tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/management-1583/articlesManagement – The Conversation2024-03-27T13:38:36Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221992024-03-27T13:38:36Z2024-03-27T13:38:36ZDo employees slack off after receiving their bonuses? Our research tells a more optimistic story<p>The carrot-and-stick approach – rewards and punishment – is a long-held theory of motivation. It features in some form or other in many animal training, child rearing, and management methods. In modern incarnations applied to the business world, however, sanctions are less fashionable than rewards, the latter often in the form of pay-for-performance. Many companies apply incentive plans to motivate employees, including those in non-executive positions. For instance, in addition to their base salary, sales representatives routinely earn commissions directly tied to their sales figures. Comparable schemes exist in other lines of work, based on the notion – largely supported by empirical evidence – that performance tends to be higher under incentive plans than under flat or hourly wages.</p>
<p>The most common explanation? Reward expectancy. The mere existence of an incentive plan acts as a carrot dangling ahead. It generates anticipation for future rewards, which drives employees to push themselves a bit harder. The future reward needs just be sufficiently desirable to outweigh the cost of the required effort. The more desirable the future reward, the theory goes, the harder employees work.</p>
<h2>The performance effect of future rewards – and past ones?</h2>
<p>But what happens once employees receive their promised rewards? Do employees slack off when the metaphorical carrot is in their hands? Does it give them a further boost? Or do such payments leave employees without any feelings of obligation or inequity, and so do performance levels remain stable? The latter seems unlikely in case of discretionary bonuses or stock option sales, whose occurrences may be irregular, and their ultimate values unpredictable. That performance remains stable seems more conceivable when a transparent link exists between employee performance and expected pay, such as when incentive payments occur regularly and are predictable.</p>
<p>In an <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01492063211016032">article recently published in the <em>Journal of Management</em></a>, we studied precisely such a setting of high predictability, in which employees know exactly how much they stand to earn for each completed task. We asked whether, why, and how regular incentive payments influenced employees’ performance. The upshot? Our results could guide HR toward savvier interventions.</p>
<h2>What may happen when incentive payments are made?</h2>
<p>We began by proposing that employees are rational decision-makers who weigh the costs and benefits of their invested effort at work, but whose attention is a limited resource. Next, we also proposed that incentive payments can be viewed as “recurring temporal markers” – repeated events that temporarily stand out to employees. Together, these two ideas suggest that an incentive payment may periodically bring the costs and benefits of work effort into sharper focus. Much like the receipt of an electricity bill periodically reminds us of the marginal cost of electricity consumption.</p>
<p>In other words, incentive payments are the stimuli making the incentive plan more “salient” to employees. We argued that employees may respond to such enhanced salience in two ways:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Refocusing: The incentive payment simply reminds employees of the tasks rewarded by the bonus. Thus, employees temporarily improve their performance on those tasks.</p></li>
<li><p>Reciprocation: Employees are grateful for the bonus, which creates ripple effects. They reciprocate toward the employer by working harder even beyond the rewarded tasks.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>We predicted that employees would exhibit both behaviours temporarily, after which performance would revert to the prepayment level.</p>
<h2>What a study of a firm’s customer-support employees revealed</h2>
<p>We put our prediction to the test by analysing the performance of customer-service employees at an online firm in Greece that offered web-hosting services to more than 60,000 customers worldwide. The data spanned more than three years (from 2011 to 2014) and covered both quantitative (e.g., number of phone calls attended, sales revenues) and qualitative (e.g., feedback from customers) measures of performance. During this time, an incentive plan was in place for the firm’s customer-service employees. They were periodically rewarded for their performance across a range of tasks.</p>
<p>We found no evidence that employees refocused on the rewarded tasks following the incentive payment. At first blush, this might suggest that the effects of the incentive plan do not derive from reactive responses to received rewards. They might simply derive from employees’ anticipation of future rewards. However, we did find a temporary and positive effect of incentive payment on sales performance, an outcome not linked to incentives. And the effects were economically meaningful: Our back-of-the-envelope calculation suggested that sales rose by 1.8% as a result of the ripple effects from incentive payments.</p>
<p>Other unincentivised measures also temporarily improved in the period immediately following incentive payment. For example, improved revenues resulted not only from greater sales quantities but also from the sale of more expensive products. Next, phone calls between customer-support employees and customers temporarily increased in duration following incentive payment. And customer-support employees were temporarily more likely to involve back-office technology experts to help improve customer solutions.</p>
<p>Why would unincentivised measures show such patterns following incentive payment? According to our interviews, employees knew that service quality was critical, even though it was hard to measure. The employees also cared about their employer’s esteem. The receipt of the incentive payment periodically reminded them just how lucky they were to be working at a firm offering performance incentives.</p>
<p>These findings have direct practical applications. First, they help managers improve the timing of other HR interventions, such as commitment-building activities or informal feedback. Employers might choose to administer such motivators during the trough of the employee response to a periodic incentive payment. Second, they suggest that firms should cultivate the social dimension of the employment relationship. This way, employees are more likely to respond to periodic incentive payments with enhanced effort on unincentivised yet consequential aspects of their work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222199/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Bonus afterglow led to boosted sales revenues and greater customer satisfaction across the board, research carried over three years shows.Argyro Avgoustaki, Professor of Management, ESCP Business SchoolHans TW Frankort, Professor of Strategy, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2218152024-02-27T15:31:12Z2024-02-27T15:31:12ZThe future of work: Why we need to think beyond the hype of the four-day week<p>Is reducing working hours a sign of progress? Since the 19th century, the number of hours spent at work <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/working-more-than-ever">has been steadily declining in developed countries</a>.</p>
<p>The four-day week emerged in the 90s as a political and economic demand for a more equal division of work. The idea was to reduce the number of hours worked so that more people can access employment. This approach, developed in 1993 by French economist Pierre Larrouturou, was tested in 1996 with the de Robien law on the organisation of working hours. In France, business leaders such as Antoine Riboud, CEO of the multinational food-products firm Danone, <a href="https://www.sudouest.fr/economie/emploi/semaine-a-quatre-jours-travailler-moins-en-gagnant-autant-le-combo-miracle-14157515.php">championed the idea</a> as a way of boosting recruitment. However, the law was repealed in the early 2000s with the labour reform that introduced the 35-hour week. Elsewhere, in Germany, Volkswagen adopted the four-day week in 1994 to save 30,000 jobs, only to abandon it in 2006.</p>
<p>The Covid crisis and its associated lockdowns have brought this debate back into the spotlight. The widespread adoption of working from home, the use of new technologies and the increase in flexibility have profoundly transformed the way we work. This period has also reinforced employees’ desire for a better work-life balance. As a result, <a href="https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1810688/work-life-balance-becoming-important-pay">56% of British employees</a> would accept to earn less money in exchange for more free time.</p>
<p>Against this backdrop, the debate on the four-day week is resurfacing. Countries in <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/05/03/business/four-day-working-week-japan/">Asia</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/02/australian-workers-at-global-company-to-trial-four-day-week-after-success-of-new-zealand-pilot">Oceania</a> are looking at ways to organise their workforces in order to reengage their employees. In <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/20/jacinda-ardern-flags-four-day-working-week-as-way-to-rebuild-new-zealand-after-Covid-19">New Zealand</a>, the government introduced a four-day week at the end of the pandemic to boost productivity and improve work-life balance. In Japan, several companies have also come on board, including Hitachi and Microsoft. This measure, presented as a means of combating overwork culture, is also an opportunity to significantly improve productivity (by 40% in <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/11/05/business/microsoft-japan-says-four-day-workweek-boosted-productivity-40/">the case of Microsoft</a>).</p>
<p>Europe is following suit, starting with the countries of <a href="https://worldcrunch.com/business-finance/four-day-work-week">Northern Europe</a>, followed by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/feb/21/four-day-week-made-permanent-for-most-uk-firms-in-worlds-biggest-trial">UK</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/nov/15/time-has-come-for-four-day-week-say-european-politicians">Germany</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/15/spain-to-launch-trial-of-four-day-working-week">Spain</a>, <a href="https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/06/four-day-week-portugals-the-latest-european-country-to-trial-a-shorter-workweek">Portugal</a> and <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2023/06/05/the-four-day-workweek-is-gaining-ground-in-france_6029110_19.html">France</a>.</p>
<p>This reform can take various shapes – each of them presenting specific challenges.</p>
<h2>A four-day week or a week squeezed into four days?</h2>
<p>The first approach is the most popular: an unchanged number of working hours, concentrated over four days. This is the model implemented by Belgium and the Nordic countries. In autumn 2022, Belgium passed a law on the four-day week, called the “deal for employment”: employees can work four days without any reduction in salary because their weekly working time remains the same. In Italy, the Intesa Sanpaolo bank is doing the same. In France, an attempt to do so was proposed in March 2023 to the <a href="https://www.courrier-picard.fr/id421991/article/2023-06-11/urssaf-picardie-pourquoi-la-semaine-de-4-jours-fait-un-flop">employees of Urssaf Picardie</a>, but was a complete failure. The cause: parenthood. Long days no longer allow parents to take their children to and from school.</p>
<p>This is a new form of temporal flexibility, without any reduction in working hours. As economist Éric Heyer <a href="https://www.liberation.fr/economie/social/la-semaine-de-quatre-jours-le-mirage-du-travailler-moins-20230613_XCNQGZ3HV5DFTPSU3JOFTCLMAY/">points out</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We shouldn’t confuse the ‘four-day’ week, which reduces working time, with the ‘week in four days’, which compresses it.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The challenge, then, is to work differently so that the quality of work does not suffer as a result of intensification.</p>
<h2>Working less, working better</h2>
<p>The second approach is the true ideal of the four-day week, namely the 32-hour week: shorter working hours thanks to increased productivity. It has been implemented in Southern Europe (Spain, Portugal).</p>
<p>This formula is based on the idea of maintaining work productivity by identifying and reducing unproductive time, streamlining certain processes, notably reporting and participation in meetings. Working less, yes, but above all working better. It would in fact limit everything considered superfluous. That said, putting the organisation on a diet reduces its ability to adapt to rapid changes in its environment. For example, we now know that <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315702001-6/behavioral-theory-firm-richard-cyert-james-march">“down times”</a> facilitate the exchange of information between teams.</p>
<p>This approach is deeply embedded in the idea that technology will compensate for any loss of productivity, a recurring theme since the publication of <a href="http://pinguet.free.fr/rifkin1995.pdf"><em>The End of Work</em></a> in 1995 by American essayist Jeremy Rifkin. The arrival of generative artificial intelligence has brought the concept back to the forefront. Bill Gates even talks about the imminent arrival of the <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/11/23/bill-gates-microsoft-3-day-work-week-machines-make-food/">three-day week</a>.</p>
<p>Since the advent of the industrial world, organisations have constantly sought to optimise working time. For many years, it simply kept pace with the production line. Working time and time at work were perfectly synonymous. Today, we don’t have to go to the office to work: work has moved into our personal spaces. Working time has become detached from office time. With the four-day week, the aim is to frame work in terms of time rather than space. <a href="https://www.jean-jaures.org/publication/la-semaine-de-quatre-jours-un-nouveau-symptome-de-lindividualisation-du-travail/">Sarah Proust</a>, an expert associated with the Fondation Jean-Jaurès, explains:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“What is at issue here is the organisation and distribution of work, rather the place we intend to give to work in society.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Toward a new work paradigm?</h2>
<p>Instead of focusing on the volume of hours, shouldn’t we be talking about the very nature of work? In the words of economist <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkEYYNCj-ws">Timothée Parrique</a>, we need to stop predicting the future of work with ideas like the four-day week, and start inventing the work of the future.</p>
<p>A growing body of research, notably in the wake of anthropologist David Graeber, is highlighting the loss of meaning at work, the rise of <a href="http://www.editionslesliensquiliberent.fr/livre-Bullshit_Jobs-546-1-1-0-1.html">“bullshit jobs”</a> and the “revolt of the top of the class”, to borrow the title of journalist <a href="https://www.arkhe-editions.com/livre/cassely-revolte-premier-classe/">Jean-Laurent Cassely’s</a> book.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, reorganising working hours will not be enough to reengage one’s workforce. Working time is above all a <a href="https://www.business.com/articles/management-theory-of-frederick-herzberg/">“hygiene factor”</a>, as psychologist Frederick Irving Herzberg explains. It cannot deliver the motivation so hoped-for by managers. It can only temper employee dissatisfaction. As a source of personal fulfilment and satisfaction, highers-up need to activate genuine “motivational factors”, such as by valuing the work accomplished, employees’ autonomy, or making work tasks more interesting.</p>
<p>Perhaps we need to create new utopias of work along the lines of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotopia"><em>Ecotopia: The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston</em></a>, Ernest Callenbach’s book (1975) that imagined three West Coast states seceding from the USA to establish a radically ecological way of life. In it, Callenbach imagines a new model of society where people only work 22 hours a week. This utopia depicts economies where a large proportion of the available hours are devoted to social, political, cultural and environmental activities. Ecotopia advocates personal and collective fulfilment before individual success. Businesses are self-managed, public transport is free, education and health are accessible to all, criminal violence is absent, universal income is in force and recycling, sobriety and degrowth are the rule. </p>
<p>Callenbach wanted to give us a glimpse of a world he believed to be better, not only for the environment, but also for the individual balance of each person. As we live longer than ever, and as work occupies less time in our lives, we need to imagine, not a new way of working, but a new way of living.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221815/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Working better or working less? Yaëlle Amsallem and Emmanuelle Léon explain how the four-day week raises questions about the meaning we give to work.Yaëlle Amsallem, Doctorante, Assistante de recherche de la Chaire Reinventing Work, ESCP Business SchoolEmmanuelle Léon, Professeure associée, Directrice scientifique de la Chaire Reinventing Work, ESCP Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2180282024-02-06T13:30:14Z2024-02-06T13:30:14ZDriving the best possible bargain now isn’t the best long-term strategy, according to game theory<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572022/original/file-20240129-15-8tbwf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C10%2C6669%2C4456&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There is such a thing as a win-win deal.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/employee-people-at-modern-office-royalty-free-image/1302423098">nortonrsx/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Conventional wisdom says that you should never leave money on the table when negotiating. But research in my field suggests this could be exactly the wrong approach. </p>
<p>There’s <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/09/a-new-approach-to-contracts">mounting evidence</a> that a short-term win at the bargaining table can mean a loss in terms of overall trust and cooperation. That can leave everyone – including the “winner” – worse off.</p>
<p>As a former executive, I’ve managed large contracts as both a buyer and a seller. Now, as a <a href="https://haslam.utk.edu/people/profile/kate-vitasek">business professor</a>, I study these trading partner relationships, exploring what works in practice. My work supports what economic theorists and social scientists have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-493X.2008.00051.x">arguing for years</a>: The best results come when people collaborate to create long-term value instead of fighting for short-term wins.</p>
<h2>What game are you playing?</h2>
<p>Research into art, science and practice of collaborative approaches dates <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691130613/theory-of-games-and-economic-behavior">back to the 1940s</a> when the mathematician John von Neumann and economist Oskar Morgenstern used mathematical analysis to model competition and cooperation in living things. </p>
<p>Interest in collaborative approaches grew when researchers John Nash, John C. Harsanyi and Reinhard Selten won a <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1994/summary/">Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences</a> in 1994. Their work inspired academics around the world to delve deeper into what’s known as <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/game-theory/">game theory</a>.</p>
<p>Game theory is the study of the outcome of strategic interactions among decision makers. By using rigorous statistical methods, researchers can model what happens when people choose to cooperate or choose to take an aggressive, power-based approach to negotiation.</p>
<p>Many business leaders are taught strategies focusing on <a href="https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/shift-of-power-balance-in-business">using their power</a> and playing to win – often at the other party’s expense. In game theory, this is known as a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zero-sum">zero-sum game</a>, and it’s an easy trap to fall into.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Kate Vitasek lays out five rules for developing a value creation strategy.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But not every game has a clear winner or loser. In economics, a win-win game is called a nonzero-sum game. In this sort of situation, people aren’t fighting over whose slice of a pie will be larger. They’re working to grow the pie for everyone.</p>
<p>A second dimension of game theory is whether people are playing a one-shot or a repeated game. Think of a one-shot game as like going to the flea market: You probably won’t see your trading partner again, so if you’re a jerk to them, the risk of facing the consequences is low.</p>
<p>An interesting twist uncovered by studying repeated games is that when one party uses their power in a negotiation, it creates the urge for the other party to retaliate. </p>
<p>The University of Michigan’s Robert Axelrod, a mathematician turned game theorist, coined this a <a href="https://ee.stanford.edu/%7Ehellman/Breakthrough/book/pdfs/axelrod.pdf">“tit-for-tat” strategy</a>. His research, perhaps best known in the book “<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/robert-axelrod/the-evolution-of-cooperation/9780465005642">The Evolution of Cooperation</a>,” uses statistics to show that when individuals cooperate, they come out better than when they don’t. </p>
<h2>The case for leaving money on the table</h2>
<p>Another Nobel laureate, American economist <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2009/williamson/facts/">Oliver Williamson</a>, has offered negotiating <a href="https://www.vestedway.com/unpacking-oliver/">advice</a> that most would call a paradigm shift – and some, a heresy. </p>
<p>That advice? Always leave money on the table – especially when you’ll be returning to the same “game” again. Why? According to Williamson, it sends a powerful signal of trustworthiness and credibility to one’s negotiating partner when someone consciously chooses to cooperate and build trust. </p>
<p>The opposite approach leads to lost trust and what the Nobel laureate economist Oliver Hart calls “shading.” This is <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/hart/files/contractsasreferencepointsqje.pdf">a retaliatory behavior</a> that happens when a party isn’t getting the outcome it expected from a deal and feels the other party is to blame. </p>
<p>Simply put, noncollaborative approaches cause distrust and create friction, which adds transaction costs and inefficiencies.</p>
<p>The million-dollar question is whether collaborative approaches work in practice. And from my vantage point as a scholar, the answer is yes. In fields as diverse as <a href="https://www.vestedway.com/island-health/">health care</a> to <a href="https://www.vestedway.com/intel/">high-tech</a>, I see growing real-world evidence backing up the insights of game theory.</p>
<p>The lessons are simple yet profound: Playing a game together to achieve mutual interests is better than playing exclusively with self-interest in mind.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218028/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Vitasek works for the University of Tennessee where she studies and teaches organizations how to create win-win collaborative contracts. Her original research between 2003 and 2009 was funded by the United States Air Force.</span></em></p>‘Winning’ in negotiations isn’t always the best approach.Kate Vitasek, Professor of supply chain management, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221142024-01-30T16:53:08Z2024-01-30T16:53:08ZHow Jürgen Klopp reconnected Liverpool FC with Shankly’s socialist soul<p>In his first press conference after arriving at Anfield in 2015, Jürgen Klopp <a href="https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1224366407757987840?lang=en">stated</a>: “It’s not so important what people think when you come in. It’s much more important what people think when you leave.” </p>
<p>After nine years, his words resonate through the hearts of Liverpool FC fans. On January 26, Klopp <a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/jurgen-klopp-announces-decision-step-down-liverpool-manager-end-season">announced</a> that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.</p>
<p>Klopp has given Liverpool fans many memories to cherish. In 2019, his side staged a miraculous comeback against Barcelona on the way to lifting the Champion’s League trophy in Madrid. The following year, he ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a Premier League title.</p>
<p>Klopp inherited a Liverpool squad without any promising potential and a board that lacked vision and desire. Between 2010 and 2015, Liverpool had won just a single trophy – the League Cup in 2012. </p>
<p>However, Klopp delivered his first elite European trophy within three years of being appointed. From that point onward, he’s gone on to win all major trophies, guide Liverpool to four major European finals, and lose out on two Premier League titles by a single point. </p>
<p>Klopp will leave a legacy similar to that of Liverpool’s iconic manager, Bill Shankly. Between 1959 and 1974, Shankly transformed the club from second-division obscurity to three-time English champions and winners of the Uefa cup (Europe’s second-rank club competition). </p>
<p>Shankly endeared himself to fans of Liverpool FC, a club with deep working-class roots, by embracing the ethos of socialism (where individuals work together as a collective) as a fundamental principle for team success. Klopp’s persona as a man of the people – through his style, attitude and background – also strongly resonates with Liverpool’s socialist roots and blue collar community.</p>
