Clear the air and move forward

Q: I am a middle manager and recently encountered an issue with another department whose performance (or lack of) was affecting the job satisfaction of members in my team.

As I am fairly new to the company and we are a small organisation, I met my HR manager to discuss my concerns with this team and to seek advice on how to deal with the situation, on the presumption that our discussion would remain confidential.

My HR manager disclosed details of this conversation to the department manager involved without my knowledge or permission (they happen to be "good friends").

Needless to say, the manager concerned took obvious offence to my "blabbing" about issues regarding his team without consulting him first.

A member of my staff has since informed me that this particular manager has met privately with her to advise her that any job dissatisfaction my team are experiencing is not a result of his team's performance but rather my failure to satisfactorily manage my team or deal with problems effectively.

I am deeply concerned about the sabotage approach he has chosen to take, and I do not know how many other members of my staff he has approached.

I no longer have any confidence discussing this issue with my HR manager for fear it will only worsen the situation. How can I resolve this once and for all?

A: Dr Marie Wilson is associate professor of management at the University of Auckland, research director of the ICEHOUSE business accelerator and a veteran of 20 years in corporate management and small business.

Actually, I have some sympathy with the other manager on this one. If you had trouble with their team and/or management, you should have talked to them first, and tried to understand their perspective while presenting your own, and trying to negotiate a pathway that would make both of you effective.

On the other hand, concerns discussed with a support staff member should generally not be disclosed to others; indeed, the HR adviser should have suggested you talk to the other manager rather than doing it themselves.

Because you are new to the company, you shouldn't assume so much, and could have easily stated your expectation of confidentiality to the adviser, who may have seen you as asking them to sort things out.

Now that things have deteriorated, you need to clear the air with the other manager, by trying to discuss what has gone before, resolving any outstanding issues and looking for agreement on ways that you will interact in the future. Your HR adviser, manager or other third party may be called in to mediate or facilitate if you both have difficulty getting past your anger to discuss issues.

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Q: It's been five years since I graduated with a good BA in English as an adult student before returning to my career in communications.

I am feeling the itch to do some more study and quite like the thought of moving into academia, or some sort of teaching, because I do some teaching now and love it.

I am aware that universities prefer to see people move around different academic institutions rather than get a string of qualifications from the same one. Can you explain why that is and how much I need to consider this when planning my own study and future career?

A: It's true that universities generally prefer candidates who have a broader range of experience rather than doing all their degree work at the same institution.

This is to establish a broader range of knowledge and expertise than any one institution can offer.

This is also part of establishing an academic network and range of experience in a global labour market. Moving into an academic position at a university offers teaching experience but that is not the majority of the job; in research universities, there is an equal, if not greater, emphasis on research and publication.

Before you consider a university career you should be sure that you will also enjoy the research and other facets of the job. You should get a taste for this in a masters degree, which involves an independent research component.

If you discover that you don't enjoy research, but still feel passionately about teaching, your qualifications and experience would stand you in good stead in pursuing teaching opportunities at institutions that do not have a research requirement, or in specialist training organisations or within larger companies.