Line management, but not as we knew it

Anyone who had to manage a team a few years ago during lockdown will know how much of a game-changer that was. Many long-held managerial approaches and behaviours were quickly rendered redundant. Sensing that the implications of this are still very much with us, I recently spoke to Dr. Arlene Egan , CEO at the Roffey Park Institute , one of the consortium of learning providers that work with our Learning Services business.?

KPMG and Roffey Park do a huge amount of work with line managers, helping equip them with the skills they need to develop in their role. With this being Learning at Work Week, I was interested to get Arlene’s perspective on the skills implications of what has been – and continues to be – a challenging time for line managers.

To get the conversation started, I asked Arlene about the effect the past few years have had on line managers’ responsibilities and the expectations of their role:

Arlene: Previously, you would have said that line managers only ever dealt with people at work. During the pandemic however, they had to deal with them at work and at home. It instantly presented managers with this more complete human being who they had to think about, and care for, in a different way.

No longer were they only paying attention to whether daily tasks had been completed. Now they were checking in to make sure team members had what they needed physically and were in a good place psychologically.

Expectations of line managers have changed permanently as a result of this. Team members now expect this more holistic version of managerial care, where managers consider their needs and requirements, not just their task. That’s a significant pressure that’s now being placed on line managers.

Clearly, this isn’t something affecting only them. Senior leaders are experiencing it too. But it represents yet another addition to the ever-expanding to-do list of line managers who exist in what we term the ‘squeezed middle’, coping with the traditional top-down demands from their bosses as well as a host of new pressures coming up from the people beneath them.

Those organisations that are genuinely focused on their people will be taking the time to help their managers get to grips with these new responsibilities. In today’s competitive job market, to not do this would be a grave mistake.?

So organisations need to doing more to be doing more to support these managers. What sort of help is needed and what might the implications be of not doing this properly?

Arlene: In providing support, I don’t think it’s necessarily about teaching line managers new things. It’s about encouraging them to upgrade established managerial skills and behaviours, such as communication, empowerment, teamwork, collaboration and building trust.?

It’s also about helping managers, especially those who may have been in post for a while, understand how to flex their approach and style in the face of shifting generational expectations. Younger people entering the workplace will likely have different expectations around line management, personal development and career progression so how can a manager ensure they’re getting what they need?

There are challenges around technology too; making sure that it’s a help rather than a hindrance to line managers. Managing in a blended work environment is a good example of this. It’s easy to talk to people when they’re all in the same room or virtual environment as you. But when they’re split across the two, how does a line manager create an equitable environment that allows everyone to do their best work? That’s really tricky.

The dangers of not getting this right are significant. The impact of the Great Resignation may have faded away but we still have something else; the concept of ‘quiet quitting’.?

This is where we see people no longer wanting to work somewhere because they have no sense of belonging, autonomy or empowerment or because they don’t like the culture they’re asked to work in. Where this is happening because of a particular line manager – and this is going unaddressed – that’s potentially very damaging.?

How do you we go about developing someone’s line management skills? What are the most effective tactics?

Arlene: If you look at the type of managerial development programmes that organisations like Roffey Park run, we know that not everybody will emerge with the same level of competence and skills. That’s just not how it works. Instead, we have to help managers to better understand their strengths and how to use them. In terms of their skills gaps, we encourage them to consider how to close those gaps or how to compensate for them by tapping into the strengths of other people around them.

With this in mind, something I’m seeing a lot more of now among the smarter companies is the establishment of line manager communities or action learning sets. These are forums where managers can share experiences and exchange ideas with their peers.?

There’s a lot of talk in leadership and management circles about the importance of creating networks like this, both inside and outside your organisation. We know that managers can’t possibly have all the answers when it comes to organisational complexity and change. Networks provide connections to people who can help find those answers and are a valuable addition to any management development programme.?

Do you think there are aspects of management development where improvements could be made?

Arlene: Unfortunately, line managers are almost always time-poor which can make them reluctant to engage in any programme that they don’t see as value-adding.?That’s where I think senior leaders can be more robust in pushing their line management cadre to set aside the time for developing these skills.?

Those senior leaders need to buy into the value of line manager development. They need to be the ones saying, “This isn’t just about you; it’s about the impact it will have on your team, our organisation and our bottom line.”

The encouraging thing for organisations like ours is that conversations with senior leaders about the need for line manager development are pretty straightforward. They recognise that staff development is a vital part of the employee value proposition nowadays and a way of coping with all the volatility and change affecting the workforce. But also, many of them have had to transform their own leadership approaches in recent years, making them more likely to champion development among their organisation’s management ranks.

Finally Arlene, how can we know that programmes like ours have made a difference? And how can organisations improve their chances of seeing a return on their learning investment?

Simply engaging with a programme is no guarantee of success. At Roffey, we talk a lot about impact. Skills development work is only impactful if you can see change as a result; if someone’s direct reports can see their manager working in a more effective way or customers are getting a better service, for example.

This means that what’s been learned needs to be embedded back in the workplace – and this can be the toughest part of any development programme.?

Whenever you’re on a programme, the things you’re learning make perfect sense – but you’re in a more relaxed environment, able to sit back and think things through. Back in the office, there’s no such breathing space. Old habits can soon reappear. That’s why changing behaviours and mindsets takes constant effort - and a lot of feedback.

The supposedly simple act of asking for feedback on something that you’re doing differently or for the first time can be tough. I think we tend to be very shy or embarrassed about this – or just worried about what to do if the feedback isn’t positive. Leaders and managers have to get past this, however. It’s important to have a culture where honest conversations can be held and managers can adapt in response to the feedback they receive.

Without that, the life of those managers in the ‘squeezed middle’ will remain as challenging as ever.