<p>For instance, Klopp insists that every Liverpool player must <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-anfield-sign-norwich-jordan-18924539">earn the right</a> to touch the famous “This is Anfield” sign by winning silverware. The iconic Anfield sign was first hung up on the wall of the player’s tunnel by Shankly to remind opponents of the spirit of Anfield.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Jürgen Klopp announcing he will leave Liverpool FC at the end of the season.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Socialist Spirit</h2>
<p>Klopp has never sought to create a hierarchy between himself, the players and the fans. Early on in his tenure, he referred to himself as “<a href="https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/238155-the-normal-one">the normal one</a>” and has, on several occasions, been spotted sharing a drink with local people in the pub. In his press conferences, Klopp has often said that the team drew <a href="https://www.football365.com/news/klopp-on-cl-inspiration-we-do-it-for-carol-and-caroline">inspiration</a> from the staff at the club’s training ground.</p>
<p>Since his appointment, Klopp has also recognised the power of Liverpool fans, referring to them as the 12th man responsible for supplying energy to the squad. As Anfield reverberates today with the chant “I am so glad that Jurgen is a red”, the echoes of such intense emotions are a reminder for loyal Liverpool supporters of a legacy still sung about around half a century later.</p>
<p>Klopp has brought the same fiery socialist spirit back to Liverpool that Shankly managed to harness in the 1960s. Two managers separated by generations but bound as Merseyside icons who understood that success stems from people.</p>
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<h2>Engaging with the fans</h2>
<p>Like Shankly before him, Klopp has resurrected Liverpool by understanding what the club’s fans craved more than silverware – someone who embodies the club’s working-class soul. A leader to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with through good times and bad. </p>
<p>From Klopp’s iconic fist pumps after victories, to his <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11635563/Humiliated-Jurgen-Klopp-apologises-Liverpools-travelling-fans-Brighton-defeat.html">meaningful apologies</a> to fans during times of crisis, show his authentic relationship with the club and the fanbase. He celebrates goals in nerve-wracking victories by running up and down the sideline (once <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/37638431/when-goal-celebrations-go-bad-liverpool-boss-jurgen-klopp-pulls-hamstring">pulling his hamstring</a> in the process). And he openly <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11635563/Humiliated-Jurgen-Klopp-apologises-Liverpools-travelling-fans-Brighton-defeat.html">asked supporters for forgiveness</a> after a humbling 3–0 defeat by Brighton in 2023. </p>
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<p>Klopp’s outgoing authenticity has also resonated powerfully with Liverpool supporters around the world. He actively embraces fan media like “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theredmentv">The Redmen TV</a>” YouTube channel, and makes an effort to appear in person for interviews and podcasts. He even once wrote a letter to a young fan reassuring him over his feelings of personal anxiety.</p>
<h2>Revolutionary vision</h2>
<p>When Shankly was appointed in 1959, he was frustrated with Liverpool’s training regime and facilities. Previously, players had become accustomed to running on the street as part of their training routine. However, Shankly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy/2018/dec/01/liverpool-boot-room-throw-in-jurgen-klopp-bill-shankly">revamped the training regime</a>, introducing sessions on the training ground where players could run and practice while wearing appropriate football boots.</p>
<p>In a similar way to Shankly, Klopp has helped the club evolve. He insisted on building modern training facilities where the youth academy could be integrated with the first team, and played a part in the development of the club’s new training ground.</p>
<p>Liverpool’s managing director Andy Hughes <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/12134609/liverpool-boss-jurgen-klopp-delighted-with-new-kirkby-training-ground">praised</a> the combined efforts of Klopp, sporting director Michael Edwards and academy director Alex Inglethorpe for their “instrumental role” in creating the new facility. </p>
<p>Klopp’s legacy at Anfield, in the Premier League and in modern football, is beyond doubt. As was the case for Shankly’s successor, Bob Paisley, the next Liverpool manager certainly has big boots to fill.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ronnie is an avid Liverpool FC fan and has carried out research into transforming management practices in English football.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wasim Ahmed does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool with a remarkably similar legacy to the club’s iconic manager, Bill Shankly.Ronnie Das, Associate Professor in Digital and Data Science, AudenciaWasim Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of HullLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2157452024-01-09T13:26:06Z2024-01-09T13:26:06ZLGBTQ+ workers want more than just pride flags in June<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563397/original/file-20231204-22-q8cyee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=65%2C40%2C5398%2C3571&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Recognition helps. Benefits may help more.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/worried-woman-in-lgbt-organisation-office-royalty-free-image/618025276">Kosamtu/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every year, more and more companies seem to recognize <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/pride-month-54582">Pride Month</a>. But a recent analysis shows that LGBTQ+ workers expect more than this once-a-year acknowledgment from their employers. In fact, some employees actually criticize such behavior as <a href="https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/07/what-is-pinkwashing/">mere pinkwashing</a>.</p>
<p>So, what do LGBTQ+ workers want? In 2023, the jobs website Indeed conducted a <a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/lgbtq-legislation-affect-work">survey of LGBTQ+ full-time workers</a> from across the U.S., and the results provide a clear picture of their needs.</p>
<p>As a lesbian transgender woman and a <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dorian-rhea-debussy-517479">queer studies scholar</a>, I wasn’t surprised by what Indeed found. Even so, non-LGBTQ+ workers – particularly managers – can learn a lot from this survey. It may help them realize what LGBTQ+ workers already know: Employers must do better if they want to retain talent.</p>
<p>Workers are troubled by three big issues, the survey found: the impact of new anti-LGBTQ+ laws, workplace discrimination, and benefits packages that don’t meet their needs.</p>
<h2>Workers say anti-LGBTQ+ laws derail careers</h2>
<p>With a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/31/650-anti-lgbtq-bills-introduced-us/11552357002/">historic rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation</a>, 2023 proved to be a particularly challenging year for LGBTQ+ rights – <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/04/17/anti-trans-bills-map/">especially transgender rights</a>. In its survey, Indeed found that nearly two-thirds of respondents were concerned about how anti-LGBTQ+ laws could hurt their work opportunities. </p>
<p>In fact, more than three-quarters of respondents said they would hesitate to apply for a new job in a state with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. More than half said they would never apply for a position in such a state.</p>
<p>With anti-LGBTQ+ bills now becoming law across the country, their impact on states’ economies is still uncertain. However, we’ve long known that discrimination is <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-costly-business-of-discrimination/">bad for business</a>. In fact, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco recently found that systemic racial and gender wage gaps – which distort labor markets, reduce productivity and harm job satisfaction – have cost the U.S. economy <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/working-papers/2021/11/">nearly US$71 trillion</a> since 1990. </p>
<p>Whatever effects this rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation will have, history suggests it <a href="https://time.com/6297323/malaysia-1975-matty-healy-lgbt-economic-costs/">won’t be good</a>. </p>
<h2>LGBTQ+ people face workplace discrimination</h2>
<p>Along with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, discrimination continues to harm LGBTQ+ workers. Sixty percent of respondents reported that they lost a promotion because of anti-LGBTQ bias, while a similar number said they were targeted with a performance improvement plan because of their identity. More than half said that they’re paid less than their similarly qualified cisgender and straight colleagues.</p>
<p>The reality is that LGBTQ+ people do encounter <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/discrimination-and-barriers-to-well-being-the-state-of-the-lgbtqi-community-in-2022/">workplace discrimination</a>. For instance, transgender people face bias at work at <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/being-transgender-at-work">alarming rates</a>. And while all LGBTQ+ workers are statistically likely to <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-wage-gap-among-lgbtq-workers-in-the-united-states">encounter a wage gap</a>, transgender people – especially women and people of color – face <a href="https://19thnews.org/2022/01/transgender-workers-wage-gap-lowest-paid-lgbtq/">even wider disparities</a>.</p>
<h2>Culturally responsive benefits are crucial</h2>
<p>More than half of survey respondents said that it was important for employers to offer LGBTQ-specific benefits such as family planning support and comprehensive transition-related health care coverage. However, less than one-quarter said their own employer did so. In terms of transgender-specific benefits, nearly three-quarters of respondents said they worked for a company that didn’t offer any.</p>
<p>When asked to share what benefits they looked for in a job posting, respondents cited health care services with LGBTQ+ friendly medical providers and fertility assistance, among others. Transgender respondents said they looked for two specific benefits: health insurance plans with coverage for gender-affirming surgical treatments, and financial assistance for gender-affirming treatments that insurers often deem “cosmetic.”</p>
<p>In this survey, LGBTQ+ workers were quick to share what benefits appealed most to them. But the fact remains that many employers don’t offer such benefits. In fact, the Human Rights Campaign’s <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/corporate-equality-index">2022 Corporate Equality Index</a> notes that more than one-third of Fortune 500 companies still don’t offer trans-inclusive benefits. They also report that only about 72% of Fortune 500 companies require LGBTQ+ competency training.</p>
<p>However, LGBTQ+ employees increasingly expect more of their employers, as organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/employer-support-lgbtq-workers-employee-benefits.aspx">have observed</a>. And on the heels of the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/">“great resignation,”</a> employers would be wise to take notice. At this <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/anti-lgbtq-bills-are-impacting-children-families-and-schools">fraught moment</a> for LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S., workers aren’t likely to be content with pinkwashed companies that won’t offer real support.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215745/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dorian Rhea Debussy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Less hype and more health care, please.Dorian Rhea Debussy, Lecturer of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2161802023-11-07T14:24:36Z2023-11-07T14:24:36ZSouth Africa’s universities aren’t training future civil servants for what the country needs<p>Many analysts <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0975087818805888">blame</a> state capture – the corruption of the management of public affairs – for the weakening of state capacity in South Africa. A <a href="https://www.statecapture.org.za/site/information/reports">judicial commission of inquiry</a> into the problem laid it bare. </p>
<p>They say the COVID pandemic worsened the situation as public resources had to be redirected from developmental commitments to address the emergency. </p>
<p>The claim has merit. But it ignores the role played by a public administration education that is not fit for purpose. The universities responsible for producing the human capital needed for building state capacity must shoulder much of the blame.</p>
<p>Our experience in public administration in <a href="https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=7zP1Z-MAAAAJ&hl=en">academia</a> and <a href="https://www.africaleadership.net/fellows/class-x-xseed/busani-ngcaweni/">government</a> spans decades. We have wrestled with the question of why, after various policy and administrative reforms in post-colonial Africa, <a href="https://www.nwu.ac.za/sites/www.nwu.ac.za/files/files/calendar/2023/Building_the_gap_Poster-.pdf">state capability continues to be a challenge</a> for many countries.</p>
<p>In our view the biggest problem facing South Africa is that the training of current and future civil servants is not delivering what the country needs. That’s because the training:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>lacks the interdisciplinary approach needed to meet the country’s complex challenges</p></li>
<li><p>fails to grasp that technology will play a far greater role in the future </p></li>
<li><p>remains trapped in colonial theorisations. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>We say this taking our cue from business administration education.</p>
<h2>Self reflection</h2>
<p>After the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/topic/financial-crisis-of-2007-2008">2008 global financial meltdown</a>, British journalist Philip Delves Broughton published an article in <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ddece047-24b6-410c-98d6-01375ddad8af">The Times</a>, arguing that some Harvard-trained MBA graduates had played a leading role in creating the crisis.</p>
<p>The dean of the Harvard Business School subsequently called for <a href="https://www.npr.org/2009/05/17/103719186/business-schools-mull-over-blame-in-financial-crisis">“great introspection”</a>. Harvard’s courage in dealing with the question of its business education is an inspiring lesson on how to confront the flaws of teaching for other fields.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-a-plan-to-make-its-public-service-professional-its-time-to-act-on-it-187706">South Africa has a plan to make its public service professional. It's time to act on it</a>
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</p>
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<p>Likewise, almost 15 years later, the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (<a href="http://saapam.co.za/">SAAPAM</a>) raised the issue of public administration education at its recent <a href="https://saapam.co.za/22nd-saapam-annual-conference/">22nd Annual Conference</a>. It asked: what do the schools and departments of public administration in South Africa teach? </p>
<p>This question is important because the quality of available talent determines what the state is capable of.</p>
<h2>Worrying trends in the teaching of public administration</h2>
<p>If public administration education is designed and delivered poorly, it sets a course for the systematic destruction of state capability. In many ways, this is what’s happening in South Africa. </p>
<p>Our analyses indicate that much of what is taught in public administration is not what the country needs to become a capable and <a href="https://www.etu.org.za/toolbox/docs/govern/state.html">developmental state</a>. The discipline is tangled up in its own “<a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Cheikh-Anta-Diop%3A-The-social-sciences%2C-humanities%2C-Nabudere/6f0be17a0750d31349b3107bd5e1ff04639d2551">self-interpretive closet</a>”. This is despite the trend towards interdisciplinarity, where ideas and methods from different fields of study enrich each other to make sense of societal complexities and find solutions.</p>
<p>Public administration education does not appreciate the imperative of socioeconomic transformation for social and ecological justice, or the role of technology. It remains trapped in colonial teaching about systems and processes.</p>
<p>The “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25610815">grand narrative fiction</a>”, to borrow New Mexico State University professor David Boje’s phrase, that shaped curriculum development is that government should be run like a business. This is contrary to the <a href="https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/images/a108-96.pdf">constitutional principle</a> that public administration must have a developmental orientation.</p>
<p>In the 1980s, “<a href="https://scsr.pravo.unizg.hr/_download/repository/1-22.pdf">New Public Management</a>” become a staple diet pushed down the throats of students of public administration. It emphasised the economic value of efficiency and maximisation of output with minimum input costs. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-fix-south-africas-dysfunctional-state-ditch-its-colonial-heritage-99087">citizens are customers</a>.</p>
<p>The falsehood that government is like a business opened the way to governance by consultants. This, despite the notoriety of <a href="https://www.newswall.org/summary/do-mckinsey-and-other-consultants-do-anything-useful">“corporate consigliere[s]”</a> deluding managers with </p>
<blockquote>
<p>management gibberish and glossy charts while gorging on fat fees. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>They hollowed out the capacity of the state. All this occurred because of the void in the teaching of public administration. </p>
<h2>But what must be done</h2>
<p>The teaching of public administration must respond innovatively to the task of building a capable and developmental state. The way to do this may lie in forging strategic partnerships between academia, professional associations and government. It must aim to improve the talent pipeline for the state. </p>
<p>Universities are the citadel of originating ideas. Professional associations exist to inculcate a culture of professionalism that many lament is lacking in the management of state affairs.</p>
<p>Any effort towards human capital formation needs to start by creating an opportunity for these partnerships to evolve. Universities must shake off their autonomous posture and “ivory towering”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-fix-south-africas-dysfunctional-state-ditch-its-colonial-heritage-99087">To fix South Africa's dysfunctional state, ditch its colonial heritage</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Government must outgrow its suspicion of universities and embrace evidence-driven policy practices. </p>
<p>Professional associations in the public sector should understand that they exist to pursue the public interest, not to create an elite class in the bureaucracy.</p>
<p>For far too long, collaborative efforts in the teaching of public administration have been a cursory pursuit bereft of strategic intent. This needs to change. They must be institutionalised.</p>
<p>The partnership we are calling for is not only for training interventions. It is also for re-imagining public administration education to be relevant to what the country needs. This must be grounded in the <a href="https://www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhsse/v4-i5/5.pdf">African philosophy of humanism</a>, if the <a href="https://www.etu.org.za/toolbox/docs/govern/bathopele.html">“people first”</a> approach to statecraft is to have meaning. In other words, students of public administration need to be steeped in the orientation that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZIX2C4YTuc">managing state affairs is about giving democracy a human face</a>.</p>
<p>Theories of the state and citizenship, and the principles of democracy, need to underpin the teaching of public administration too. Students must learn how to provide the public good in a way that creates a public value to satisfy public interests. And public administration as practical science must respond to the impediments to human progress in the 21st century: terrorism, global warming, an increasingly unstable global economy, and pandemics.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africa-since-1994-a-mixed-bag-of-presidents-and-patchy-institution-building-164795">South Africa since 1994: a mixed bag of presidents and patchy institution-building</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Another key aspect for consideration relates to the fourth industrial revolution technologies in public administration curricula.</p>
<p>Public administration needs to go beyond studying systems and processes, and the neoliberal logic associated with New Public Management. It must embrace interdisciplinarity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216180/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mashupye Herbert Maserumule received funding from the National Research Foundation for his postgraduate studies. He is affiliated with the South African Association of Public Administration and Management(SAAPAM). He is the outgoing chief editor of the Journal of Public Administration and serves in the National Planning Commission. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Busani Ngcaweni is the Principal of the National School of Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Nkuna is the Director-General of the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation in the Presidency of South Africa.</span></em></p>If public administration education is designed and delivered poorly, it sets a course for the systematic destruction of state capability.Mashupye Herbert Maserumule, Professor of Public Affairs, Tshwane University of TechnologyBusani Ngcaweni, Visiting Adjunct Professor, School of Governance, University of the WitwatersrandRobert Nkuna, Professor of Practice, North-West UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2161022023-10-23T14:54:46Z2023-10-23T14:54:46ZAccidental managers: why people who are great at their job can fail when they get promoted<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555003/original/file-20231020-19-l0klbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=59%2C0%2C6653%2C4402&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-young-diverse-people-giving-thumbs-1921267745">Studio Romantic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There’s <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/01/why-people-really-quit-their-jobs">a saying</a> that people don’t quit their job, they quit their boss. And poor management certainly has a lot to answer for in the UK workplace. A staggering <a href="https://www.managers.org.uk/about-cmi/media-centre/press-releases/bad-managers-and-toxic-work-culture-causing-one-in-three-staff-to-walk/#:%7E:text='Accidental%20managers'&text=The%20report%20reveals%20that%2082,they%20are%20%E2%80%9Caccidental%20managers%E2%80%9D.">82% of new managers</a> in the UK are what the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) calls “accidental managers”, according to a YouGov survey commissioned among 4,500 workers and managers in June, which has recently been published.</p>
<p>Accidental managers are people that have moved up the corporate ladder with no formal training in management or leadership. To put it simply, they are not correctly trained or equipped to manage people. Among those workers who told the CMI’s researchers they had an ineffective manager, only one-third said they were motivated to do a good job and as many as half are considering leaving in the next 12 months.</p>
<p>As a first and obvious step to combat the curse of the accidental manager, companies shouldn’t appoint people to managerial roles unless they’ve had the appropriate training. Alongside this, they need a clear development plan before they start their new management role.</p>
<p>So what should this training look like? Would-be managers should be taught people skills, not just technical knowledge. As <a href="https://www.managers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CMI_BMB_GoodManagment_Report.pdf">the CMI study</a> suggests, managers would benefit from training in areas such as setting meeting objectives, creating a positive work environment and a culture of innovation. These are all things that can – and should – be taught to new managers.</p>
<h2>Off on stress</h2>
<p>Stress-related illness is among the leading <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm">causes of workplace absence</a>, according to the UK government’s Health and Safety Executive. And one of the big factors that causes this stress is a lack of <a href="https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership">emotional intelligence</a> shown by managers. This means having an understanding of your own emotions but also those of others. So, when companies decide to promote someone to a managerial role, they must consider that person’s people skills just as much as their technical skills.</p>
<p>But can you really teach emotional intelligence? I believe you can teach most people, but not everyone. In <a href="https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/publications/the-outstanding-middle-manager-how-to-be-a-healthy-happy-high-per">my experience</a>, some managers have naturally good <a href="https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/the-healthy-workforce/?k=9781838675028">social and interpersonal skills</a>, while others don’t have these skills but can be effectively trained in them. </p>
