Your management team doesn’t agree with you
What kind of transformations are needed post-pandemic? When US executives and top managers were asked this question, the responses highlighted significant differences in perception that are a cause for concern.
Let’s see, how are things going with that project that was decided on by the executive board? The one you made your managers roll out – perhaps against their will? In fact, a recent survey found that upper managers are much less sensitive than their C-suite bosses to the impact of the health crisis (a 15 percent gap). They also feel there is less need to implement short-term changes (a 15 percent difference again).
Faced with this imbalance, you can’t produce a successful business transformation with just a better version of what you did in the past. Instead:
- Make sure you comprehend the mindset of managers and their teams. Everyone has to understand your new program, and seniority has nothing to do with commitment.
- Involve different levels of managers in the design and execution of your program for increased participation. This will make it easier for people to buy in to it.
- Forget the traditional top-down approach to your projects: Some groups of managers may have priorities that are different from those of the C-suite. Instead, adopt a customized approach for each level of manager to reflect that.
These differences in perception should signal an alert, since they may jeopardize your efforts to put the crisis behind you.
« Are your managers in sync with your change strategy ? »
by Joseph Fuller and Bill Theofilou (Harvard Business Review, 4 March 2021).
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