I want to break free!

Couple of lines from the song- I want to break free - written by John Deacon in 1984, in a very surreal way reflects a new trend brewing in the professional world, Conscious Unbossing’.

Recently, an ex-colleague shared how in her organization, one of the Business Heads decided to downsize his team and release four mid-level managers citing poor performance. Actual reason - To reduce the operational costs. However further discussion revealed another underlying reason which was to empower Gen Z considering 30% of the workforce in that business unit comprised of them and they had silently demanded more freedom, autonomy, visibility and engagement with senior leadership.

The mindset that the manager knows it all is rapidly changing and hence their relevance can be quite a quandary.

With great freedom, there is great power, but with great power, there is greater responsibility.

While conscious unbossing is a great way to instil responsibility and ownership within Gen Z, but, are they equipped to handle volatility, ambiguity and complexity of the business world, critical skills learnt only through exposure and experience of having gone through them.

Global statistics reveal that 52% of Gen Z professionals are intentionally avoiding middle level manager positions as they perceive middle management as a role characterized by high-stress levels and minimal rewards.

With Gen Z rapidly integrating into the workforce (by 2030, will form 30-35% of the total workforce), they seek more independence in doing things or making decisions with only ‘just in time’ or ‘just in case’ intervention from their seniors / supervisors to deliver their work.

Gen Z is curious to know, learn, express and be heard, albeit ‘faster’. They may have lot of information, but may not have patience or aptitude to process it to gain expertise or wisdom. ?

Gen Z likes to engage with ‘experts’ instead of people in hierarchy / authority. It is not that they don't respect leadership, it is simply that they associate hierarchy with stress, limited autonomy, and poor work-life balance.

Gen Z likes to challenge norms, value fairness and equanimity, seek purpose over survival and prioritize ‘self-care’, attitude important for long term sustenance and happiness.

However, not all Gen Z feel comfortable going to a senior leader with their problems or enquiries. That comfort/ trust takes time and effort to build. When we have a senior leadership meeting or a town-hall meeting, how many Gen Z have we seen actually raising their hand to ask the most pressing or complex questions?

Unfortunately, today, mid-level managers find themselves at the crossroads of the devil and the deep blue sea. They may have lot of knowledge, but maybe unwilling to share or unlearn, thereby circulating in the vicious cycle of despondency and end of being a prisoner of their past successes. ?

Flattening organizational structures might help create more ownership and empower Gen Z to take complete responsibility. However, one cannot undermine how middle management is important communicator and a conduit, to bring alignment between top and bottom layers, is an airbag to absorb anguish, frustration and establish much needed synergy to steer the younger workforce towards a unified goal.

So the dilemma is:

-??????????? Can organizations take the risk of leaving Gen Z with difficult problem solving and crucial decision-making aspects?

-??????????? Can organizations undercut the middle layer to save short term costs and lose out on critical knowledge?

-??????????? How can an organization bridge this widening gap in the attitude of multi-generational workforce?

Undeniably there is a lot of cross -generational idea, attitude and mindset exchange opportunities available to every organization. Enabling this exchange requires a different culture and approach.

Building a culture of ‘Expertise over Authority’ across all levels through Entrepreneurial Leadership Style is the need of the hour.

When expertise trumps authority, a fabric of mutual respect, collaboration, adaptability, social consciousness, results orientation, confidence and entrepreneurial spirit is created.

Simultaneously adoption of Entrepreneurial Leadership style instils a mindset that the leadership doesn’t come from hierarchy, but from action on turning people, process, technological problems into opportunities that can create value for self and the organization, thereby calling upon everyone (irrespective of the workforce generation) to adapt and learn varied skills.

Entrepreneurial leaders tend to be ambidextrous and learn to strike a balance between autonomy and supervision, optimism and reality. It is another form of leadership art that demands meticulous and deliberate nurturing.

Organization’s approach towards defining talent, their development and management and leadership development also need a paradigm shift to create and promote career paths that encourage ‘being an entrepreneurial expert’ than just being an administrator of managing others.

We are social animals and we learn the best by observing and interacting with each other.

There is a lot that Gen Z has to offer to their seniors and a lot more to imbibe from them.

Organizations that proactively adopt to this new approach and create a platform for this new culture to breed will stand to benefit long term fruits of sustenance, success and relevance.