<p>But there will always be those people that just cannot be taught emotional intelligence. This category will include individuals with excellent technical skills – which is probably what made them stand out to their bosses in the first place. It’s understandable that company leaders don’t want to lose their best employees and so they promote them to give them more money and prestige within the organisation.</p>
<p>A good classroom teacher may only get paid more or gain more workplace experience if they go for a head teacher role, for example. But being a head teacher is very different from working in the classroom every day. One focuses on teaching students, the other tends to involve budgeting and, of course, managing people. This example plays out across many industries – from engineering to law enforcement.</p>
<p>An employee should be able to progress at work if they wish, to earn more money and experience. But if a great employee lacks people skills and is unlikely to benefit from training to improve in this area, they should instead be promoted into roles that don’t involve managing people. Existing managers need to ensure the kinds of roles exist that would allow people to receive more pay and prestige without having to take on people management responsibilities.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-about-quiet-quitting-heres-why-and-how-you-should-talk-to-your-boss-instead-189499">Thinking about quiet quitting? Here's why – and how – you should talk to your boss instead</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>So, bosses must not be solely lured by technical prowess when picking new managers. They need to think about people skills too. Has this person really got what it takes on an emotional level to manage a group of people?</p>
<p>HR teams have a crucial role to play here. They should have up-to-date data on the performance of every manager from employee surveys. They can use this data to identify “bad managers”. Good HR teams will also spot early when labour turnover is high – this is an early warning sign, potentially of poor management. </p>
<p>But HR teams and organisations cannot depend on employees alone to help them identify accidental managers. We are living in difficult economic times. The cost of living crisis means job insecurity is high and employees will be very reluctant to call out poor management. So, exit interviews can also help because they inform managers as to exactly why employees are leaving.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman with box of belongings and plant, looking annoyed, people talking in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555004/original/file-20231020-29-chf9s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555004/original/file-20231020-29-chf9s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555004/original/file-20231020-29-chf9s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555004/original/file-20231020-29-chf9s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555004/original/file-20231020-29-chf9s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555004/original/file-20231020-29-chf9s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555004/original/file-20231020-29-chf9s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Employees that leave can provide important information about their managers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-woman-carrying-packing-all-his-1743296261">adriaticfoto/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>Quitting your boss, not your job</h2>
<p>The scale of the problem of the accidental manager and its wider effect on quality of life should not be underestimated. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.managers.org.uk/about-cmi/media-centre/press-releases/bad-managers-and-toxic-work-culture-causing-one-in-three-staff-to-walk/#:%7E:text='Accidental%20managers'&text=The%20report%20reveals%20that%2082,they%20are%20%E2%80%9Caccidental%20managers%E2%80%9D.">CMI’s survey</a> also found that almost one-third of UK workers say they’ve quit a job because of a negative workplace culture, underlining the risks of managers failing to rein in toxic behaviour. Other factors that these workers cited as reasons for leaving a job included a negative relationship with a manager (28%) and discrimination or harassment (12%).</p>
<p>UK companies are facing <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/eddeb6bc-e469-4177-a2fa-21e9e80ab97e">ongoing productivity problems</a>, alongside the growing issues with <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/workplace-absences-at-10-year-high-with-stress-the-major-cause-of-long-term-sickness-12969756">stress-related ill health</a>. Competent and emotionally intelligent line managers – whether naturally gifted or trained – could be an essential part of any solution to the productivity puzzle by reducing employee stress and helping to create better work environments for everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216102/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cary Cooper does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What organisations can do to avoid promoting people into management positions without the correct set of skills.Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2149432023-10-08T21:30:02Z2023-10-08T21:30:02ZRomantic heroes or ‘one of us’ – how we judge political leaders is rarely objective or rational<p>Given the presidential style of modern politics, the intense media focus on party leaders is unavoidable. But this involves a degree of artifice. New Zealanders don’t vote directly for a prime minister, they vote for their preferred <a href="https://vote.nz/2023-general-election/about/2023-general-election/?">party and electorate candidate</a>. </p>
<p>Technicalities aside, though, party leaders <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Selection-of-Political-Party-Leaders-in-Contemporary-Parliamentary/Pilet-Cross/p/book/9781138187573">play a key role</a> in shaping their party’s policies and soliciting public support. The upside of the attention they receive, therefore, is that voters get to scrutinise before they “buy”. </p>
<p>That’s especially important for undecided or swing voters. Not only can they compare policies, they can also examine each leader’s strengths and weaknesses, and gauge what values guide their approach.</p>
<p>Being head of state is a hugely challenging role – not least because leaders fundamentally get results <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Oxford-Management-Readers-Keith-Grint/dp/0198781814">through mobilising collective effort</a>. If no one’s following, there is no leadership.</p>
<p>This is <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Leadership-Theory-Practice-Peter-Northouse/dp/1544397569/ref=sr_1_3?">different from management</a>, which largely revolves around detailed planning and then implementing and monitoring progress toward goals. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674518582">Leadership</a>, however, involves connecting with people’s values and needs, and helping them make sense of events. It entails crafting a vision for the future and formulating credible strategies to achieve that. </p>
<p>It involves the capacity to make wise decisions, and role modelling what it means to be a person of good character. While managerial competency still matters, being a prime minister demands far more. </p>
<p>That said, trying to objectively evaluate a potential leader is not easy.</p>
<h2>Favouring our own team</h2>
<p>Humans strongly favour those they view as being “one of us”. A large body of <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-29869-6_1">research shows</a> people trust, respect, support, care for and are more influenced by those they feel an affinity with. This sense of a shared identity might be based on common demographic characteristics, or shared interests and values.</p>
<p>Dedicated sports fans illustrate this well. Individually and collectively, they back their team no matter what. They wear team colours, idealise team members, mock opponents and boo referees – even if the ref is right. </p>
<p>The same socio-psychological forces are at play in the political domain. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/controlling-the-political-narrative-is-key-to-winning-the-nz-election-no-easy-task-for-chris-hipkins-213533">Controlling the political narrative is key to winning the NZ election – no easy task for Chris Hipkins</a>
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<p>The party faithful are unlikely to offer an objective view. They will likely overestimate the strengths and underestimate the weaknesses of their party’s policies and its leaders (and do the opposite when evaluating opposing parties).</p>
<p>This is clearly not helpful for undecided or swing voters. But even beyond partisan influences, determining what constitutes good leadership is a more vexed issue than we might imagine. </p>
<p>While people often hold strong views, the actual evidence about what constitutes “good” leadership is quite diverse and complex. </p>
<h2>Fantasies and realities</h2>
<p>There are many different theories, but researchers generally agree that “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ethics-Heart-Leadership-Joanne-Ciulla/dp/1440830657/ref=sr_1_1?">good leadership</a>” is both ethical and effective. But people can often ignore those considerations when evaluating someone in (or aspiring to) a leadership role. </p>
<p>Subconsciously, we are inclined to judge leaders according to our own personal theories of leadership. This “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984317304988">implicit</a>” bias is typically shaped by the kinds of behaviours <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1548051820931243">role-modelled by the authority figures</a> we were exposed to early in life. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/liz-truss-is-now-a-case-study-in-poor-leadership-192554">Liz Truss is now a case study in poor leadership</a>
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<p>A very strict parenting style, for example, which a child finds reassuring rather than restrictive, can lead them in later life to favour command-oriented or even authoritarian leaders.</p>
<p>Research indicates that even in democracies, about one-third of the population <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/authoritarian-dynamic/7620B99124ED2DBFC6394444838F455A">favours</a> that kind of traditional “strong man” leadership style. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.elgaronline.com/monobook/9781784716783.xml">scholars have long argued</a> such leaders tend to be intolerant, oppressive, punitive, lacking in empathy and prone to bullying. They may resist being held to account for their actions, arrogantly believing they know best.</p>
<h2>Romantic attachments</h2>
<p>Popular culture and media narratives are other <a href="https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/leadership-popular-culture-and-social-change-9781785368967.html">important influences</a> on people’s ideas about leadership. In books, TV shows and movies, leaders are often depicted as heroic, larger-than-life characters with the capacity to save others, even the world. In the business media, it’s often implied CEOs have somehow turned a company around single-handedly. </p>
<p>Researchers call this the “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2392813">romance</a>” of leadership – a tendency to overstate what leaders can actually do, and to blame them when they fail to meet unrealistic expectations.</p>
<p>Indeed, no matter how skilled and dedicated, leaders are inevitably flawed, just like the rest of humanity. Nor are they omnipotent. New Zealand is a small and remote trading nation in an interconnected world, not a superpower or totalitarian state. There are many things its prime minister cannot control.</p>
<p>In that sense, an ability to <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674518582">manage expectations</a> is an indicator of good leadership. Having the personal integrity to avoid making unrealistic promises is what serves democracy. Offering <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Allure-Toxic-Leaders-Destructive-Politicians_and/dp/0195312007">false hope</a> is not good leadership, it’s more like what con artists and charlatans hungry for power do. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-leaders-only-want-to-hear-the-good-news-politicians-tell-us-how-political-careers-can-end-182590">'Some leaders only want to hear the good news': politicians tell us how political careers can end</a>
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<h2>Check your bias</h2>
<p>Overall, the evidence is that we’re not very rational or objective when it comes to evaluating leaders. Even if we’re not swayed by ideological factors, our personal experience and a romantic view of leadership can unconsciously cloud our judgment.</p>
<p>But there are some things we can do to help us make a more informed and balanced judgement. Firstly, we can try to step back and reflect on our own biases and <a href="https://journalofleadershiped.org/jole_articles/challenging-your-implicit-leadership-theory/">assumptions about leadership</a>. (You can even <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html">test your own bias</a> on a number of issues with the Project Implicit online resource.)</p>
<p>Secondly, look for indicators of behaviours associated with good leadership. Many of these are the same <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Developing-Leadership-Character-Mary-Crossan/dp/1138825670/ref=sr_1_1?">character virtues</a> we’d admire in anyone: integrity, fair-mindedness, the determination to do their best, confidence (but not arrogance), being accountable for their actions, and empathy and respect for others. These are vital foundations for good leadership.</p>
<p>And thirdly, look for actual evidence of leadership skills. Being prime minister is complex and challenging. It demands an ability to address serious issues in a serious-minded way. </p>
<p>Good leaders are not glib, superficial or unable to answer valid and reasonable questions. Consequently, a good leader <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674518582">may not tell you what you want to hear</a>. But if they encourage us all to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237310000277">address difficult realities</a>, that’s to be admired, not condemned.</p>
<p>As to whether that’s enough to win your vote, only you can be the judge of that.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214943/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suze Wilson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Personal bias, upbringing and even popular dramas can influence the way we evaluate political leadership. As election day nears, how might we make more balanced judgments?Suze Wilson, Senior Lecturer, School of Management, Massey UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2149262023-10-05T14:20:03Z2023-10-05T14:20:03ZWhy are thousands of Kaiser health care workers on strike? 5 questions answered<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552128/original/file-20231004-27-7dutzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C38%2C8640%2C5703&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kaiser Permanente health care workers in five states and Washington, D.C., are rallying against low wages and understaffing that they say is undermining patient care.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Hospitals-Strike/9baec78d997e408b9436e7ed91a62597/photo?Query=kaiser%20permanente&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=now-24h&totalCount=12&currentItemNo=4">AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>More than <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kaiser-health-care-workers-strike-b8b40ce8c082c0b8c4f1c0fb7ec38741">75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/kaiser-strike-100423/index.html">began a three-day strike</a> in Virginia, California, Colorado, Washington state, Oregon and Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4, 2023, after company executives and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/04/business/thousands-of-kaiser-permanente-workers-go-on-strike/index.html">eight unions representing aides, techs, support staff</a> and other employees failed to agree on the terms of new contracts. This is the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/02/kaiser-strike-workers-healthcare">largest U.S. health care strike</a> on record. In a statement it released when the walkout started, <a href="https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/who-we-are/labor-relations/we-remain-committed-to-reaching-an-agreement-with-the-coalition">Kaiser asserted that it wanted to reach a deal</a> soon with the striking workers.</em></p>
<p><em>Although hospitals and emergency rooms are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0F5vgl2_XU">still open during the strike</a>, and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kaiser-health-care-workers-strike-b8b40ce8c082c0b8c4f1c0fb7ec38741">Kaiser is making use of temporary workers</a>, many of its noncritical services are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0F5vgl2_XU">temporarily closed or operating under reduced hours</a>. The strike does not include any nurses unions or doctors.</em></p>
<p><em>The Conversation asked <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZuwzOscAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Michael McQuarrie</a>, an Arizona State University sociologist who directs its Center for Work and Democracy, to explain why this strike is happening now and how labor actions like this can affect patient care.</em></p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Kaiser health care workers on the picket line outside of a Kaiser Permanente facility in Sacramento, Calif. It is the largest medical care worker strike in U.S. history.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>1. Why is this historic strike happening now?</h2>
<p>The two main reasons are concerns over staffing levels and practices and dissatisfaction with pay that hasn’t kept up with inflation and was too low to begin with.</p>
<p>Kaiser says its options are limited due to a national <a href="https://onlinenursing.duq.edu/post-master-certificates/shortage-of-healthcare-workers/">shortfall in all sorts of health care workers</a>, including home health aides and nurse practitioners. Workers counter that higher pay and better working conditions would attract more applicants. </p>
<p>Health care workers have long worried that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fmedicina55090553">inadequate staffing is undercutting the quality of care</a> for patients – this has been a central issue in contract negotiations and strikes for years. But the <a href="https://www.aha.org/fact-sheets/2021-11-01-data-brief-health-care-workforce-challenges-threaten-hospitals-ability-care">COVID-19 pandemic greatly exacerbated</a> the problem.</p>
<p>At the same time, inflation has outstripped negotiated wage increases for Kaiser workers. Kaiser is currently offering some workers in Northern California and Washington state <a href="https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/who-we-are/labor-relations/our-latest-offer">4% annual raises</a> for the four years covered by the new contract and lower raises for everyone else. The <a href="https://www.unioncoalition.org/kp-two-tier-proposal/">unions have rejected</a> this offer, which they say would not make up for past inflation and would unnecessarily create different wage scales based on the region where workers are located.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">“Why are we here? Patient care! How do we get it? Higher staffing. Why are we here? Patient care! How do we get it? Living wages.” Video by Amanda Mascarelli.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>2. Has Kaiser’s financial management played a role too?</h2>
<p>Kaiser, which provides health care for 12.7 million Americans, took in <a href="https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/kaiser-foundation-health-plan-and-hospitals-2022-financial-results">US$95.4 billion in revenue</a> in 2022 but ran a <a href="https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/kaiser-foundation-health-plan-and-hospitals-2022-financial-results">$1.2 billion operating loss</a> that it attributed to “strong economic headwinds in the financial markets” – suggesting that its investments were to blame rather than its health care operations. </p>
<p>For 2021, Kaiser reported that it had about <a href="https://www.fitchratings.com/research/us-public-finance/fitch-affirms-kaiser-permanente-ca-idr-at-aa-outlook-stable-16-05-2022">$56 billion in unrestricted cash</a> <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_audit/11867620211">and investments</a>, excluding assets tied to employee and retiree pensions. </p>
<p>Kaiser’s <a href="https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/kaiser-foundation-health-plan-and-hospitals-q2-2023-financials">profits in the first half of 2023 totaled about $3.4 billion</a>, however. And with the exception of its losses in 2022, Kaiser has been <a href="https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/kaiser-record-net-income-covid-nonprofit/618783/">consistently profitable for years</a>.</p>
<p>Concerns over low worker pay are growing while <a href="https://paddockpost.com/2023/07/17/executive-compensation-at-kaiser-health-2021/">Kaiser’s executive compensation</a> is increasing. As of 2021, its <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/941340523">CEO Gregory Adams was making more than $15.5 million</a> a year in pay and “other” compensation.</p>
<h2>3. But isn’t Kaiser a nonprofit – and does that mean it has any special obligations?</h2>
<p>Like many health care systems, <a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/kaiser-cleveland-clinic-and-more-6-nonprofit-systems-back-in-the-black.html">Kaiser is a nonprofit</a>. This means it pays very little in taxes. In exchange for their special tax status, nonprofits are supposed to provide <a href="https://www.upcounsel.com/nonprofit-public-benefit-corporation">public benefits</a>.</p>
<p>Nonprofits may make more money than they spend, but they <a href="https://boardsource.org/resources/nonprofit-laws-and-regulations-faqs/">can’t distribute profits to its shareholders</a>. Nonprofit executive compensation must be <a href="https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organization-annual-reporting-requirements-meaning-of-reasonable-compensation">“reasonable,” according to the Internal Revenue Service</a> – although it can be hard to determine how much is too much.</p>
<h2>4. Are there any precedents for this strike?</h2>
<p>Health care strikes are not unusual, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/04/business/thousands-of-kaiser-permanente-workers-go-on-strike/index.html">with more than 40 occurring</a> in the past two years. However, the industry and the workforce are heavily fragmented, which means that these strikes tend to be relatively small.</p>
<p>In September 2022, the <a href="https://www.usnursing.com/blog/unveiling-the-largest-nursing-strike-in-u-s-history">Minnesota Nurses Association took 15,000 members</a> on strike over many of the same issues, such as staffing and inflation. That strike, which lasted three days, was the largest health care strike in U.S. history by that point in terms of the number of workers involved.</p>
<p>Prior to that, the largest was probably another <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/06/11/nurses-nextsteps">Minnesota strike in 2010</a>, in which about 12,000 nurses walked off the job for 24 hours. </p>
<p>Kaiser has experienced much smaller strikes in the past, such as a <a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/health/2015/01/12/kaiser-therapists-strike-over-staffing-issues">walkout in 2015</a> of about 75 mental health clinicians.</p>
<h2>5. How much are patients harmed during health care strikes?</h2>
<p>It depends on the strike, but usually not much. </p>
<p>Critical care Kaiser facilities will remain open, though the strike will likely cause some delays in care due to short staffing and long lines.</p>
<p>Some appointments and elective procedures at the affected hospitals are being postponed, and nonessential functions like labs and radiology departments are temporarily closed or their hours are being reduced.</p>
<p>Registered nurses, who are very important bedside caregivers, are part of a different coalition of Kaiser unions. While they won’t be on strike, they <a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/11963308/kaiser-strike-if-youre-a-patient-what-medical-services-would-be-affected">may have to help cover work</a> not being done by aides and other support staff who are on the picket lines.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214926/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael McQuarrie works with and does research on unions and other organizations. The Center for Work and Democracy has received funding from United Healthcare Workers West/SEIU, which is part of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions.</span></em></p>Workers are objecting to staffing levels they say endanger patient care and are refusing their employer’s offer that includes raises that they say are too low due to inflation.Michael McQuarrie, Director of the Center for Work and Democracy, Arizona State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2116402023-09-25T12:20:11Z2023-09-25T12:20:11ZHow to create a college internship where students actually learn − and don’t want to quit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548209/original/file-20230914-21-6a4us2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Interns benefit from structured tasks, hands-on supervision and open communication.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/two-businesswomen-working-on-computer-in-office-royalty-free-image/637152194">Monkey Business Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Angelica landed a prestigious internship with a major corporation just outside of Houston, she was ecstatic about the opportunity to launch her career in finance. </p>
<p>Such optimism was warranted, as research shows that students with internships are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025120947357">almost twice as likely to graduate college</a>, have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2021.102141">12.6% higher likelihood</a> of being invited to job interviews, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.57.4.0418-9460R2">earn 6% higher wages</a> than noninterns once they graduate.</p>
