Topic: 4 attributes managers need in 2018 to sustain organizations
Today’s highly competitive workplace environment is characterized by one word: disruption. You would not be living on planet earth if one is not aware of how the world of work has dramatically changed to accomodate innovation and disruption rather than stability and the status quo. The shift of ideologies from the industrial era to the new digital era has affected the role of workers and more specifically the role of managers.
By definition according to Business Directory a manager is “An individual who is in charge of a certain group of tasks, or a certain subset of a company”. The workplace has far too long thrown around words like manager to protect and try instill order and discipline in the work environment. However the argument today is the role of traditional managers which is to manage seems to constrain innovation and halt creativity within organizations. Organizational structures today are more collaborative rather hierarchical which has popularized the need for intrapreneurship in organizations.
Organizations are more competitive through having a global approach consisting of a diverse group of employees which make it hard for the role of traditional managers to intervene as the old days of using one formula or system to manage is obsolete since a culturally fluent, global mindset and digitally competent manager is what defines a contemporary manager. In South Africa the common theme to management has become getting rid of inefficient managers which has fostered a very lean and agile approach for many organizations and multinationals. To add fuel to the notion Steve Jobs once said “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
The contemporary manager has no choice but to be transformational through the ideas of incremental progress, remaining agile and digitally relevant in thinking and practice to remain relevant and spearhead adequate change in their management role. Just like the digital revolution has shifted the power from corporations to consumer so too the power shift will occur from management to employees. The ability to enter a new context whilst also mastering the norms of it will be the key attribute for any contemporary manager.
Here are the four main attributes for a 2018 manager to focus on:
- Reverse Engineering - disassembling and examining in detail structure, function and operation of organization
- Organizational Understanding - having a 360 integrated view and approach to managing the organization and its employees
- Pattern Recognition - the ability to recognize familiar and trending patterns that can innovate and bring productivity in the organization
- Salesmanship - constantly being sold on what the organization is offering to its customers and reinforcing the belief to the employees
In the new age digital economy all efforts are directed to building a sustainable organization That can meet the demand of constant changing labour market, incoming automation in AI and the rise of globalization.
