Should a Manager be evaluated as a Coach, Counselor, or Worker Bee in today’s world? Like it or not COVID fast-forwarded us into a new work world. Dragged along were the ‘issues’ of the younger workforce, changing cultural norms, a growing labor shortage, and then the new hybrid work environment. What didn’t change was the mental model many Leaders, especially older ones, had for role of a Manager which was formed by the Leaders early work experience. Can the ‘old’ style Manager meet the demands of today’s workplace? Does anyone really understand what they are?
Management has long been associated with five basic functions: planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling and Managers knew advancement was based on how well you accomplished them. Today’s Manager is caught between the workplace they are facing today and the historical role of a Manager.
In April of 2021 Gartner surveyed small to mid-sized businesses on the impact COVID was having on their business. Here are a few results I found interesting and believe will have an impact well beyond COVID.
One finding was that Hybrid work shifts Managers focus almost entirely to employees output and less on the processes used to produce them. Historically management coaching focused on how work was accomplished. As we know now technology has focused on automating employee tasks (the how). In the near future it will continue to focus on effectively replacing many of the tasks of employees but also managers. With this increased focus on output and the introduction of Hybrid working I believe the human aspect of the workplace environment and worker Manager relationships has changed and not necessarily for the better. Place on top of this the dehumanizing of mask wearing, the unknowns of the virus in the first two years and the additional stress placed on people outside of work because of this ‘new world’ you end up with workers feeling isolated and frustrated.
Gartner found because of these new ‘trends’ in the workplace it’s less important for Managers to see what employees are doing and more important to understand how they feel. ‘Old timers’ might not like that statement, but I firmly believe it is the new reality in the workplace. Add into this environment women and men figuring out how to manage relationships in this new world along with other changing ‘cultural norms’ that are dragged into the work environment and you end up with a lot of distracted people on both sides of the desk (or computer).
Leaders and Managers are looking at a workforce that has more options than probably any previous workforce. They are increasingly seeking out opportunities that give them flexibility, autonomy, and balance. Being ‘managed’ under the old rules just doesn’t cut.
Managers who were rewarded and promoted for the five basic functions previously mentioned are in a new world. Least we all forget another significant factor in rewarding and promoting Managers was relationship building across the organization and with Leaders of the organization. The new workplace to a large extend has removed that opportunity and increased the emphasis on the output of the Managers work group. A ‘double bind’ for the Manager. Although production focused work environments do not have as heavy emphasis on Hybrid work the role of todays Manager/Supervisor isn’t that dissimilar.
With the changing workforce and work environment how are Leaders helping Managers manage in the new world? Technology can replace tasks of workers and Manager but the need for a Manager remains for the foreseeable future.