<p>But even with a decent paycheck and scholarships to cover her rent, Angelica considered leaving the internship within weeks. What went wrong? </p>
<p>As part of the three-year College Internship Study at the <a href="https://ccwt.wisc.edu/">Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions</a> at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>, we found that interns can have a tough time adapting to the culture of a new city, organization and work environment.</p>
<p>In Angelica’s case, the shock was partly about geography. She was the only intern in a group of 17 from out of town, and she felt “alone and in a big city where I didn’t know anybody.”</p>
<p>But more alienating was the fact that she knew of only one other Hispanic woman in her intern group, and the company itself, she said, was mostly white. Ultimately, she believed that “none of these people really have anything in common with me.” She felt excluded and started to believe it would be impossible to work full time at the company. </p>
<p>Angelica’s story demonstrates that not all student interns have positive and productive experiences. In fact, research shows that internships can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080903290454">reinforce gender inequalities</a> in the workplace, create <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2018.1473559">unrealistic expectations</a> for career advancement and even <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.6551/AS.0101.04">exploit student labor</a>. </p>
<h2>Common internship pitfalls</h2>
<p>Interns are <a href="https://nsuworks.nova.edu/elthe/vol4/iss2/17/">learners as much as they are workers</a> earning a paycheck. Unfortunately, the educational aspect of internships frequently gets overshadowed, with interns assigned <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888413504098">mundane or repetitive tasks</a> unrelated to their academic or professional interests. This can hinder their career development, for example by <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/want-to-motivate-students-give-them-a-meaningful-taste-of-the-working-world/2023/02">diminishing their motivation to pursue a career</a> in that field.</p>
<p>Another problem, which our own research revealed, is that too often supervisors <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2023.2241330">adopt a hands-off strategy</a>. They expect interns to define and complete tasks independently. </p>
<p>While <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/12/dealing-with-a-hands-off-boss">this may work for long-term or mature employees</a>, it is unsuitable for most interns who are new to professional life. Interns typically have a shorter tenure, <a href="https://nsuworks.nova.edu/elthe/vol4/iss2/17/">limited authority and less access</a> to resources. This makes it difficult to complete complex tasks with little supervision. The lack of structure and guidance can also cause significant stress that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20331">weakens their learning and job performance</a>.</p>
<p>And, finally, unstructured internships can alienate students who are already marginalized – particularly those who are <a href="https://education.wisc.edu/news/new-study-finds-successful-student-internships-require-careful-design-equitable-access/">first-generation, low-income or students of color</a>. That’s because the lack of structure or supervision can make students feel overwhelmed, pushing them to <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/21/05/rethinking-summer-internship">seek guidance from family or friends</a>. These students may not have family connections in prestigious or professional occupations and therefore <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2019.1654990">lack support systems</a> to deal with their challenging workplace situations.</p>
<p>Based on our research, we offer four strategies for designing effective and welcoming internships for college students.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Group of young professionals walking with laptops in an office" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549569/original/file-20230921-19-8n9z1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Peer mentors and organized social events can help college interns feel like they belong at a company.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/inspired-ladies-and-gentleman-on-their-way-to-the-royalty-free-image/1367511479">Creative Credit/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span>
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<h2>1. Set clear learning goals</h2>
<p>In order to ensure interns acquire new knowledge and skills, supervisors can establish both long-term and short-term <a href="https://www.cas.edu/learningoutcomes">learning goals</a>. This is required in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2018.1450846">countries like France</a>, where internships with companies are fully included in college curricula, <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2019.10172abstract">but not in the U.S.</a>.</p>
<p>Learning goals can include specific tasks the intern will be expected to perform, technical knowledge they will gain and transferable skills like communication or teamwork that they should develop through the internship. </p>
<p>Ideally, they are developed in collaboration with faculty advisers, students and employers. We especially emphasize the importance of engaging students in these conversations. Different interns will <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/822747510">likely have unique objectives</a> for their own internship experience. </p>
<p>Documenting these goals using forms like <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KQjwkU2FOTzLgQWwK1Bap-ZSxPdPhcgu/view">this one</a> from the University of Minnesota can help students discern where to concentrate and hone their skills during the internship.</p>
<h2>2. Structure assignments from easy to hard</h2>
<p>A well-known theory in educational psychology shows that people learn best when they are <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html">gradually introduced to new tasks</a> or subject matters. In our own study, we found that interns also benefit from starting their jobs with easier tasks and gradually transitioning to tasks that require less oversight.</p>
<p>When internship tasks are structured progressively from easier to harder, it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520701263368">gradually increases students’ understanding</a> over time. Our research also shows that interns benefit from assignments that have clear expectations and deadlines and pose minimal consequences if performed incorrectly.</p>
<h2>3. Keep communication open</h2>
<p>Research confirms the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2016.1181729">importance of clear, regular and open lines of communication</a> between interns and their supervisors. This became especially important <a href="https://ccwt.wisc.edu/publications/?sr=online+internships+pandemic#main">during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic</a>, when online internships suffered from infrequent and virtual communications. Many interns were left feeling unsatisfied and neglected. </p>
<p>Whether the internship is in-person or online, an effective communications strategy involves regular meetings to review progress, discuss new tasks and ideas and provide students with an opportunity to voice their concerns. Open communication can be especially important for interns who are new to a job, company or city. </p>
<h2>4. Connect interns with appropriate mentors</h2>
<p>Employees in general <a href="https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/mentoring-in-higher-education-it/2019/characteristics-of-mentoring-relationships-engaging-with-differences-and-similarities#a926cb803023487388b0fc02e3113ce5">benefit professionally and psychologically</a> from having workplace mentors with similar backgrounds and identities to their own. Yet, workers from marginalized groups – <a href="https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/mentoring-in-higher-education-it/2019/characteristics-of-mentoring-relationships-engaging-with-differences-and-similarities#a926cb803023487388b0fc02e3113ce5">especially women</a> – often have a harder time finding supportive and relatable mentors. </p>
<p>However, simply pairing mentors and interns based on characteristics like race or gender <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/small-world-worlds-apart-pros-cons-demographically-matching-petrela/">may not be the best approach</a>. Different interns – and supervisors – have varying needs, experiences and capabilities. Companies can first survey interns on their <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6205751/">values and preferences</a> regarding mentoring and supervision, and then match them in accordance with their mentorship needs and preferences. </p>
<p>Additional strategies to enhance interns’ sense of belonging include peer mentoring and frequent social events – methods that have been proven to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192717702949">help newcomers adapt to new environments</a>. </p>
<p>We believe internships must be seen as more than a part-time job where students simply need to be hired, onboarded and shown a desk. Internships are learning opportunities and, as such, require careful design. Done right, internships can help interns gradually get more acquainted with the culture where they work and the jobs they will be expected to do.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The transition from college to the workforce can be challenging, but these four strategies can help young workers get valuable experience and feel welcome.Kyoungjin Jang-Tucci, Project Assistant, Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions, University of Wisconsin-MadisonHee Song, Project Assistant at the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMatthew T. Hora, Assistant Professor of Adult and Higher Education, University of Wisconsin-MadisonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2107572023-09-08T12:24:18Z2023-09-08T12:24:18ZWhy managers’ attempts to empower their employees often fail – and even lead to unethical behavior<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546547/original/file-20230906-16-vbxixf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Employees need resources, information and support from colleagues to be truly empowered.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mistakes-are-ways-of-learning-what-works-and-what-royalty-free-image/1307840971">Layla Bird/E+ Collection/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A majority of American workers right now are not feeling very motivated on the job, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-06/american-worker-motivation-is-falling-this-year-new-data-shows?srnd=premium">a new survey suggests</a>.</p>
<p>Management experts often encourage business leaders to motivate employees by <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4164863">empowering them</a>. The idea is that when workers are free to make decisions and manage their workday they become more motivated, perform better and work more creatively. </p>
<p>However, for decades, employee empowerment initiatives <a href="https://hbr.org/1998/05/empowerment-the-emperors-new-clothes">have often failed</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2000.4468067">fallen short of expectations</a>. Zappos, for example, <a href="https://www.inc.com/bill-carmody/holacracy-why-zappos-continues-to-disrupt-itself.html">was once hailed</a> for its <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tony-hsieh-tells-how-zappos-runs-without-bosses-1445911325?mod=article_inline">no-bosses structure</a>, but that experiment has largely been <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-changes-at-zappos-slowly-dismantle-tony-hsiehs-legacy-5d393647">dismantled and abandoned</a> in recent years.</p>
<p>As a leadership scholar, I have studied the effects of leader behavior on <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=UPtyxVwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">employee motivation</a> for over a decade. I’ve learned that when companies design and implement empowering leadership initiatives, they often overlook key factors that are necessary for empowerment to work.</p>
<p>As a result, their efforts to empower employees often result in little impact or <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-80196-001">are entirely ineffective</a>. In fact, they can even lead employees to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-41857-001">engage in unethical behavior</a>. </p>
<p>Here are four ways, my research shows, a company can avoid common pitfalls to empowering leadership initiatives. </p>
<h2>1. Provide all needed resources</h2>
<p>Empowered employees need to know they can access whatever resources they need to succeed. For example, a marketing professional might need access to information databases, planning software and a sufficient budget for market research. Employees should also feel that additional resources to support new ideas are readily available if and when needed. </p>
<p>To do this, companies can plan and budget jobs in ways that guarantee that employees have additional, or excess, resources to draw upon. Moreover, companies can communicate frequently – verbally in team meetings and also via digital communications – not only that resources are available when needed but also that these additional resources can be obtained easily and quickly.</p>
<h2>2. Set clear goals and strategies</h2>
<p>“People can’t be self-managing without information,” business management expert <a href="https://hbr.org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-all-the-managers">Gary Hamel once noted</a>. “[T]he goal is to provide staffers with all the information they need to monitor their work and make wise decisions.”</p>
<p>In other words, companies can more effectively empower their employees if they divulge or communicate how their responsibilities fit into the bigger picture or strategic direction of the business. For example, the marketing professional mentioned above might benefit from an understanding of how a new product fits into the organization’s overall product portfolio. </p>
<p>Firms can also offer regular check-ins or town hall meetings at which everybody in the organization can ask questions about the strategic goals and vision of the company. </p>
<h2>3. Signal clear and unwavering support</h2>
<p>Employees who are truly empowered believe they have the emotional and physical support needed from colleagues – including supervisors, peers and subordinates – to do their jobs well. This entails verbal encouragement as well as offers to assist on tasks and projects. </p>
<p>Likewise, managers can emphasize that they believe in employees’ capabilities and are there to enable employee growth and autonomy. Organizations can create a company culture of support by rewarding supportive actions that promote employee self-direction.</p>
<p>My research along with management professor <a href="https://poole.ncsu.edu/people/blkirkma/">Brad Kirkman</a> shows clearly across several studies that when employees do not have access to resources, information and support, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001100">they are not in fact empowered</a>. As a result, the desired performance-boosting effects on their job performance, proactive behavior and creativity do not take place.</p>
<h2>4. Remove red tape and other ‘bad’ stressors</h2>
<p>Unnecessary red tape, office politics, ambiguity and interpersonal conflict create a lot of negative stress for employees, which <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.18803921">hinders work performance</a>. These “bad” stressors are different from “good” stressors that can encourage growth. </p>
<p>For example, the marketing professional from the previous examples might have to fill out multiple lengthy forms just to request access to an information database. Or perhaps they have to play political games to garner support for funding of a much-needed planning tool. Conflict, meanwhile, can take the form of unspoken rivalry with co-workers about perceived unjust promotions or resource allocations.</p>
<p>Another study that Kirkman and I conducted showed that an empowering leadership style paired with high amounts of “bad” stressors can actually backfire and be detrimental to a company. We found that employees in those situations are <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-41857-001">more likely to disengage morally</a> from their work and act unethically than employees who work with less empowering leaders. </p>
<p>For example, in one of our experiments, participants were asked to solve unsolvable anagrams as part of their fictitious job. Among participants who faced higher amounts of “bad” stressors before attempting to solve the anagrams, those exposed to an empowering leader were 75% more likely to lie about solving their puzzles for the sake of their organization than those who were exposed to a leader who was described as not empowering.</p>
<p>Empowering leadership instills in employees a mindset to get things done and a desire to pay back the organization for the empowerment received. But without the information, resources and support to succeed – or when there is a lot of negative stress in employees’ work environments – people seem to switch to an expediency mindset whereby anything goes.</p>
<p>If business executives truly want to empower their employees, they cannot merely encourage managers to empower their subordinates. They must go the extra mile and address the four factors identified above. Otherwise, employees can feel left dangling in the void, struggling to prove their ability and even tempted to take actions that could eventually harm the company.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210757/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tobias Dennerlein does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An expert on employee motivation explains four challenges companies should address if they truly want to empower their workers.Tobias Dennerlein, Assistant Professor of Management, Purdue UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2092602023-07-19T10:23:21Z2023-07-19T10:23:21ZLovemore Mbigi will be remembered for his teaching on ubuntu in business leadership<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538071/original/file-20230718-25-esmn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Lovemore Mbigi. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Knowledge Resources</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Professor Lovemore Mbigi, celebrated within the African management and psychology disciplines, <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/eminent-zimbabwe-author-scholar-prof-mbigi-dies/">died</a> in Harare, Zimbabwe on 26 June 2023. He left a body of work that resonates on the continent. </p>
<p>Mbigi was over his career affiliated with several African and international universities. Notably, he contributed to the PhD programme at the National University of Science Technology in Zimbabwe. Academics have described him as an important African scholar whose work made an impact in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25074317.pdf">management education</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to his role in the academy, Mbigi was a consultant to business and an active contributor to how state-owned entities could be improved for better service delivery. His areas of expertise included strategy execution, transformation, <a href="https://kr.co.za/product/the-spirit-of-african-leadership/">leadership</a> and diversity management. </p>
<p>I came to know Mbigi and his work when I was an aspiring organisational behaviour scholar. I observed through my reading of the literature that a lot of emphasis was placed on what would be termed western psychology. The influence of this western psychology would permeate through to consulting practice. In seeking a place where I belonged within my discipline, the work of Mbigi was a light in a dark tunnel. I appreciated him throughout my career phases and transitions, and have recommended his work as useful reading for the masters and PhD students I’ve supervised.</p>
<h2>African concepts</h2>
<p>Mbigi’s work challenged the dominance of “<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100630132850.htm">WEIRD</a>” – western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic – nations in knowledge production and dissemination. He reminded us as Africans that we should never leave behind that which was distinctively ours in favour of what could be termed modernity. </p>
<p>Mbigi brought <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-when-you-put-african-philosophies-at-the-centre-of-learning-95465">African concepts and cultural practices</a> to the academic and consulting realm. For example he saw the <a href="https://rozenbergquarterly.com/prophecies-and-protests-a-vision-of-african-management-and-african-leadership-a-southern-african-perspective/">African philosophy of ubuntu</a> as a basis of effective human resources management. In ubuntu, the emphasis is on fostering a sense of togetherness and using this shared togetherness to achieve objectives. At the core the management of people in organisations needs to espouse these tenets of ubuntu in achieving a competitive advantage.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/education-in-zimbabwe-should-strive-for-inclusion-how-the-philosophy-of-ubuntu-can-help-204561">Education in Zimbabwe should strive for inclusion -- how the philosophy of ubuntu can help</a>
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<p>He also used concepts such as harambe from east Africa and nhimbe from southern Africa to inform talent management and organisational development practices. Both these “teamwork” practices in their contexts acknowledge the communal nature of African societies. Individual talent can be directed to solving community challenges through gathering together. Clear lines of authority exist around a goal but, importantly, there is a sense of togetherness in achieving this goal.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/african-philosophy-needs-to-blossom-being-exclusionary-wont-help-62720">African philosophy needs to blossom. Being exclusionary won't help</a>
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<p>Mbigi’s work has also been applied extensively to other fields of study, especially where people and the <a href="https://africasocialwork.net/lovemore-mbigi/">interaction of cultural systems</a> are at play. </p>
<h2>African management and leadership</h2>
<p>Mbigi’s first book on African management, co-authored with Jenny Maree, was <a href="https://kr.co.za/product/ubuntu-the-spirit-of-african-transformation-management/">Ubuntu: The Spirit of African Transformation Management</a>. In this work, value is placed on the role of African indigenous knowledge systems as cultural capital to assist managers within contemporary workplaces. Such knowledge systems, as viewed by <a href="https://en.unesco.org/links">Unesco</a>, place value on the understandings, skills and philosophies developed by societies with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings. </p>
<p>For Mbigi, turning to indigenous knowledge systems offered a perspective that could help address challenges faced in organisations. Such perspectives become useful in acknowledging diversity and using it for good.</p>
<p>His book <a href="https://kr.co.za/product/the-spirit-of-african-leadership/">The Spirit of African Leadership</a> is an attempt to position the role of African leadership in the global arena, especially within modern management practice. Mbigi called for awareness of the reality that the African continent has a wealth of leadership knowledge. He emphasised that such leadership knowledge not only deserves equal attention globally: it has the potential to make a contribution universally, too.</p>
<p>Mbigi also wrote <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/in-search-of-african-business-renaissance/">In Search of African Business Renaissance: An African Cultural Perspective</a>, and Ubuntu: The African Dream in Management. </p>
<p>When I was an undergraduate student I encountered and drew on Mbigi’s work in two classes: organisational development and consulting psychology. In these classes, there was a need for theory and practice to be linked and balanced. I was impressed by Mbigi’s <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/bookchap/palpalchp/978-0-230-62752-9_5f19.htm">framing of cultural paradigms</a>, especially those prevalent in African societies. I learned I could use such African cultural paradigms to inform not just my worldview but as a possible solution to individual and organisational challenges.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/work-contracts-are-a-complex-web-of-social-and-cultural-dynamics-75074">Work contracts are a complex web of social and cultural dynamics</a>
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<p>Mbigi’s books on African leadership and ubuntu continue to be cited in scholarly outputs. His work in some cases is even seen as seminal and pioneering. It has featured in training and consulting practice and is an inspiration for African scholars and practitioners to make an impact in a “WEIRD” world. One of his students <a href="https://research.vu.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/42179854/complete+dissertation.pdf">described</a> him aptly as “generous, energetic and humorous”. These were attributes Mbigi used to get his message across not only as a teacher but also as a researcher and consultant in a serious world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209260/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi receives funding from the National Heritage Council and the National Research Foundation.</span></em></p>Lovemore Mbigi saw the African concept of ubuntu as a basis of effective human resources management.Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi, Professor, University of Fort HareLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2096252023-07-17T19:23:55Z2023-07-17T19:23:55ZCould you be a victim of micromanagement? Seven tips to take back control<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537023/original/file-20230712-25-88810b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C11%2C1920%2C1319&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Micro-management may be motivated by good intentions, but it's often counter-productive.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.wallpaperflare.com/illustration-of-woman-in-business-situation-with-ongoing-conflict-wallpaper-aayyc/download/1920x1080">Wallpaperflare.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Have you ever wondered if you’re being micromanaged by your supervisor? You wouldn’t be alone: in 2021, a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/heidilynnekurter/2021/06/29/is-micromanaging-a-form-of-bullying-here-are-3-things-you-should-know/?sh=7e7c60444467">US survey by Trinity Solutions</a> revealed 79% of employees have experienced micromanagement, with 71% reporting this interfered with their job performance and 85% complaining of its negative impacts on morale.</p>
