In an interview with The Smart Manager, John Knights, author of Leading Beyond The Ego said that adopting a style beyond the traditional is more suitable in a world of continuous transformation.* The hierarchical, managerial, male-dominated, and authoritarian leadership style of the 20th century has to undergo a drastic change as organizations are becoming more democratic, inclusive, employee-centric, and open to feedback from all ‘rungs of the ladder’.
How drastically times have changed. Most of us would believe that concepts like leadership do not change with time. But the reality could not be farther away from this belief. The scenario has changed significantly in the past few years, as today’s youngsters have different perceptions and attitudes towards work culture, and it will continue to evolve. To be operative in the ‘up-to-date’ workplace, entrepreneurs should understand how to grasp new leadership styles and how they can positively motivate their subordinates.
A great leader should have multiple leadership styles in her toolkit, and she should be adept at diagnosing situations and using the right style at the right time.
Traditionally, most organizations followed the autocratic system—the top management took all the decisions and the employees were hardly involved. Decisions are built based on the manager’s views and understanding, and they have complete control over the team.
However, today, workplaces are found to be more inclusive than authoritarian. It is a friendly atmosphere and there is a healthy bonding between managers and employees. Managers engage with employees, and there is a culture of weekend celebrations, organizing fun activities, and other platforms where employees can interact with each other. Many startups emerging these days are more accepting and goal-oriented than ever before, giving a free hand to the employees to use their creativity. Companies also organize meditation sessions for employees, which help them rejuvenate. Such initiatives go a long way towards achieving employee satisfaction and yield better results in terms of goal achievement. Such a culture was not prevalent traditionally, but is quite common today. The young generation is largely in favor of, and feels comfortable working in, such kind of work environment.
This story is from the July - August 2018 edition of The Smart Manager.
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This story is from the July - August 2018 edition of The Smart Manager.
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