Managers still struggling - Krauthammer's fourth study on the topic confirms - how can employees help them to break the pattern?
Krauthammer Observatory, an annual survey exploring management behaviour in Europe, has released its latest results.
For four years, Krauthammer has asked employees about the behaviour they seek and get from their managers. Once again, two core practices rank top of the wishlist, confirming a four-year pattern:
- Help me solve a problem - 95% of employees want their managers to "analyse their task problems together with them and help them to look at it in a new light." Yet only around half of managers (45%) , take this approach, according to the employees surveyed. Many simply present their own analysis for the employee's agreement, (34%). Or in rarer cases, even dictate or demand a solution.
- Admit your mistake - 92% of the employees want their managers to "admit their mistakes spontaneously" but only 48% of managers tend to do this. A significant minority dismisses the importance of the mistake (28%). The rest admit a mistake has been made without taking responsibility, or even blame others.
Confirming a further pattern, the report finds that around a third of managers (36%) are in general behaving in a penalising or disqualifying way.
Furthermore, only around four out of ten employees (39%) are firmly committed to remaining in their organisation over the next 12 months.
"Satisfied employees mean satisfied clients. Satisfied clients mean satisfied shareholders and other stakeholders. This is the logic by which organisational competitiveness can be measured." Ronald Meijers, Co-Chairman of the Executive Board, Krauthammer. "At least two people are involved in a relationship," adds Steffi Gande from Krauthammer's Research Department. "Employees can and should take a proactive role in supporting managers to do better. In this report, we accompany data with practical guidance to help people manage upwards."
Krauthammer's managing upwards advice for employees includes:
- See the individual behind the mistake. This attitude that can help managers admit an error. It means saying "NO to the mistake, but YES to the person". The more employees behave in a way that helps a manager trust they will remain impartial and constructive when things go wrong, the more managers will feel able to own up.
- When presenting reportbacks, a balanced preparation is vital. Outlining positive as well as negative news and results makes it more likely for an employee to make the case for praise, and the manager to give it.
- Help managers to listen. Employees can help improve the active listening of managers by checking the manager's understanding. Asking a manager - to what extent has s/he understood their message? What is his/her opinion of it?
- Establish rules on how to give feedback. Giving feedback in the case of trouble is hard to do. Krauthammer suggest "giving an OSCAR" as an exemplary method. "I have observed (O)...particularly in this situation (S)...with the possible consequence (C)...I suggest the following alternative (A)...resulting in (R)."
About Krauthammer Observatory
The first Krauthammer Observatory was published in April 2007, and since then Krauthammer has explored management behaviour in Europe on an annual basis. The ultimate intention of Krauthammer Observatory is to produce a valid model which enables managers to identify the dimensions key to sustainable development. To create a "dashboard of core behaviours".
Please find the complete report here
http://www.krauthammer.com/content.cfm?media=1&id=3267
For further information, please contact:
Steffi Gande
Co-Head of Research, Krauthammer
Tel: +32 2 359 97 54
Mobile: +32 476 349 263
Email : [email protected]