<p>So, what does micromanagement look like? Let’s take the example of Marc and his manager Kelly. Marc wants to share some updates about a project the team had been working on. When he knocks on her office door, he hears a curt “Come in” and enters. Kelly appears to be busy, typing away at her keyboard. “I’ll be with you in a minute”, she says while simultaneously checking her phone and ticking off items on a notepad. Marc can sense that there isn’t a lot of time, so he makes it brief.</p>
<p>Marc: “Hi Kelly, how are you?”</p>
<p>Kelly: “Fine, hope you’re doing well too. I have five minutes, as I have to finish a report. What do you want to talk about?</p>
<p><em>Kelly’s eyes glance over a towering pile of papers</em></p>
<p>Marc: "Well, I’m concerned about how the team operates on the new project. To be honest with you, I’m under the impression we’re not sure where we’re going and are now headed in the wrong direction. People seem to be all over the place and…</p>
<p><em>Kelly cuts off Marc after the computer makes a notification sound. She then checks her phone.</em></p>
<p>Kelly: "Marc, I suggest that you create a to-do list and prioritise urgent, important tasks, and tackle the items per client… ”</p>
<p><em>Kelly’s suggestions continue for the remaining four minutes of Marc’s time with her</em></p>
<p>The above vignette presents us with three of the features of micromanagement that we have identified as part of our research on leadership. These are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>A lack of dialogue in meetings. Through her prescriptive remarks, Kelly’s communication style did not give Marc the opportunity to share his thoughts.</p></li>
<li><p>A lack of empathy and consideration of emotions. Marc wanted Kelly to hear him out, to acknowledge his perspective, and to show sympathy for the team’s situation, in vain.</p></li>
<li><p>Detailed, step-by-step instructions. Kelly missed out on an opportunity to support her team members’ problem-solving skills, even though Marc has a more intimate understanding of the project and would probably be able to contribute important insights into how to move it forward.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Why is micromanaging problematic?</h2>
<p>Kelly and Marc’s interactions illustrate the underlying error of micromanaging. Although Kelly had good intentions – quickly solving an issue presented to her – the outcome was likely to be counterproductive. This is because it is more effective and motivating for most people to come up with their own solutions rather than being micromanaged.</p>
<p>That said, empowering others is not to be confused with not providing answers in situations when they’re truly required – for example, in the case of interactions with recent recruits or emergencies. Nor does it mean that leaders shouldn’t take action or not show support. Rather, they must strive to create a safe environment where diverse ideas can be aired, and to help their employees without seeking to control them.</p>
<p>While the benefits of empowering others are clear, our research shows that leaders rarely do it automatically. We analysed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5hwEDhKn20">thousands of video interactions</a> and found that leaders are often not aware of what we labelled <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_PN3BDa0A">“motivational micromanaging”</a> – showing enthusiasm in voice and body language as instructions are being given. They often have the best intentions, but they’re short on time and feel that their role as leaders is to solve everything.</p>
<h2>What can you do about it?</h2>
<p>Merely telling your manager that you don’t want to be micromanaged won’t help much. Here are some tips derived from our research that can support you to help shift your supervisor into more of an empowering attitude.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Be specific and clear about what you want. If you want to run something by your leader, say that you would like to have a sounding board for an idea you have: “Hi, can I have five minutes of your time to run something by you?” Help them focus on listening: “Would it be possible that you listen to me for two minutes? It would really help me to talk through topic XY.”</p></li>
<li><p>Have them ask you questions: “What is the top question that comes to your mind after having heard my summary on XY?”</p></li>
<li><p>Focus on solutions instead of just presenting the problem. Rather than stating that there is an issue, come with several ideas and suggestions on how it could be solved. “I thought about the following three solutions for our current dilemma.”</p></li>
<li><p>Ask for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg2Ckq79XRM">feedback</a>. Not only during your performance review, but continuously – it will allow you to able to change things. Also offer feedback to your supervisor. </p></li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>“I would love to get your viewpoint on XY”</p>
<p>“Let me know if you would like to hear my feedback on XY.”</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Be transparent about your values, it will help you gain knowledge about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg1WccmVKGA">your strengths</a> and communicate both to your supervisor. </li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>“What motivates me being able to use XY, do XY, work with XY”</p>
<p>“It would really motivate me if I could use more of my strengths for the current project. What ideas do you have about how I could incorporate and leverage these skills?”</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>Show <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qPkW1SWMg0">gratitude</a> and appreciation for your team and its work. Don’t speak up only to complain about things going wrong; instead, also acknowledge the things your leader and team members do right. Be the change you want to see.</p></li>
<li><p>Emotions are contagious, so role-model those you want to create more of in your team and work environment.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks to these tips, you can put an end to micro-management situations. You can also help your manager to change their management methods to boost their team’s independence, and ultimately, motivation and performance.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209625/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julia Milner ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>A leadership expert offers her advice on how to tackle a surprisingly widespread problem.Julia Milner, Professeure de leadership, EDHEC Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2038572023-05-25T08:54:02Z2023-05-25T08:54:02ZNot all interruptions are bad: how surprise breaks can unleash creativity at work<p>Interruptions are an inevitable part of working life. Some last a short time – a phone call, an urgent task, or a colleague stopping by for a chat. While these can take a brief toll on productivity, extended interruptions such as supply-chain issues, extreme weather or machinery breakdowns, can have a more significant impact. But what if there were a silver lining?</p>
<p>In <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/orsc.2023.1660">our research</a> at the Hamburg University of Technology, we were curious to explore how different types of disruptions can influence employees’ creative performance and how one can even harness them to boost innovation at work.</p>
<h2>Differentiating interruptions</h2>
<p><a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/annals.2017.0146">Not all interruptions are the same</a> and they can be broadly differentiated based on two characteristics: whether they allow for idle time or not, and whether they are unexpected or not. We can therefore distinguish three types of extended interruptions:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><em>Surprises</em> are unexpected interruptions that release idle time and allow employees’ minds to wander. A supply-chain disruption leading to a temporary halt in production might qualify as one, for example, or a power outage that requires a pause until electricity is restored. A critical software system going down could also be considered a surprise, as they prevent employees from completing their daily tasks.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Intrusions</em> are unexpected interruptions that do not come with idle time. They typically require employees to switch their attention to the new, pressing issue. These can negatively impact creativity, as employees’ focus is diverted away from their original tasks. Examples of intrusions include urgent client requests, where a high-priority client suddenly requires immediate assistance to resolve an issue with their order or service. Employees must pause their tasks and address the client’s concerns promptly. Another example is an emergency meeting in response to a sudden crisis.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Planned breaks</em> represent expected interruptions with idle time. They are scheduled and deliberate, allowing employees to step away from their work and focus on personal activities or goals and play a crucial role in employee well-being and work-life balance. Examples of planned breaks include vacations, public holidays or company-wide breaks.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>The impact of different interruptions on creativity</h2>
<p>By examining the effects of these interruptions on employees’ performance, we can identify which ones have the potential to boost innovation and how organizations can best manage them.</p>
<p>Conducted at a manufacturer in the automotive industry, <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/orsc.2023.1660">our research</a> investigates the creative outputs of employees during various interruptions. We used natural experiments, exploiting events such as supply-chain shortages, extreme weather events, and school breaks to explore how different types of interruptions impact creative performance.</p>
<p>Our findings suggest that <em>surprises</em> with idle time can significantly increase employees’ creative performance, understood here as the number and quality of ideas they put forward to improve their firm’s products and services. We found that individuals exposed to such interruptions generated 58% more ideas than their uninterrupted peers in the three weeks following the disruption. This boost in creativity is attributed to continued thinking about work and maintaining work goals during the interruption, which enables idea incubation.</p>
<p>In contrast, <em>intrusions</em> harm creativity. When employees are forced to switch their attention to the incoming task, their attention residue – or the amount of attention that lingers on the interrupted task – drops, reducing their creative performance.</p>
<p>As for <em>planned breaks</em>, such as vacations or school holidays, we found that they do not positively affect creative performance. During these expected interruptions, employees tend to disengage from work and focus on non-work-related goals, which lowers attention residue and hinders idea incubation. This comes nevertheless with the important caveat that breaks remain essential for employee well-being and rejuvenation.</p>
<p>But why is it that some interruptions are conducive to creative performance while others are not? One answer may lie in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2009.04.002">attention residue theory</a>, which posits that some attention lingers on an interrupted task even after the individual has shifted focus elsewhere. This lingering attention can help ideas incubate and foster creative thinking. With extended interruptions, the amount of attention residue depends on whether the interruption allows for idle time and whether it is unexpected or not.</p>
<p>During surprises, employees have idle time to think about their work and keep their work goals active, which results in higher attention residue and increased creative performance. In contrast, during intrusions, attention residue is reduced as employees must focus on the incoming task. Similarly, during planned breaks, attention residue decreases as employees disengage from work and concentrate on non-work goals.</p>
<h2>The art of interruption: a rulebook</h2>
<p>The good news is that it is possible for organisations to stir up creativity by applying a series of guidelines:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><em>Surprises</em>: When unforeseen events free up time, organisations can encourage employees to use it to reflect on their work and generate new ideas. One way for management to go about this is provide tools and resources that encourage idle pondering, such as access to idea submission systems, brainstorming sessions after the interruption, or quiet spaces for contemplation.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Intrusions</em>: Management ought to establish clear priorities and minimize distractions during an intrusion to enable employees to concentrate on the task at hand. Before attending to an intrusion, <a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/orsc.2017.1184">ready-to-resume plans</a> in which one notes where work has been left off help to resume the original task. Once the interruption ends, support re-engagement with original work by having people reflect how they will resume the original task or promoting collaboration and communication among colleagues.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Planned breaks</em>: Organizations should encourage employees to disconnect from work during vacations and other scheduled breaks to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Upon returning from a break, create opportunities for employees to share their experiences, insights, or inspirations, potentially sparking new ideas or fostering a creative mindset.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Extended interruptions are an unavoidable part of working life. However, by understanding their impact on creativity and implementing strategies to leverage their potential, one can transform these disruptions into rich opportunities. By embracing surprises, managing attention during intrusions, and encouraging deliberate disconnection during planned breaks, organizations can unleash the creative potential of their employees and foster a more innovative work environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203857/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Schweisfurth has received funding from Tempowerk, Hamburg, Germany</span></em></p>Has your computer just crashed and you are waiting for it to reboot? If so, do not despair. In fact, recent research shows surprise interruptions might even boost your creativity.Tim Schweisfurth, Full Professor in Organizational Design and Collaboration Engineering, University of TwenteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2033182023-05-22T12:27:29Z2023-05-22T12:27:29ZAI is changing how Americans find jobs, get promoted and succeed at work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525994/original/file-20230512-29-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=34%2C34%2C5657%2C3754&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Insights from artificial intelligence will influence promotions and detect bias in the workplace. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/biometric-identification-royalty-free-image/1368203854?phrase=ARTIFICIAL+INTELLIGENCE&adppopup=true">Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether we realize it or not, advancements in <a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence">artificial intelligence</a> are increasingly influencing the paths of our careers.</p>
<p>Advancements in <a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70987-1_139">human capital management systems</a>, more strategic and data-driven human resource and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2022.100926">talent management practices</a>, and increased <a href="http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1034712">attention to bias</a> are all factors that are changing how people are hired, developed, promoted and fired. </p>
<p>I <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=search_authors&mauthors=Catherine+Rymsha&hl=en&oi=ao">teach and work</a> in talent management and leadership development. I’ve used these programs and practices in the real world and continue to learn and research how these practices are changing. <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/10/where-ai-can-and-cant-help-talent-management">Artificial intelligence and systems</a> are already big business, grossing over <a href="https://www.appsruntheworld.com/top-10-hcm-software-vendors-and-market-forecast/">US$38 billion in 2021</a>. Without a doubt, AI-driven software has the potential to advance quickly and change how companies make strategic decisions about their employees. </p>
<p>Here’s what that acceleration may mean to you.</p>
<h2>Applying</h2>
<p>Imagine you apply for a job in the very near future. You upload your carefully written résumé through the company website, noting that the platform looks eerily similar to other platforms you’ve used to apply for other jobs. After your résumé is saved, you provide demographic information and complete countless fields with the same data from your résumé. You <a href="https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2021/3/artificial-intelligence-ai-screening-tools-how-build-resume-5-tips">then hit “submit”</a> and hope for a follow-up email from a person. </p>
<p>Your data now lives within this company’s human capital management system. Even if they collect them, very few companies are looking at résumés anymore; they’re looking at the info <a href="https://sea.mashable.com/apps-and-software/23028/this-39-ai-powered-resume-app-could-help-outsmart-application-scanners-online">you type into those tiny boxes</a> to help make comparisons between you, dozens or hundreds of other applicants, and the job requirements. Even if your résumé demonstrates that you are the most qualified applicant, it alone is unlikely to catch the eye of the recruiter, because the recruiter’s attention is elsewhere.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Six people sit at a table in a brightly lit office with pie charts on the wall and windows in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With input from artificial intelligence, measures of employee performance will become more objective and increasingly data-driven.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/business-meeting-in-a-modern-office-royalty-free-image/607477457?phrase=WORKPLACE&adppopup=true">Hinterhaus Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Getting the job</h2>
<p>Let’s say you get the call, you ace the interview and the job is yours. Your information hits another stage within the company’s database, or HCM: active employee. Your performance ratings and other data about your employment will now be tied to your profile, adding more data for the HCM and human resources to monitor and assess.</p>
<p>Enhancements in AI, technology and <a href="https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/the-future-of-hr-tech-how-ai-is-transforming-human-resources">HCMs enable HR</a> to look at employee data on deeper levels. The insights gleaned help identify talented employees who could fill key leadership roles when people quit and guide decisions about who should be promoted. The data can also identify favoritism and bias in hiring and promotion.</p>
<p>As you continue in your role, data on your performance is tracked and analyzed. This may include your performance ratings, supervisor’s feedback, <a href="https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-technologies/improving-the-employee-lifecycle-with-ai-enabled-learning-technologies/">professional development activity</a> – or lack thereof. Having this large amount of data about you and others over time now helps HR think about how employees can better support the growth of the organization.</p>
<p>For example, HR may use data to identify how <a href="https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/technology/Pages/How-to-Identify-Your-Companys-Flight-Risks.aspx">likely specific employees are to quit</a> and evaluate the impact of that loss. </p>
<p>Platforms that many people already use every day aggregate productivity data from sign-in to signoff. Widely available Microsoft tools including Teams, Outlook and SharePoint can help provide insight to managers via their <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/workplace-analytics-service-description">workplace analytics tool</a>. The Microsoft productivity score tracks overall usage within the platform. </p>
<p>Even the metrics and <a href="http://essay.utwente.nl/91198/">behaviors defining</a> “good” or “bad” performance may change, relying less on the perception of the manager. As data grows, even <a href="https://time.com/charter/6242075/how-generative-ai-will-change-all-knowledge-work/">the work of professionals</a> like consultants, <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/10/robots-will-replace-doctors-lawyers-and-other-professionals">doctors</a> and marketers will be quantitatively and objectively measured. A 2022 New York Times investigation found that these systems, designed to improve worker productivity and accountability, had the effect of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html">damaging morale and instilling fear</a>. </p>
<p>It’s clear that American employees should begin to think about how our data is being used, what story that data is telling, and how it may dictate our futures. </p>
<h2>Optimizing and understanding your career</h2>
<p>Not every company has an HCM or is advanced in using talent data to make decisions. But many companies are becoming savvier and some are incredibly advanced. At a recent Microsoft Viva summit I attended, chief human resources officers from companies like PayPal and Rio Tinto outlined ways they are using these advancements. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00406-7">Some researchers claim</a> that AI could promote equity by removing implicit bias from hiring and promoting, but many more see a danger that AI built by humans will just repackage <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/210071">old issues in a new box</a>. <a href="https://www.imd.org/contentassets/7bcfa11250bc43c994c4975c50f13f8f/tc061-18-print.pdf">Amazon learned this lesson the hard way</a> back in 2018 when a résumé-sorting AI it built had to be abandoned when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/10/amazon-hiring-ai-gender-bias-recruiting-engine">it favored men for programming roles</a>. </p>
<p>What’s more, the increase of data collection and analysis can leave employees unclear on where they stand while the organization is very clear. It’s best if you understand how AI is changing the workplace and demand transparency from your employer. These are data points that employees should consider asking about during their next review:</p>
<ul>
<li>Do you see me as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-06-2017-0095">high-potential employee</a>?</li>
<li>How does my performance compare with others’?</li>
<li>Do you see me as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020619881044">successor</a> to your role or others’?</li>
</ul>
<p>Just as you need to master traditional aspects of workplace culture, politics and relationships, you should learn to navigate these platforms, understand how you are being assessed, and take ownership of your career in a new and more data-driven way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203318/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I work as a consultant in corporate settings and use/have used various HCMs and Microsoft tools referenced here in that work.</span></em></p>Software you may already use every day can track your productivity for your employer.Catherine Rymsha, Visiting Lecturer of Management, UMass LowellLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2009672023-05-16T12:39:25Z2023-05-16T12:39:25ZWant more good ideas from your workers? Try giving them a reward – and a choice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524697/original/file-20230505-17-7u7e3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=118%2C799%2C3253%2C2237&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Penny for your thoughts?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/suggestion-box-royalty-free-image/522656508">Randy Faris/The Image Bank via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Companies can increase not only the volume but also the quality of employee suggestions and ideas by offering rewards and a choice, according to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000900">study we published in 2022</a>. </p>
<p>We conducted the study on 345 telemarketers at a call center in Taiwan, which already had a suggestion program set up to solicit creative ideas to improve the organization. The company rewarded those who suggested ideas deemed the most valuable by giving them a trophy. </p>
<p>We wanted to see how tweaking the reward changed the quantity and quality of suggestions. So we invited the employees to submit ideas and that if their suggestions ranked among the top 20% most creative ideas – as evaluated by a team of managers and researchers – they would receive one of four rewards: US$80 in cash for themselves, $80 to share with colleagues, $80 to give to a preferred charitable organization or priority when selecting days off. About half of the employees were offered a choice of the four rewards they would receive for submitting ideas. We then randomly assigned one of the four rewards to the remaining employees. </p>
