Wanted : Happy Employees

A recent poll of employee attitudes in 14 countries, as reported in the Straits Times recently, ranked Singapore last in workplace happiness. Talent management company Lumesse polled about 4,000 employees from a wide variety of industries. People were asked about how happy they were at work, whether they felt their skills were properly utilized, the career paths open to them and the training and career opportunities they had. The result put Singapore last in three major areas.

We least enjoy going to work, are the least loyal and have the least supportive workplace. As a small nation that prides itself on the plaudits of being placed near the top of the rankings in so many fields, coming last in this crucial aspect of our economic life should cause us great concern and anxiety.

I have believed for many years that organizations get the workforce they deserve. If this is so, then the survey is a damning indictment on Singapore companies and more specifically on our management style.

Traditionally management has been concerned with the key tasks of planning, organizing controlling and directing the organization’s resources to achieve maximum utilization. Singapore managers have excelled at this and have achieved remarkable success over the past fifty years.

On reflection however these very same principles of management are the principles of management laid down at the turn of the last century by writers and practitioners like Frederick Winslow Taylor and Henri Fayol. Working conditions and organizational culture were very different then and as we progress into the twenty first century one could argue that we need a major rethink of our management attitudes, values and style.

A series of studies carried out in America in the early 1950’s gave us hard evidence for the first time that good management consisted of high concern for “task” and high concern for “people.” My suspicion is that we still have a high concern for task but that sometimes it is at the expense of people – and that is where the problem lies. Do we want our organizations to remain “prisons” based ultimately on a system of rewards and punishment or to become a very different place where individuals can develop, grow and flourish?

If we were to mentally create two lists with the headings of Management and Leadership and then bullet points all the characteristics we associate with both titles, we would find all the task functions in the management column and probably find that most of the people functions had been placed in the leadership column. Though simplistic and polarized it gives us a pointer as to where modern management best practice should be driving

My experience and intuition tell me that the old traditional principles of management need to adopt some of the newer concepts of leadership and that the way ahead is to transform managers into leaders who can embrace the new model of “Managerial Leadership” and by so doing move us up the rankings in terms of utilizing people’s skills, nurturing talent and creating opportunities for growth and development for all.

In order to simplify and understand managerial leadership I have adapted the acronym M.A.N.A.G.E.R. as a framework to explore the new roles that are demanded from modern managers and supervisors in addition to their more traditional duties which of course are still vital to the success of the organization. Vital but no longer enough!

Managers must: Motivate, Appreciate, Nurture, Align, Grow, Empower, Reflect

Motivate, Inspire and Energise members of their staff
Appreciate, Recognise, Give Poitive Feedback and Build Trust
Nurture a Climate of Creativity and Innovation. Let People take Risks
Align People to the Vision. Obtain Active “Buy In” Make the Job Fun
Grow, Coach and Never Stop Developing People
Empower Others, Delegate Responsibility and Encourage the Heart
Reflect on what they Hear. Listen and Communicate Endlessly

I know this is easy to write but far more difficult to apply in the fast paced demanding environment we work in. Yet consider the consequences if we do not. For Singapore to grow we need talented, motivated members of staff committed to the organizations they work for and willing to invest their own energy and potential into their own development and that of their companies. We are in danger instead of switching people off with the long term disastrous impact this will have on our prosperity

Article Contributed by Chris Fenney, Co-founder and Director of Training Edge International
Email : chris.fenney@trainingedgeasia.com
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com