than with them, they disengage from the larger purpose and focus narrowly on completing assigned tasks.

This approach once worked when jobs were predictable and tightly defined. It fits poorly in knowledge-driven environments where collaboration and adaptability matter more than routine execution. Complex work depends on people bringing their judgment and imagination, not just their labour.

Leaders who still view themselves as commanding subordinates risk missing this shift. They end up surrounded by cautious teams who wait to be told what to do rather than actively shaping solutions. The result is slower decisions, weaker innovation, and declining resilience.

The truth is that employees are not passive recipients of instruction. They are active participants in a shared enterprise. Reframing the relationship from control to collaboration unlocks their full potential.

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Why Co-Ownership Drives Performance

When people see themselves as partners rather than subordinates, they invest more energy, creativity, and care. Research on self-determination theory by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan shows that autonomy is a core driver of intrinsic motivation. People contribute more when they feel they are choosing to, not being compelled to.

Co-ownership transforms how people relate to work. Instead of asking “What does my boss want from me?” they ask “What are we trying to achieve together?” This shift produces stronger engagement and deeper accountability. People work harder for goals they helped shape than for ones handed down from above.

It also strengthens trust. Leaders who treat employees as collaborators signal respect for their judgment. This reciprocity encourages employees to speak up, share dissenting views, and take initiative without waiting for permission. The team becomes more adaptive because information flows upward as well as downward.

Leaders can foster this mindset by involving employees early in decision processes. Even small opportunities to shape goals or influence priorities build psychological ownership. Asking “How would you approach this challenge?” before offering a directive shifts the tone from instruction to partnership.

Another useful practice is sharing context, not just tasks. When leaders explain the broader purpose behind decisions, employees can make smarter local choices and contribute ideas that align with the bigger picture. This builds alignment without eroding autonomy.

Designing Collaboration Into the System

Changing mindsets is not enough if systems still reinforce hierarchy. Many organisations unintentionally undermine collaboration by concentrating decision rights and credit at the top. Employees learn that speaking up changes little, so they stop trying.

Leaders can counter this by redistributing influence. One way is to create cross-functional project teams where authority rotates based on expertise rather than rank. This shows that leadership is a role people step into to serve the group, not a permanent claim to control.

Recognition systems can also shift the balance. Celebrating collective achievements alongside individual ones reinforces that success is shared. Publicly highlighting how collaboration created value signals that working with others is part of performance, not an optional behaviour.

Decision-making processes should reflect this too. Instead of finalising strategies in closed executive sessions, leaders can use open strategy forums where ideas are co-developed with wider input before final decisions are made. This increases commitment while surfacing better ideas from those closest to the work.

Hybrid workplaces make these practices even more important. Physical distance can erode informal collaboration, so leaders need deliberate mechanisms—shared digital whiteboards, rotating facilitation roles, regular reflection sessions—to keep co-creation visible and active.

Leading as a Contributor, Not a Controller

Reframing leadership from control to contribution also demands a personal shift in how leaders see their own role. Many were trained to believe their job is to direct and evaluate. But the most effective modern leaders spend less time directing and more time enabling.

This means thinking like a teammate first and a supervisor second. Leaders who ask “What can I remove from your way?” rather than “What have you done?” create a climate of support that unlocks initiative. When people feel their leader is working with them, not over them, they reciprocate with greater commitment.

It also means sharing credit generously. Leaders who publicly highlight their teams’ contributions build trust and loyalty. Visibility should be used as a spotlight to elevate others, not as a platform to consolidate personal status.

Leaders can reinforce this mindset by joining in core work periodically, not just reviewing it. Shadowing frontline processes, taking part in brainstorming sessions, or handling customer interactions alongside their teams sends a clear message: “We are in this together.” This strengthens credibility more than any speech can.

In a world where adaptability matters more than control, leaders who treat employees as collaborators will outperform those who cling to hierarchy. Authority may grant compliance, but partnership earns commitment. And commitment—not control—is what drives lasting performance.

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