<p>In total, we received and evaluated 144 ideas over a one-month period. </p>
<p>We found that employees who were given a choice of reward submitted 86% more ideas than those who were told what they would be getting. Moreover, the average creativity score of their ideas was 82% higher. Overall, our suggestion program elicited double the number of ideas as the company’s own program and resulted in ideas that were ranked 84% more creative. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Soliciting employee ideas <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8691.00204">can be a key driver</a> of innovation in organizations.</p>
<p>When employees share their ideas about products, services or policies using a suggestion program, an organization can take those ideas and refine and then <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-374714-3.00016-1">implement them</a>. </p>
<p>These <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12024">implemented ideas</a> can <a href="https://memberfiles.freewebs.com/84/90/65819084/documents/The%20Knowledge-Creating%20Company.pdf">enhance an organization’s ability to adapt and compete</a>. A 2003 study of 47 organizations found that ideas submitted to employee suggestion programs <a href="https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0205wells.aspx">saved those organizations</a> more than $624 million in a single year. </p>
<p>Our own study suggests small incentives could have a significant impact on the quantity and quality of those employee suggestions.</p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>Research is still needed on whether there is an optimal number of rewards that organizations should offer to get more submissions. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.270">One past study</a> found that when employees were asked to choose from a large set of rewards, they felt overwhelmed and produced few ideas. </p>
<p>Future research can also test whether our results can be found in other types of organizations, with employees in other types of jobs and in other parts of the world. We plan to examine these issues in our future studies of suggestion programs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200967/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A recent study found that offering workers a choice of what type of reward they would like for offering good suggestions increased the volume of submissions and their creativity too.Aichia Chuang, Professor of Organizational Behavior, University of North Carolina – GreensboroGreg R. Oldham, Professor emeritus, Tulane UniversityJing Zhou, Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs, Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management, Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice UniversityRyan Shuwei Hsu, Associate Professor in the Department of Business Administration, National Chengchi UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2018172023-04-05T18:38:32Z2023-04-05T18:38:32ZWe can never truly separate our work and personal lives – and that isn’t necessarily bad<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517441/original/file-20230324-16-g6r6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C5%2C3776%2C1592&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An image of the first season of the TV series Severance.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/es/tv-pr/originals/severance/episodes-images/">Apple TV</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, the Apple TV series <em>Severance</em>, released last year, centred around a group of employees working at a firm called Lumon Industries who are truly able to split their work and personal lives. When they are at the office, employees do not remember anything about the outside world and when they are at home, they don’t remember anything about work. </p>
<p>It’s an extreme version of a concept that applies to most of us – managing the boundary between our private and professional lives – and is a preoccupation for academics working in the field of work-family research. </p>
<p>In the series, employees undergo a mind-wiping medical procedure called “severance”. In the work-family literature it’s less literal but is called “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261616300705?via%3Dihub">separation</a>”. Separation is a boundary management technique that sees us split our work and family roles without any overlap.</p>
<p>The other side of this coin is “integration”, which sees individuals looking for synergies and overlaps between the multiple roles in their lives in order to experience better performance in all roles. </p>
<p>A good example of this would be Indra Nooyi, former Pepsi-Co’s CEO for 12 years who, during some of her time off, assumed the “consumer” role and tasted some products as a real customer, using the knowledge acquired to propose some innovation to core business products. </p>
<p>A complete separation between work and family is impossible. We will always be tempted to think about our family when handling work issues and it’s rare for people to be able to escape work communications when at home. This boundary between our two lives is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30271366/">permeable</a>.</p>
<p>The literal “severance” experienced by employees in the TV show is undoubtedly an inviting prospect for some employers. Cutting off all thoughts of the outside world would certainly reduce non-work distractions and should, in theory, increase productivity. It could also be a desirable condition for some employees who might finally be able to stop ruminating about work when at home.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Five employees work in their cubicles and talk among them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517447/original/file-20230324-1117-9hon17.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Colleagues at the office in the TV series Severance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/es/tv-pr/originals/severance/episodes-images/">Apple TV</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Cross-pollination</h2>
<p>Even in the fictional world of <em>Severance</em>, we see that total separation is not a sustainable long-term option. And hoping for our lives to be perfectly segmented can foster false beliefs about the impact that these areas of our lives have on each other. This is especially true when the separation is motivated by the idea that our work and family roles are permanently in conflict. We come to believe that separating the two is necessary to avoid negative spillover. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053482207000034?casa_token=1AOmgdrQJxEAAAAA:vMssxV7fUJ1xdRVt0jdtiIAwcCwNbACLLAD33IwrGmNRaQpHjVWt4U_1yi6IlxoRBDMYkPv-Vg">literature has widely shown</a> that professional and private lives can be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0149206315618013">allies</a>. When we experience positive emotions in one of our roles, it can influence the other. This concept of “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-00663-006">work-family enrichment”</a> invites us to integrate our different roles as much as possible based on the premise that they can benefit each other.</p>
<h2>A post-pandemic reality</h2>
<p>The Covid-19 pandemic has made segmentation even less achievable. During this period, many of us experienced a complete and irreversible blurring of work and home boundaries. This led some work-family scholars to create a new term: <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-lockdown-where-does-work-end-and-parenting-begin-welcome-to-the-brave-new-world-of-zigzag-working-169088">zigzag working</a>. </p>
<p>Attending work meetings with the kids doing their homework on the same desk, sat on one’s lap, or preparing dinner while FaceTiming with a colleague has been normalised. Some people are quite reluctant to give this up. Not only does it make home life more manageable – some feel it is brought radical change and more humanity to the workplace.</p>
<p>While it is still early to draw conclusions, it is possible that the prolonged and forced integration between work and family roles could have prompted the need for an alternative and more sustainable work-home ideology.</p>
<p>We need to move away from the idea that a <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033710">worker has to be devoted to their job</a> or that <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/19416520.2015.1028810">ideal workers</a> are those available 24/7.</p>
<p>During the pandemic, many senior executive saw, as they had never before, the reality of their own daily life as they tried to help family members juggling across the multiple daily activities. This forced and prolonged exposure to both family and work roles could have prompted the idea that participating actively in the family dynamics and day-to-day operations is rewarding at an emotional level, aside from being beneficial and productive. </p>
<p>It might also compel managers to become more respectful of the personal lives of their colleagues as they had experienced directly how demanding it could be to try to “<a href="https://hbr.org/2012/06/having-it-all-is-not-a-womens">have it all</a>”. </p>
<p>Having it all – the possibility of experiencing a rich life in all their multiple domains – is a difficult goal to achieve. These considerations have led some scholars to add an adjective to this idea: “imperfect”. This means <a href="https://hbr.org/2012/08/the-imperfect-balance-between">we have to accept the idea that our lives can be imperfect</a> – especially when we do not want to give up anything. The key is to accept this idea and seek for help, focusing only in the activities we perform at our the best – if we are not great cooks, it should not be problem to eat take-away food in times of need.</p>
<p>While, as we’ve said, incorporating work into our private lives in a healthy way can help us develop positive emotions that arise from a job well done into our family lives and vice versa, we can see no advantages in receiving work emails demanding our attention while being at home with our families. </p>
<p>That means that overlapping one role with the other can be beneficial if it’s always done in a healthy and respectful way, not in an intrusive fashion.</p>
<p>And here is where the TV series (and many companies) are wrong: a boundary management system is effective only when it matches the individual preferences of the employees regarding their work/family balance. Before proposing a management system, companies should verify that it matches the preferences of their workers.</p>
<p>We of course already know that the mindwipe procedure in <em>Severance</em> is not possible in practice but perhaps we are also finding that it is not desirable either. We are not going back into a world that makes separation even remotely possible, so better to move towards a reality that benefits us rather than makes the two sides of our lives harder.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201817/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marcello Russo no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.</span></em></p>A drastic approach to work-and-life balance is met in Apple TV+ series Severance. But some approaches at the management systems are not that far off.Marcello Russo, Full Professor of Organizational Behavior and Director of the Global MBA, Università di BolognaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1978622023-03-26T12:56:31Z2023-03-26T12:56:31ZCorporate management: Women are losing ground and need to be more strategic, but the culture must also change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504760/original/file-20230116-16-2boffm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=110%2C11%2C7238%2C4891&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are fewer women in management positions than before the pandemic. There are several reasons for this, but the fact that women prefer to work from home is not helping them rise.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Management consulting firm McKinsey recently released its eighth <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/%7E/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/diversity%20and%20inclusion/women%20in%20the%20workplace%202022/women-in-the-workplace-2022.pdf">study on the advancement of women in the corporate world</a> (<em>Women in the Workplace 2022</em>). Although it focuses on large U.S. companies, many of its findings point to a future where women’s representation in senior management positions will become increasingly rare, and where women will need more stamina, perseverance and fighting spirit to hold on to these positions.</p>
<p>Who will lose in this future? Women, men and society as a whole.</p>
<p>Some of the findings of the study are of particular concern:</p>
<p>1) Over the past year, women leaders have left their jobs at a higher rate than their male colleagues and this gap is the largest seen in the past five years.</p>
<p>2) A lower representation of women in engineering and technology positions compared to 2018 means that men are now 2.5 times more represented than in 2018. This is of great concern since this is the fastest growing sector with the highest-paying jobs.</p>
<p>As Dean of the John Molson School of Business and as an expert on women’s place in the upper echelons of the business world for several decades, respectively, we are concerned about this regression.</p>
<h2>The malaise goes beyond work-family balance</h2>
<p>What are the reasons that lead women to either withdraw from the labour market or to seek new employment that is more in line with their priorities and values after reaching leadership positions?</p>
<p>Difficulties in reconciling work, family and personal life are certainly part of the explanation, but other reasons need to be mentioned, in particular those that have more to do with the quality of the work environment compared to men:</p>
<p>1) Lack of recognition: 37 per cent of women leaders see other colleagues taking credit for their good ideas while this phenomenon happens to only 27 per cent of men </p>
<p>2) Frequent questioning of their decisions by male colleagues on the grounds that they do not have the appropriate skills to make them</p>
<p>3) More difficult access to promotions because of their gender or family responsibilities</p>
<p>4) Microaggressions</p>
<p>5) Lack of corporate commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)</p>
<h2>Getting to the top, but not at any price</h2>
<p>It is important to note the changing needs of women in the last two years in relation to their workplaces.</p>
<p>Both women leaders and women under 30 say that opportunities for advancement is the most important issue for them. Younger women also place a higher priority on flexibility and the companies’ commitment to workplace wellness and DEI programs.</p>
<p>In addition, young women say they would be more interested in becoming leaders if they had more role models of female leaders who achieve the kind of work-life balance they desire.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young woman, sitting at a computer, facing a window" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498790/original/file-20221204-55987-z2bf2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Opportunities for advancement are the element young women are most concerned about and they prioritize flexibility and companies’ commitment to well-being at work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Such findings are of concern, as the retention of women in management positions and the maintenance of a rich pool of female potential will surely be hampered in the future by issues related to quality of work life and employee well-being.</p>
<p>The recent study by ESSEC professor Viviane de Beaufort on the professional aspirations of 295 French women managers allows us to take these observations further: women want to reach the highest positions <a href="https://www.academia.edu/80171918/WP_CERESSEC_CEDE_ESSEC_Viviane_de_Beaufort_2022_avec_le_collectif_WOMEN_BOARD_READY_ESSEC">but not at any price</a>. This study adds some very interesting explanatory elements to the reigning sense of female disillusionment, from a disconnect between discourse and reality, to unethical governance, persistence of boys’ club mentalities, non-exemplary behaviour of leaders and lack of trust in employees.</p>
<h2>Labour market becoming more masculine again?</h2>
<p>If this trend continues in what de Beaufort so aptly describes as a “sideways movement,” it will result in places of power becoming more masculine again in the coming years.</p>
<p>This trend could even be accentuated by another phenomenon: working from home, which women favour in their search for better work/life balance. However, as the saying goes: out of sight, out of mind. Lack of contact and visibility in the workplace could mean that fewer women will be promoted to management positions or considered for the list of candidates for management positions.</p>
<p>A trend towards fewer female leadership appointments will, once again, create a male-dominated labour market <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-male-dominated-industries-and-occupations/">that is not conducive to the inclusion and development of female leadership</a>. Furthermore, this scarcity will reduce the opportunity for young women aspiring to leadership roles to meet other experienced women who could serve as role models. The female support network within companies will diminish and, consequently, limit the number of sponsors and mentors that young aspiring decision-makers need.</p>
<p>Another phenomenon emerging as a result of the pandemic is the increase in learning difficulties among some children. <a href="https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/pressures-of-homeschooling-during-pandemic-reveal-gender-imbalances-study-1.5502627">It is often women who are tasked with helping children</a>. So this additional responsibility raises another barrier to career advancement for young women.</p>
<h2>New skills</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/un-monde-du-travail-a-reinventer-pour-faire-une-meilleure-place-aux-femmes-173862">As discussed in a previous article</a>, the typical career path in medium and large organizations is rather linear. It is based on knowledge, experience and relationships developed over time, and power gradually acquired as one moves up the ladder.</p>
<p>This typical progression does not take into account the peripheral vision that is now needed in order to create both financial and non-financial value for the organization. Indeed, the expectations for organizations to contribute to environmental protection, societal needs and better governance (ESG) <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/05/12/five-reasons-to-develop-women-to-lead-and-influence-your-corporate-esg-operating-models/?sh=4ac0810b1c23">require new, often less traditional skills</a> such as in-depth knowledge of sustainable development, public policy or environmental science. These disciplines are more popular with women than with men, so this opens up a new form of promotion for women.</p>
<h2>A world of work to be reinvented</h2>
<p>We have also become aware of the importance of reimagining work from the perspective of well-being and balance. <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/leadership/employee-wellness-in-the-corporate-workplace.html">According to the findings of a recent Deloitte study</a>, this has become a priority for senior leaders. Organizations need to offer more than one promising career path to their employees and promote <em>inclusive</em> excellence where performance measures are rethought in light of DEI and ESG principles.</p>
<p>Talent acquisition and retention represent the biggest HR risk management challenges of the future. A new way of thinking about work and human resource development within organizations will have to emerge, and this will have to foster a better alignment of the demands of family, work and personal life.</p>
<p>Women are ambitious and want to progress within their organization and society. It is therefore our collective responsibility to readjust our ways of doing things and to remain on the lookout for our unconscious biases, while remaining rigorous and clear on the corporate objectives we are trying to achieve. This objective is certainly ambitious, but it will be the pillar of greater equity in the world of work for both women and men.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197862/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Far from progressing, the position of women in management in companies is regressing. Several post-pandemic factors are at work, but both men and women are losing out.Louise Champoux-Paillé, Cadre en exercice, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityAnne-Marie Croteau, Dean, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2022092023-03-22T12:47:10Z2023-03-22T12:47:10ZManagement lessons from Ted Lasso: the importance of clear goals and positive feedback<p>Apple TV’s wildly successful comedy, Ted Lasso, has returned for a third series. The show’s well-meaning, if bumbling, American coach of fictional English football team <a href="https://ted-lasso.fandom.com/wiki/AFC_Richmond">AFC Richmond</a> is known for his motivational speeches. Take this example from the first series:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Y'all played a heck of a game out there. We may not have won, but y'all definitely succeeded … I want you to be grateful that you’re going through this sad moment with all these other folks. Because I promise you, there is something worse out there than being sad, and that is being alone and being sad. Ain’t nobody in this room alone.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Lasso is a good manager – and an inspirational one – who always puts his team’s needs first. He can be too optimistic and ambitious at times, but he’s generally very supportive of those around him. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/managing-people-for-the-first-time-expert-tips-on-how-to-succeed-198615utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Managing people for the first time: expert tips on how to succeed</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/postpartum-exercise-can-have-many-benefits-heres-how-to-do-it-safely-200388utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Postpartum exercise can have many benefits – here’s how to do it safely</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/chris-brown-a-fandom-expert-on-how-racialised-loyalty-helps-the-controversial-singer-retain-his-fans-201123utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Chris Brown: a fandom expert on how racialised loyalty helps the controversial singer retain his fans</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296318305253?casa_token=iPKFqSUshN4AAAAA:6OvXVQJTqz3E7FUIEofQ4QWEB9U1kxhotoT3bCObcgsO8L0LJd25WZCSEmxP6875l6aO7_mL">An inspirational leader</a> motivates others, develops talent and offers opportunities for growth. They are passionate and willing to take risks if it means unlocking their team’s untapped potential. The intent is not to put people under too much stress or pressure, but to push them out of their comfort zone.</p>
<p>However, inspiring others is not an easy task. You must first earn their trust and respect, make them feel appreciated, and promote a sense of togetherness. </p>
<p>This means giving your team a strong shared purpose so they can support each other, learn from one another, and resolve conflicts quickly. For Lasso, these qualities come naturally – which is a big part of why his players get along so well.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A9jI7id8c1Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">One of Ted Lasso’s inspiring speeches.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of course, being a decent manager – and possibly a nice guy like Ted – shouldn’t stop you from getting things done. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0149206318816179">Managers are more effective</a> when they stay focused, keep their eyes on the big picture, and overcome obstacles as they arise – ultimately achieving success for themselves and those around them. Since performance is very important, especially during challenging times, good managers must take charge, be confident, and remain ambitious.</p>
<p>This creates an interesting paradox. We live in a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/cmr.2016.58.4.59?casa_token=Smc7toWn6usAAAAA:ruORVg0DEQeZBDcfW4GxGcqqD_Sik2tcIf30DTMhlIvbUZK_5H6IQPU-WATB9AM-C_ocycmNZFc">rapidly changing world</a> where businesses are cutting costs, dealing with stiff competition, and adapting to new technologies. At the same time, people are taking extra jobs, working longer, and grappling with growing uncertainty about the future.</p>
<p>In this context, even good managers like Lasso must sometimes choose between pursuing <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/01492063221094263">bottom-line results</a> and protecting team wellbeing. Two important questions arise: is high performance synonymous with working too much, too hard, and under too much pressure? And can we really deliver ambitious targets without putting people’s wellbeing at risk?</p>
<h2>Overcoming managerial challenges</h2>
<p>Today, <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/full/10.5465/amj.2017.1481">there are growing concerns</a> about increased work intensity – a measure of how much physical or mental effort a person puts into their job.</p>
<p>Many people are facing consistently longer hours and tighter deadlines, with no time to get enough sleep or socialise with friends and family. For some, this is happening while staying at the same pay grade for years, even with an increased workload and few or no opportunities to learn new skills.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02678373.2022.2080778">Research has linked</a> high work intensity to dissatisfaction and mental health issues such as stress and anxiety. So, as a manager, do you keep asking your team to reach for better results, even if they are overworked and worried about their jobs?</p>
<p>What’s more, due to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1748-8583.12238">high work intensity</a>, team members may put a lot of pressure on each other to work harder than they normally would. </p>
<p>They will monitor each other’s work, hold themselves accountable to a high standard, and scrutinise each other’s actions or behaviours to see who is and isn’t putting in their best. The atmosphere can become more toxic and unfriendly, leading to anger, despair and frustration.</p>
