Managers Can’t Do It All

by | Jun 27, 2022 | Management

Two people are working at a desk with one person typing on a keyboard and another pointing at a Gantt chart displayed on a computer screen. Papers and documents are scattered on the desk, suggesting a collaborative project management session.

The process reengineering wave started in the 1990s and lasted until the early 2000s. This event focused on discarding bureaucracy and gave rise to operational efficiencies. Companies started taking help from consulting firms to develop healthy practices for such work, and they worked on developing new work hierarchies. Although these changes reduced the overall cost of running a business by a considerable level, they increased the stress levels for managers. They were now supposed to handle an extensive range of responsibilities with larger teams and typical projects.

The next innovation wave started with digitization in the year 2010, and it democratized access to people and information. But this scenario undermined the managerial powers. The senior leaders and CEOs were now allowed directly to communicate with their workforce while sharing priorities, strategies, and essential updates. As managers were no longer part of the loop, they started feeling a loss of status, control, and power.

The next phase came to the agile movement, and the entire process changed. Companies started adopting this culture by the end of 2010. It focused on shortening timelines while turbocharging the innovation in the internal marketplaces. The organizations began looking for project team management on a need basis. Therefore, managers started losing control over reports; instead, they had to spend more time with the assigned project managers temporarily.

Furthermore, the fourth change in the industry occurred with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. It forced companies and employees to switch to remote work routes, and managers lost close control over employees. As a result, people started looking for more freedom at work while cultivating empathetic relationships with the world, and managers experienced more burden of engaging people working from different locations.

All these waves changed the role of managers in organizations based on three dimensions: structure, skills, and power. Although these changes provided a positive work environment for the employees, managers had to make strenuous efforts to manage productivity. If you are also looking for reliable ways to handle the new work culture as a manager, it is better to go through the tips suggested by experts at Global Investment Strategies.

  • Managers need to build new work cultures in the company where innovation and creativity find ways to grow. It is not just about helping employees learn new skills and getting them enrolled in training; managers need to help them build a progressive mindset and follow agile work habits to achieve enhanced productivity.
  • Managers are no longer responsible for handling the entire organization; instead, the current work trends require splitting the roles of managers. When they work on a specific area, they like to be more focused with an agile and fast-paced approach. It may help them restructure and redesign the managerial activities.
  • Managers also need to help their teams to focus on future-oriented skills and abilities. They need to strengthen the work community while allowing them to adapt to the changing work scenarios.

These simple tips and tricks may help you achieve desired outcomes with your managerial responsibilities in an organization.