Opinion: In the modern workplace, technical skills often get the red-carpet treatment, while strong people leadership is left standing outside the VIP section. This imbalance can wreak havoc on organisational health and employee happiness. We often see management as a second-rate profession, and our aversion to conflict makes it even worse. It’s high time we gave our people leaders the recognition they deserve.
Professions like medicine, law and accounting come with a built-in aura of prestige. Management? Not so much. Many people stumble into managerial roles without any formal training. A 2022 survey by the New Zealand Institute of Management and Leadership found that only 35% of managers had received formal training. Imagine if only 35% of doctors had formal training?
Poor management leads to grumpy employees, high turnover rates, and productivity that crawls along like a snail in rush hour. A Gallup study revealed that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores.
Despite this massive influence, we often pick managers based on their technical chops rather than their people skills. It’s like casting a great actor as the lead in a musical without checking if they can sing.
Another reason we undervalue people leadership is that we don’t like conflict. Managing effectively means tackling difficult conversations, giving constructive feedback and addressing performance issues.
However, many managers shy away from these, by either avoiding the conversation altogether or turning it into a showdown worthy of a spaghetti western.
A study by the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand found that 62% of respondents admitted to avoiding difficult conversations, meaning unresolved issues are left to fester.
In Australia, a 2021 report by the Australian Institute of Management highlighted that only 42% of managers felt confident in handling workplace conflicts.
A survey by the Chartered Management Institute in the UK found that 71% of managers hadn’t received any training in managing difficult conversations.
These stats scream for a serious boost in the right skills. Organisations must realise that effective people leadership is as crucial to success as technical expertise. This shift in mindset means investing in training programmes that equip leaders with the skills to handle complex interpersonal dynamics and build a positive workplace.
The potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to shake up management practices is enormous. AI can revolutionise how we run organisations, offering tools for better decision making, performance tracking, and even conflict resolution.
By continuously analysing data from performance metrics, communication logs, employee feedback (such as wellbeing surveys), attendance records and collaboration tools, it can also spot patterns of behaviour or performance that might indicate underlying issues, allowing managers to address problems before they explode.
But to tap into its full potential, we need to educate people on its capabilities and train them to bring these tools into their leadership practices.
Management should be seen as a critical profession, requiring formal training and development. By facing our conflict aversion head on and embracing the potential of AI, we can boost capabilities and create healthier, more-productive workplaces.
Karen Clarke is a fellow of the Project Management Institute of NZ and of the Institute of Management Consultants of NZ. She lives on the Kāpiti Coast.