<p>Lasso faced similar challenges when he was first hired for the job, despite having little coaching experience and his boss doubting his ability to motivate a struggling football team. He prevailed by striking a good balance between high performance and team members’ wellbeing. </p>
<p>Lasso communicates openly with his team, soliciting their input in decision-making and encouraging them to stay disciplined. At the same time, team members who perform poorly (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PmX7zEUg_w">like Sam Obisanya</a>) are given extra support, while those who perform well (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Cwnrcc3hE">like Jamie Tart</a>) are inspired to do even better.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y_TJHIV5vDs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Lasso inspires his team with a pre-match speech.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Throughout the show, Lasso’s character teaches us an important lesson: being an effective manager is more than just delegating tasks and pushing people beyond their performance limits. It’s about setting clear goals, leading by example, supporting your team, and empowering them to deliver results.</p>
<p>Effective management is also about giving positive feedback, praising team members for a job well done, and making them feel valued. If done right, team members will be happier, more satisfied and motivated to do a better job. They will work hard at their jobs and avoid doing anything that could damage the team’s overall success. </p>
<p>The team will also have a stronger sense of belonging, which is important for bringing out the best in everyone – something AFC Richmond know well under Lasso’s positive management.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202209/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chidiebere Ogbonnaya receives funding from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of his research commitments at Kent Business School</span></em></p>Being an effective manager is more than just delegating tasks and pushing people – as Ted Lasso’s positive leadership shows.Chidiebere Ogbonnaya, Professor of Human Resource Management, University of KentLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1958852023-03-10T13:40:33Z2023-03-10T13:40:33ZIntegrity, innovation and risk-taking is a rare combination in CEOs, new research suggests<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514537/original/file-20230309-1995-dvz195.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4808%2C3619&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A CEO's word choices can help with figuring out their level of integrity.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businesswoman-standing-alone-in-conference-room-royalty-free-image/107430207?adppopup=true">Martin Barraud</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Corporate chief executive officers who have a high degree of integrity – that is, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/259104">a commitment to act</a> by a morally justified set of principles and values – tend to be less creative, more risk-averse and less likely to take initiative than other CEOs, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-02-2021-0095">according to new research</a> I co-authored. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/104225879902300304">Past research suggests</a> that as a result, their companies are likely to be less competitive and less profitable. </p>
<p>Having a lot of integrity <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/1648943/most-important-leadership-quality-ceos-creativity">has traditionally been considered</a> one of the most important qualities of a business leader. Research has shown that a high level of CEO integrity is a key trait <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25123630">in determining employee loyalty</a> as well as <a href="https://doi.org/10.24034/j25485024.y2012.v16.i2.213">preventing problems like fraud</a>.</p>
<p>My colleague <a href="https://business.olemiss.edu/faculty-directory/dr-saim-kashmiri/">Saim Kashmiri</a> and I wondered, however, if there are any downsides to being a top boss with lots of integrity. So we analyzed financial and other information on 213 companies listed in the Forbes 500 from 2014 to 2017. We only included companies where CEOs had been hired from 2011 to 2013 and stayed with the company until at least 2018. </p>
<p>We determined a CEO’s level of integrity by analyzing their annual letters to shareholders for key words. Specifically, past research has shown that people <a href="https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-52554">who use a lot of “causation words”</a> – such as “because,” “hence” and “therefore” – tend to have a low degree of integrity because such words are often used to rationalize ethically questionable actions. </p>
<p>We scored CEOs who used few of these causation words in their letters as having a high level of integrity. </p>
<p>We tested the validity of this method several ways, including by looking at companies ranked as the most ethical by independent observers like Forbes. We found a high correlation between our measure of integrity and these companies.</p>
<p>Similarly, to gauge how innovative, proactive and likely to take risks these CEOs were, we analyzed the shareholder letters for key words that <a href="https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-52554">existing research</a> has identified as being highly correlated with those traits. We then conducted a regression analysis, a statistical technique that identifies associations between two variables along with the magnitude of that association, as well as significance of whether the association is by chance.</p>
<p>Our analysis found that CEOs who scored the highest in terms of integrity also scored the lowest on our measures of innovation, proactiveness and risk-taking – traits <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/258632">often associated with entrepreneurial behavior</a>. </p>
<p>The correlation was stronger among CEOs who were also chairs of their boards of directors – giving them considerably more power over the company – or who we determined to be very overconfident. </p>
<p>The correlation was weaker among CEOs in charge of more consumer-oriented companies, such as retailers, and CEOs who received more of their compensation with company stock – which tends to reward higher performance. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Companies led by CEOs who take more risks, act more proactively and are innovative tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/104225879101600102">outperform their competitors financially</a> in part because they are active in finding fresh market opportunities, which <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2006.05.003">strengthens the business’s competitive position</a>. Such companies <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.10.149">also tend to be stronger</a> <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2006.05.003">at marketing</a>.</p>
<p>We are not suggesting companies should avoid hiring leaders with high levels of integrity. In fact, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04114-x">research has shown</a> that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-7888-5">integrity is a predictor</a> of good leadership and fundamental to fostering commitment and loyalty among employees.</p>
<p>However, corporate boards are duty-bound to choose chief executives <a href="http://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2007.24345254">who will increase shareholder value</a>. So they should be aware of these tendencies and help their high-integrity CEOs counterbalance the negatives, such as by offering more incentive-based compensation and establishing processes and structures that stimulate innovation. </p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>While this study analyzed word choices to rate CEO integrity, we are now studying how a CEO’s language may affect those around him or her in ways that could have a good or bad impact on a company’s bottom line – such as improving creativity or causing employees to leave their jobs. We are currently gathering data on reactions to leaders’ language choices via employee and manager surveys to learn more.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195885/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Prachi Gala does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Strong values and principles are key traits in effective business leaders – but they can come with tendencies to take fewer risks and be less proactive or innovative.Prachi Gala, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Kennesaw State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1986152023-03-06T17:15:30Z2023-03-06T17:15:30ZManaging people for the first time: expert tips on how to succeed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513237/original/file-20230302-25-c1tn1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C0%2C4702%2C3146&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/businesswoman-standing-leading-business-presentation-female-681211267">Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Getting a promotion that involves managing people for the first time is a milestone in anyone’s career. It is a sign that your employer values your performance and skills and trusts you to lead projects and colleagues. This transition can also be a challenging and stressful experience – you may need to relearn what it means to do a “good” job.</p>
<p>It is somewhat paradoxical that employees generally get promoted into managerial roles based on strong performance in non-managerial tasks. While you may have succeeded so far on your expertise and technical abilities, managerial roles call for a different set of skills. You will have to learn to prioritise and allocate work to make sure projects are completed on time, monitor your team’s performance, motivate the people you supervise and manage conflict. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-young-people-in-every-sphere-not-just-business-and-politics-should-learn-to-lead-198331?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Why young people in every sphere – not just business and politics – should learn to lead</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/lucky-girl-syndrome-the-potential-dark-side-of-tiktoks-extreme-positive-thinking-trend-198439?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Lucky girl syndrome: the potential dark side of TikTok’s extreme positive thinking trend</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/joy-can-help-us-be-better-at-work-heres-how-to-find-it-198260?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Joy can help us be better at work – here’s how to find it</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>These interpersonal skills are misleadingly labelled “soft” skills – they are rather hard to develop. Here are some things to keep in mind:</p>
<h2>1. Get comfortable with power and politics</h2>
<p>It may feel particularly challenging to manage team members who are your friends, or who are much older than you. Having cordial working relationships is possible, even when managing others – but you still have to set priorities, tackle conflict and have difficult conversations. </p>
<p>A typical mistake among early career managers is trying to influence others by relying on formal authority. But having a new hierarchical position or job title will not automatically make it easier to get others on board. Effective managers are good at navigating the informal aspects of power that make up “office politics” – the conflicting interests and agendas in the workplace, and how people defend those interests.</p>
<p>Office politics might get a bad rap, but in my <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/05/office-politics-dont-have-to-be-toxic">research</a> I found that the ability to network, build relationships and influence others is <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/07/you-cant-sit-out-office-politics">critical</a> when it comes to managing people. For instance, most managers understand that before formally announcing a big decision, it is important to have informal conversations with those who are affected or can influence the decision. This is not unprincipled scheming, but a way of doing your homework.</p>
<p>As a first-time manager, you will probably need to manage both downwards (with your team) and upwards (with more senior managers). Political tensions can arise, for example, when you need to pass down or filter difficult messages coming from the top, while keeping your team motivated. While you may find politics occasionally frustrating, the good news is that <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-8551.12219">managers develop political skill</a> with time and experience.</p>
<h2>2. Focus on the team</h2>
<p>Being a manager is not about your ego, it is about serving and empowering others to deliver results and to improve professionally. Your performance depends on the quality of work produced by your team, so it becomes essential to be able to delegate, provide work that stretches your team slightly beyond their current level of knowledge, and trust people to do it. </p>
<p>Trust is built by communicating openly and working specific, actionable, two-way feedback in regular conversations (not just formal appraisals). </p>
<p>If you are managing a team, remember that teams are more than the sum of their parts – they have shared goals, values, attitudes and practices. Similarly, organisations have established ways of working, that we sometimes accept unquestioningly and may need to challenge. </p>
<p>It is easy to think of under-performance as the fault of one person who “just doesn’t work hard enough” or “doesn’t have what it takes”. It is harder – but arguably more useful – to ask questions about the broader context, and your own role in team processes and organisational culture:</p>
<ul>
<li>Am I communicating my expectations clearly?</li>
<li>Am I providing good feedback to the people I supervise?</li>
<li>Why might people be lacking motivation?</li>
<li>What role am I playing in contributing to burnout?</li>
</ul>
<h2>3. Foster diversity and inclusion</h2>
<p>Managing people from different backgrounds in terms of gender, culture, race, sexuality, social class or age requires more than subscribing to generic corporate statements like “we value everyone”. Your heart might be in the right place, but when it comes to inclusion, our behaviour doesn’t always align with our values – unconscious bias creeps into decisions, and systemic biases are weaved into the fabric of our workplaces. </p>
<p>Research shows that women and ethnic minorities need to demonstrate a higher standard of performance to achieve comparable performance ratings and credibility. My <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/02/research-men-get-more-actionable-feedback-than-women">research</a> found that women leaders receive less useful developmental feedback compared with their male peers. It is difficult to get the best out of your team if members are not equally trusted, developed and empowered. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man and woman in professional clothing look at a paper document together and discuss" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513245/original/file-20230302-25-x90lgn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513245/original/file-20230302-25-x90lgn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513245/original/file-20230302-25-x90lgn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513245/original/file-20230302-25-x90lgn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513245/original/file-20230302-25-x90lgn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513245/original/file-20230302-25-x90lgn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513245/original/file-20230302-25-x90lgn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A good manager gives feedback often, not just during annual reviews.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-diverse-colleagues-working-together-checking-1931165117">Fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a manager, you form impressions and assess others continuously, and you will need to actively work to leave your biases at the (virtual) office door. If you are a woman or an ethnic minority, you also need to consider how your identity shapes your experience as a manager. Our societal ideals of leadership are still constrained by the “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199601)17:1%3C33::AID-JOB778%3E3.0.CO;2-F">think manager-think male</a>” phenomenon – the qualities we associate with managers are more commonly ascribed to men. Others might question your managerial credibility because of your gender, race, class or age. </p>
<p>It should not be only your responsibility to fend off entrenched biases. If your employer is genuinely committed to diversity and inclusion, ask how they support underrepresented employees taking on managerial roles.</p>
<h2>4. Get the support you need</h2>
<p>Taking on extra responsibilities and managing people can be stressful – there is always a degree of discomfort in professional growth. Formal management training can be useful, and on-the-job experience even more so. But your growth as a manager will also be helped if you can learn from others who have been in your shoes. </p>
<p>Managers with thriving careers cultivate a wide range of <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/strategic-relationships-at-work-creating-your-circle-of-mentors-sponsors-and-peers-for-success-in-business-and-life/wendy-murphy/kathy-kram/9780071823470">developmental relationships</a>. Trusted mentors, coaches, line managers, peers or career sponsors can act as a sounding board, provide advice and different perspectives, validate and challenge you at the same time, and open doors for additional opportunities. Nobody travels this road alone, and neither should you.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198615/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elena Doldor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Expert tips on navigating office politics and supporting your team, even if you’ve never done it before.Elena Doldor, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour, Queen Mary University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1968862022-12-20T16:26:18Z2022-12-20T16:26:18ZThree leadership qualities that Elon Musk’s replacement as Twitter’s CEO will need to have<p>In a strong <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2003cc06-223f-42e7-9c12-44c35b1fb125">response to a recent Twitter poll</a> posted by Elon Musk, users of the platform have called for him to relinquish his position as CEO. Musk has responded that he’ll step down when he “<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1605372724800393216">finds someone foolish enough</a>” to take over as CEO, saying he will run the software and server teams instead. But any replacement will need to be able to steer Twitter back to calmer waters, with Musk remaining majority owner.</p>
<p>It’s been <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/timeline-of-billionaire-elon-musk-s-bid-to-control-twitter/6809092.html">a tumultuous year for Twitter and Musk</a>. He began building up shares in the company in January 2022 and his US$44 billion (£36 billion) bid to buy the platform was accepted in April. He then tried to pull out of the deal in July, before finally taking ownership in October. Since then he has made – and sometimes walked back – numerous changes to the popular social media platform.</p>
<p>Indeed, Musk’s reaction to finally getting his hands on Twitter has been reminiscent of Christmas morning, when children rip open presents, display initial excitement and then quickly lose interest. Musk may have imagined that owning the website would be fun and make him feel powerful. </p>
<p>But the reality has been rather different. He has been criticised and abused, both online and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/12/elon-musk-booed-by-crowd-at-dave-chapelle-comedy-gig.html">in real life</a> and now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2022/dec/19/elon-musk-polls-twitter-users-over-stepping-down-as-ceo-business-live">57.5% of more than 17.5 million Twitter users</a> have voted for him to stand down as its CEO.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1604617643973124097"}"></div></p>
<p>Musk posted the poll himself and has since responded “interesting” to a suggestion that fake accounts might have skewed the results. He also agreed that only paid subscribers should be <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/elon-musk-twitter-voting-blue-subscribers-b2248369.html">able to vote </a>on future Twitter policy changes. </p>
<p>There has been <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffjarvis/status/1604810691092877314">some speculation</a> that Musk has come under pressure from other Twitter shareholders and lenders to move on. Further, Musk has been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-shares-down-over-5-hit-lowest-level-20-months-2022-11-09/">selling billions in Tesla stock</a> and its share price is down by over 60% this year. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-tesla-down-700-billion-in-value-angry-investors/">Shareholders in the car firm</a> would probably like their hitherto successful CEO back full time. </p>
<p>So, if Twitter wants to find a new CEO, what sort of person should the troubled social media platform be looking for? As a student of leadership, I can see three key requirements for anyone considering – or being considered for – this role right now:</p>
<h2>1. Confidence and independence</h2>
<p>A new Twitter CEO will want assurances that they will be free to take decisions about the direction of the business without being second-guessed by Musk as the majority owner. So the new CEO will need to be confident, perhaps even arrogant, and ready to stand their ground.</p>
<h2>2. The ability to face facts</h2>
<p>The new leader will have to “confront the brutal facts” of the situation – according to management expert Jim Collins, this is <a href="https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/confront-the-brutal-facts.html">how to begin productive change</a>. Twitter is struggling financially. </p>
<p>Musk paid US$44 billion to buy it, perhaps twice what it was worth. He has borrowed huge sums and sold large tranches of Tesla stock <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-exploring-tender-offer-acquire-outstanding-shares-twitter-2022-04-21/">to help fund the acquisition</a>. But he could now face interest payments to lenders of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/elon-musk-twitter-banks-loans/672258/#:%7E:text=as%20much%20as%20%241%20billion%20a%20year">up to US$1 billion a year</a> unless Twitter’s financial health can be turned around. These are the brutal facts a new leader must confront.</p>
<h2>3. An imaginative approach to management</h2>
<p>The social media platform’s current position leads on to a third requirement for the new leader: imagination. Twitter is a resounding practical success. It is influential and powerful. It has certainly sped up the flow of information (admittedly, inaccurate information as well as the useful kind). </p>
<p>And it can be a force for good – for example providing data and advice during the COVID-19 pandemic or helping to highlight the failings of politicians or the media – even with the unpleasantness and abuse that seem to be an unavoidable part of tweeting.</p>
<p>But is it really a commercial proposition? It is not a platform like Facebook or Instagram that can deliver billions of users to potential advertisers. Indeed, many <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/25/1139180002/twitter-loses-50-top-advertisers-elon-musk#:%7E:text=via%20Getty%20Images-,Half%20of%20Twitter's%20top%20100%20advertisers%20appear%20to%20no%20longer,%24750%20million%20just%20in%202022.">prominent advertisers left the site</a> apparently in response to Musk’s chaotic decision making.</p>
<p>Perhaps the imaginative leap the new CEO has to make will be to turn Twitter into a viable not-for-profit organisation, one that has enormous utility and value, if not the ability to easily make money for its owners and for advertisers. In this case, a core task for the new CEO will be to recognise what sort of business Twitter is, and decide whether it is really a conventional for-profit business at all.</p>
<h2>Sticking with the plan</h2>
<p>And this leads us to a major task for any future Twitter CEO – and perhaps the heart of the problem with Twitter. Musk changes his mind frequently – <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/elon-musk-twitter-poll-results-stepping-down-b2248382.html#:%7E:text=Twitter%20then%20reversed%20the%20policy%20within%20hours.">sometimes within hours</a>, as we saw recently when he appeared to walk back a policy change regarding users’ ability to link to other social media accounts. He may rethink stepping down, or even appoint someone only to sack them.</p>
<p>This brings us to a very valuable leadership lesson that the maverick Musk has taught everyone in recent months: we should hesitate before labelling forceful people as great leaders in any setting until we have seen what their long-term impact has been.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196886/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stefan Stern does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nearly 60% of Twitter users want him gone as CEO, but who should take over?Stefan Stern, Visiting Professor of Management Practice, Bayes Business School, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1955202022-12-12T21:46:34Z2022-12-12T21:46:34ZElon Musk’s archaic management style prioritizes profit over people<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500090/original/file-20221209-40753-65pkn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C0%2C3109%2C2093&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Elon Musk's cold, impersonal approach to management treats employees like cogs in a machine instead of human beings.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Patrick Pleul/Pool via AP)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has been rocky, to say the least. Since <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63402338">taking over the company on Oct. 28</a>, Musk <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/technology/elon-musk-twitter-takeover.html">has made a number of changes to the platform</a>, resulting in widespread chaos and turmoil within the company.</p>
