The shadow board concept applied to companies is inspired by the original idea, which comes from the industrial world: a shadow board is a panel specifically designed to place work tools that are not being used at a given time and therefore facilitate order and efficiency.
In this post, we will discuss the reasons that can lead a company to apply a shadow board methodology with its teams and consequently maximize success in achieving its objectives.
What is a shadow board?
A shadow board is a team, or even a work philosophy, characterized by team intergenerational and interdisciplinary composition. The aim is to make the most of the talent in people from very different corporate profiles or positions within the company. It is also the talent that can emerge from the shared work of these people. Therefore, the shadow board consists of putting junior employees to work side by side with senior workers on their strategic projects.
A shadow board involves entrusting more junior or less experienced workers with some tasks under the premise that they will bring an unbiased and new vision that will benefit decision-making and the methodology to carry them out.
It is about facilitating the enrichment that can come from younger workers or those who are not directly involved in actions of a high level of responsibility, encouraging access to a more diverse set of perspectives, innovative and connected to contexts that are usually alien to senior executives.
Benefits of a shadow board in companies
1. Improves creativity
There is something applicable to any area of life, and that is that you can never know when, where, through which channel, and, above all, from which person, the ideas that will make a difference and push a project forward will emerge.
Applying a shadow board methodology in companies can help ensure that the ideas and opinions of those who are less likely to be heard have an opportunity to contribute real value because of their rank.
2. Encourages participation
A shadow board diversifies authority by diversifying participation. The creative thinking processes, discussion of alternatives, and decision on the best course of action at a given moment become more horizontal, if not in all phases, at least in some of them. This is key to achieving the objectives set.
3. Fosters staff cohesion
The shadow board does not build bridges between departments but between people. It innovates the philosophy according to which work teams are structured and encourage the integration of new members with veteran members, mentoring processes, and the perception of belonging, through the perception of direct influence on organizational processes.
4. Renews leadership style
The shadow board generates a new concept of leadership and training within the company. It is based on rejecting a rigid and hermetic verticality in team composition. This way, very different employee profiles have access to working relationships with which they are generally not familiar and train the ability to decide, coordinate, obey or propose in an innovative way that leads to more efficient productivity.
5. Enhances talent development
The shadow board actively incorporates newer or “less experienced” employees into the company from the outset to provide their perspectives. This enhances generational renewal processes by carrying them out organically and from within.
Emotional well-being for companies
At ifeel, we are committed to improving employee and company well-being. That is why we strive to help them in the challenge of generating stimulating and healthy work environments for their employees.
For this purpose, our psychologists have created an emotional well-being program for companies. Through this collaboration, your company’s HR managers will be able to receive personalized, data-driven advice on how to improve their teams’ psychological well-being. In addition, this program provides employees with a complete mental health care service structured at different levels according to their needs. Try our program now to see how it can help you.
Visit our Resources section, where you will find podcasts, guides for Human Resources, or interviews with leading HR professionals. In addition, you will have access to a Psychosocial Risk Factors Template, which will help you comply with the Labor Inspection requirements.
We hope this post about the benefits of implementing a shadow board in companies has given you some good ideas to make it easier for you to fulfill your tasks. Contact us to learn more about how our emotional well-being program for companies works.