<p>Within days of taking over Twitter’s operations, Musk <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/27/elon-musk-fired-top-twitter-execs-including-ceo-reports-say/">fired top executives</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/technology/elon-musk-twitter-layoffs.html">half of the company’s 7,500 employees</a>, ignored advice to <a href="https://newsone.com/4448007/elon-musk-twitter-diversity-concerns/">not disproportionately fire employees representing diversity and inclusion</a> and has likely <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-it-may-not-matter-whether-elon-musk-broke-us-labor-laws-with-his-mass-firings-at-twitter-194149">violated employment labour laws and breached employee contracts</a>.</p>
<p>Then on Nov. 16, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/tech/elon-musk-email-ultimatum-twitter/index.html">Musk sent an email to remaining workers with an ultimatum</a>: commit to being “extremely hardcore” or leave the company. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/16/23462026/elon-musk-twitter-email-hardcore-or-severance">The letter continued</a>: “This will mean working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.” Some workers reportedly ended up sleeping in their offices.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1587709705488830464"}"></div></p>
<p>None of this is new for Musk. He already had a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/technology/elon-musk-twitter-management.html">history of dismissing executives on a whim</a> and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/21/tesla-sued-by-former-workers-for-allegedly-violating-federal-law-during-mass-layoffs/">committing mass layoffs at Tesla</a>.</p>
<p>Musk’s cold, impersonal approach to management and leadership is antithetical to what we have learned about kinder, more humanistic approaches to work. Management approaches like Musk’s threaten <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/xe/en/insights/topics/strategy/characteristics-resilient-organizations.html">current business management practices that advocate for healthy, happy and engaged workplaces</a>. </p>
<h2>Cogs in a machine</h2>
<p>Musk adheres to a mechanistic style of management that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.09.032">treats employees like cogs in a machine, rather than human beings</a>. It’s a well-meaning, but naive indulgence that sacrifices employee well-being for the sake of profit.</p>
<p>The idea of workers being an inert, programmable tool of production has been around for at least a century. One of the earliest proponents of management theory was American engineer Frederick Taylor, who published the landmark text <em><a href="https://archive.org/details/principlesofscie00taylrich/page/n5/mode/2up">The Principles of Scientific Management</a></em> in 1910. In it, Taylor wrote: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In the past man has been first. In the future the system must be first…In our scheme, we do not ask for the initiative of our men. We do not want any initiative. All we want of them is to obey the orders we give them, do what we say, and do it quick.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>To Taylor’s credit, the practical application of mechanistic management <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JMH-05-2012-0043">did result in significant increases in productivity and the economic performance</a> of enterprises. The “people are just machines” approach, however, has a number of shortcomings. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://socio-cultural.knukim.edu.ua/article/view/219797/219517">spread of mechanistic ideas led to employee exploitation</a>, increased staff turnover, conflicts between management and workers and — contrary to supporters of the mechanistic approach — did not lead to the desired harmony and cooperation in enterprises.</p>
<p>This is largely due to the fact that the human factor was given a secondary role to machinery and equipment. This meant that the means of production were valued more than the emotional state of employees. As it turns out, workers are indeed emotional, sentient beings with minds of their own. They are better at their jobs when they are treated as such.</p>
<p>This approach didn’t go unchallenged at the time, however. The rise of mechanistic management resulted in a major backlash from the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1885989">widespread North American unionization movement</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A hand holds a phone with the Twitter logo on it in front of a screen that also has the Twitter logo on it" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500092/original/file-20221209-19531-dc3f6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500092/original/file-20221209-19531-dc3f6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500092/original/file-20221209-19531-dc3f6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500092/original/file-20221209-19531-dc3f6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500092/original/file-20221209-19531-dc3f6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500092/original/file-20221209-19531-dc3f6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500092/original/file-20221209-19531-dc3f6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Twitter’s workforce has been cut in half since Musk’s takeover.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Human-centric work</h2>
<p>The humanistic approach to management arose in response to the pitfalls of mechanistic management. A <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452276090">humanistic approach prioritizes</a> emotionally healthy workplaces, gender equity, respect, anti-harassment, employee engagement, <a href="https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/52941/1/Cooper_JOHP_2013_The_intrinsic_foundations_of_extrinsic_motivations_and_goals.pdf">the benefits of intrinsic over extrinsic rewards</a> (feeling good about your work versus making lots of money) and conflict management. </p>
<p>Emotional intelligence, which includes concepts like compassion, empathy, respect and active listening, is also valued in human-centred workplaces. Extensive research on emotional intelligence, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eli-Sopow/publication/262836592_The_Reality_of_Respect_Respectful_workplace_literature_review_and_employee_survey_analysis_2012/links/0f3175391450b2d564000000/The-Reality-of-Respect-Respectful-workplace-literature-review-and-employee-survey-analysis-2012.pdf">including my own</a>, shows that it <a href="https://www.eiconsortium.org/reports/business_case_for_ei.html">increases morale, productivity and goal achievement</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it-195585">Elon Musk: business leaders should be compassionate – here's the evidence to prove it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The concept of a more humanistic workplace, which is less linear, more organic and prone to evolving than a mechanistic one, has been growing exponentially since the pandemic started. Job dissatisfaction has resulted in <a href="https://theconversation.com/management-is-so-passe-its-co-creation-that-workers-are-demanding-171574">employees demanding more human-centric workplaces</a> and standing up for their rights in the workplace.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/04/01/the-growing-importance-of-employee-wellness-how-are-you-responding/">As business journalist Tom Gibby said in <em>Forbes</em></a>, employees “are being clear about their needs and wants. If their current employer doesn’t meet those needs, they are finding a new one that does.” </p>
<h2>Re-writing workplace relations</h2>
<p>It’s clear that Musk’s workplace culture is anything but healthy. The Government of Canada’s Health Human Resource Strategy <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/health-human-resources/strategy.html">defines a healthy work environment as</a> the following: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“A work setting that takes a strategic and comprehensive approach to providing the physical, cultural, psychological and work conditions that maximize the health and well being of providers, improves the quality of care and optimizes organizational performance.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Musk is setting a dangerous precedent for other businesses to follow. If his approach to management proves to be successful for Twitter, it could result in other business leaders following his example.</p>
<p>While it might be tempting to follow in Musk’s footsteps, such a decision would go against years of workplace research that shows the positive correlation between how employees feel at work, their emotional and physical wellness, and an organization’s success.</p>
<p>Following in his muddy and erratic footsteps would also result in resurrecting archaic lessons of Taylorism that treat employees like inanimate objects. If this happens, we will surely see an increase in worker-led organization efforts. The <a href="https://www.computerworld.com/article/3659194/tech-firms-face-unionization-push-as-amazon-and-apple-workers-organize.html">latest pushes for unionization at Amazon and Apple are proof</a> that employees are willing to stand up for their rights if they are not being valued.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195520/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eli Sopow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If Elon Musk’s aggressive management style proves to be successful for Twitter, it could result in other business leaders following suit and turning to unhealthy leadership practices.Eli Sopow, Associate Professor, MBA Faculty of Leadership & People Management, University Canada WestLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1932062022-11-27T23:29:52Z2022-11-27T23:29:52ZDon’t just bet on the metrics – personal connection is the real key to managing remote workers well<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496872/original/file-20221122-21-7w2r1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C11%2C7878%2C4244&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Remote working has become much more common since the pandemic sent people home from their offices and into the Zoom universe. This has put the onus on managers to find new and better ways to engage with and motivate staff, and we’re still learning how best to do this.</p>
<p>Perhaps the commonest advice given to managers is to provide remote staff with clear, measurable goals. Set targets, monitor progress, measure results.</p>
<p>And at first glance, this makes perfect sense. After all, when staff aren’t in the office you can’t keep an eye on them. Better to define outcomes and let them get on with it. You can then measure achievement without micromanaging the process. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296322007469">our research</a> suggests this advice, however well-intentioned, might not be entirely correct. Indeed, if you follow it to the letter, it seems unlikely you’ll get the results you’re expecting. </p>
<h2>Some work is harder to measure</h2>
<p>We began researching remote work before the pandemic by asking experienced managers what they did differently with remote staff and what factors they felt were most important. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2392023">Earlier studies</a> suggested managers would set clear goals and then monitor progress, otherwise leaving staff to get on with it. Instead, the managers in our study told us they tended to treat remote workers holistically – as people, not just staff. They focused on social connections instead of just objective performance. </p>
<p>We believe these managers have learned to discount conventional advice and develop practices that are more effective with remote staff. As such, their experience contains valuable lessons for today’s managers. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-create-a-compassionate-workplace-culture-and-help-workers-recover-from-burnout-190489">5 ways to create a compassionate workplace culture and help workers recover from burnout</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>One described spending one-on-one calls “just connection and socialising … [It] builds the rapport and the connection [because] you lose opportunities for that being remote.”</p>
<p>One of the main reasons why these managers didn’t rely on metrics and measurable goals with their remote staff is that a great deal of remote work is “knowledge work”. It’s often difficult to quantify this kind of work – to know in advance what will be required or how long it will take. </p>
<p>And because people often work in teams, it can be hard to untangle individual contributions. At best, managers may have rough estimates of individual productivity. But if someone doesn’t meet those estimates, they need more context to understand why – and that relies on talking to people. </p>
<p>Hoping to only measure progress in unpredictable knowledge work the way we measure progress with more predictable work is unlikely to succeed. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An office allows managers to read people’s moods more easily, and this can be key to evaluating performance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Nurturing relationships</h2>
<p>The other reason these managers needed more than goals and metrics was the lack of interpersonal contact. They could not unobtrusively observe how remote staff were coping. As one manager put it, “You don’t have that visual of, oh, this person walked in today and looks happy or they look sad.”</p>
<p>Another manager pointed out that with in-person interaction, “You can see people being playful, hear the grunts or the moans or the sighs or whatever when they’re under pressure. And likewise, you can see when they’re visibly, you know, feeling successful.” With remote staff, “you just never get a sense of that”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-make-performance-reviews-less-terrible-especially-given-the-challenges-of-supervising-remote-workers-182009">How to make performance reviews less terrible – especially given the challenges of supervising remote workers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This day-to-day observation was important enough that the managers we spoke to devoted considerable time and energy compensating. They increased communication with remote staff and nurtured relationships. </p>
<p>Advising managers to “focus on clear objectives” with remote workers overlooks the importance of relationships as the basis for understanding performance. </p>
<p>Furthermore, when people are stressed, disengaged or unsure they’re doing a good job, their first instinct is not always to share that with their manager. Instead, they might try to mask those feelings and keep up a good appearance – what one manager called “sticking on a plastic smile for ten minutes”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/got-zoom-fatigue-out-of-sync-brainwaves-could-be-another-reason-videoconferencing-is-such-a-drag-172380">Got Zoom fatigue? Out-of-sync brainwaves could be another reason videoconferencing is such a drag</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Intervention to avoid escalation</h2>
<p>In a shared workspace it’s easier to pick up body language, changes in behaviour or working relationships that might hint at deeper problems. That’s much harder when we communicate primarily by email, text or short video calls.</p>
<p>And these cues can be very important. If someone misses a delivery deadline or is less productive, for example, their manager is only likely to find out <em>after</em> it happens. Whereas noticing a change in behaviour earlier might give the manager the chance to intervene and address the problem before it escalates. </p>
<p>Overall, we recommend embracing interpersonal connections rather than relying on measurable goals for what might be unmeasurable work. The fewer the opportunities for in-person observation, the more important establishing good one-on-one relationships becomes.</p>
<p>It will take more time, and maybe more emotional energy, but there’s no shortcut to managing well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193206/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Urs Daellenbach undertakes research with funding from the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge hosted at Callaghan Innovation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Noelle Donnelly and Rebecca Downes do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Advising managers to ‘focus on clear objectives’ with remote workers overlooks the importance of relationships as the basis for understanding performance.Rebecca Downes, Lecturer in Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonNoelle Donnelly, Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonUrs Daellenbach, Professor of Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1919982022-10-26T18:27:21Z2022-10-26T18:27:21ZAn ethical workplace culture can prevent corporate fraud by aiding whistleblowers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491441/original/file-20221024-8945-q440n3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C29%2C6493%2C4290&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new study has found that a healthy and ethical company culture plays a more important role in preventing fraud than its board of directors does.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/an-ethical-workplace-culture-can-prevent-corporate-fraud-by-aiding-whistleblowers" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Whistleblowing is a cornerstone of corporate governance. It allows employees to anonymously disclose questionable financial matters about their companies to help prevent fraud, <a href="https://www.pwc.com/ca/en/services/deals/publications/economic-crime-survey.html">which is a pressing issue in Canada</a>. It’s also incredibly effective, with <a href="https://acfepublic.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2022+Report+to+the+Nations.pdf">42 per cent of occupational fraud being reported through tips</a>.</p>
<p>But whistleblowing is not just an essential organizational tool — it’s also codified into law. In Canada, <a href="https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/57_2008">whistleblowing procedures are outlined in a national regulation</a> called National Instrument 52-110. This regulation has been in place since 2004 and applies to all companies listed on stock exchanges throughout Canada. </p>
<p>It states that the board of directors, through its audit committee, <a href="https://www.osc.ca/en/securities-law/instruments-rules-policies/5/52-110/audit-committees-ni-52-110-audit-committees">must establish a set of procedures that provide anonymity and confidentiality</a> to any employee that wants to disclose a questionable financial matter.</p>
<p>Despite this regulation, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-021-09602-9">recent research by us</a> suggests that boards of directors, in fact, are not the ones who establish the whistleblowing procedures. Instead, board members depend on management to implement the procedures, which requires a high level of trust between the board of directors and their management team.</p>
<h2>A new approach to fraud</h2>
<p>For our study, we interviewed members of the board of directors of some of Canada’s largest public companies, along with some auditors. We asked the board members about their involvement in whistleblowing procedures to help prevent fraud.</p>
<p>The board members we interviewed did not believe they were in a position to establish whistleblowing procedures because they were far removed from the day-to-day operations of their corporations. </p>
<p>Instead, the board members highlighted the importance of trusting their management teams to establish effective whistleblowing procedures. One board member said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You can’t stop collusion if its taking place, but hopefully you can make sure that you have got the right tone at the top, that you got the right controls in place. You are going to prevent frauds as much as possible and it really comes down to a lot of the behaviours that are in the organization, the culture of the organization…the tone at the top is probably the most important.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But this process only works if the board can trust their management teams, meaning the organization has a healthy ethical organizational culture. Without this culture in place, whistleblowing procedures would be ineffective.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A silhouette of a man typing on a computer screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491442/original/file-20221024-17346-r9fw6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491442/original/file-20221024-17346-r9fw6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491442/original/file-20221024-17346-r9fw6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491442/original/file-20221024-17346-r9fw6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491442/original/file-20221024-17346-r9fw6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491442/original/file-20221024-17346-r9fw6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491442/original/file-20221024-17346-r9fw6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Whistleblowers, and the whistleblower procedures that protect them, are a crucial part of preventing corporate fraud.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Subverting past studies</h2>
<p>Our results differ from past studies, most of which claim that the quality of board members plays an important role in fraud prevention by positively influencing the outcomes of whistleblowing procedures. </p>
<p>One study found that individual characteristics, such as member independence (not being involved in the operations of the company) and financial expertise, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2308/ajpt-51769">were related to positive whistleblowing outcomes</a>. Another found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acclit.2018.03.003">less busy board members and smaller boards led to more positive whistleblowing outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>One reason for this difference could be our method of inquiry. In the past, most researchers relied on public documents and correlation analysis to establish relationships between the qualities held by members of boards of directors with whistleblowing activities. </p>
<p>In other words, past researchers assumed that, because the quality of the board was related to whistleblowing procedure outcomes inside a company, board members were responsible for implementing whistleblowing procedures.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Shoulder-up view of a man in a suit being interviewed by someone just off-screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491443/original/file-20221024-11269-1gdnv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491443/original/file-20221024-11269-1gdnv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491443/original/file-20221024-11269-1gdnv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491443/original/file-20221024-11269-1gdnv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491443/original/file-20221024-11269-1gdnv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491443/original/file-20221024-11269-1gdnv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491443/original/file-20221024-11269-1gdnv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Board members did not believe they were in a position to establish whistleblowing procedures because they were far removed from the day-to-day operations of their corporations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Building a healthy ethical culture</h2>
<p>Our study offers Canadians a different perspective of business management by challenging a long-standing type of corporate governance theory known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/agency-theory">agency theory</a>. </p>
<p>This theory assumes that the board of directors, which represent the interests of shareholders, should not be overly trusting of management teams because <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-008-9062-9">management normally looks out for its own interest</a>. Agency theory dictates that boards should be skeptical of management practices and, in the case of fraud prevention, establish their own whistleblowing procedures for management teams to follow. </p>
<p>Our results suggest the contrary — instead of distrusting management, corporations should promote a healthy ethical culture as a means of preventing fraud. The primary way of achieving this is with an effective code of conduct.</p>
<p>Having a code of conduct alone can dramatically reduce fraud in companies. According to the 2020 Report to the Nations by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, <a href="https://legacy.acfe.com/report-to-the-nations/2020/">companies that have a code of conduct lose 50 per cent less funds to fraud</a> when compared to companies that don’t have a corporate code of conduct.</p>
<p>Codes of conduct are sets of policies and procedures that every employee adheres to. It should include all employees at all levels in the company — including upper management. How upper management adheres to the company’s code of conduct is what we refer to as the “tone at the top.” This tone, in turn, dictates how healthy a company’s ethical culture is.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191998/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Contrary to popular belief, boards of directors are not the ones who establish whistleblowing procedures. Instead, boards depend on their management teams to implement them.Hanen Khemakhem, Professor, Department of Accounting Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Mahbub Zaman, Professor of Accounting, University of HullNadia Smaili, Professor in Accounting (forensic accounting), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Richard Fontaine, Professor, Department of Accounting Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.