Reimagine Your Managerial Pipeline

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Reimagine Your Managerial Pipeline

Harvard Business Review Magazine | November–December 2023 Issue

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There’s little doubt that managers are struggling. Between increasing digitization and disruptions sparked by the pandemic, among other things, they have more and more-varied responsibilities than ever before. A recent survey showed that 54% suffer from work-induced fatigue and stress; meanwhile, only 50% of employees believe that their manager can help their team succeed in the coming two years.

A common organizational response is to double down on skills and development programs. But increasing skills proficiency boosts managerial effectiveness, on average, by only about 4%. Although any solution will need multiple facets, a new study points to an essential first step: Companies need to put the right people in the role. Promoting—and sometimes pushing—employees into it on the basis of their performance as individual contributors is not a viable tack.  The researchers offer the following recommendations.

1. Ask people to nominate themselves for managerial roles. Success as an individual contributor isn’t a reliable predictor of skill as a manager.  This gives individuals ownership of the decision about whether they’re correctly positioned for the role and if it aligns with their long-term goals. It also prevents those making promotion decisions from defaulting to unconscious biases, thus helping to diversify the pipeline.
2. Ensure a rigorous application process. Companies should encourage applicants to think hard about why they believe they’re suited to the role. Many firms have created a leadership competency model or otherwise defined the managerial qualities they want to see, which might include empathy, adaptability, and authenticity. They should ask applicants to reflect on whether and how they embody those traits. Some organizations conduct interviews to that end. Others  ask applicants to write essays describing how they’ve demonstrated the desired qualities at or outside work.
3. Equip aspiring managers for the hardest parts of the role. Once organizations make their selections, they need to help the individuals discover whether management is really right for them. The focus at this stage should be less on the mechanics of the job, such as the performance review process, and more on the tough issues that increasingly arise, about topics such as pay equity, support for social justice, remote work, and layoffs. 
4. Normalize opting out. In the course of an effective training program, some participants will probably recognize that management isn’t for them, or at least not at present.  When managers are allowed to self-discover their fit for the role, they’re more than twice as likely to find the job more manageable.

3 key takeaways from the article

1. There’s little doubt that managers are struggling. Between increasing digitization and disruptions sparked by the pandemic, among other things, they have more and more-varied responsibilities than ever before. 
2. A common organizational response is to double down on skills and development programs. But increasing skills proficiency boosts managerial effectiveness, on average, by only about 4%. Although any solution will need multiple facets, a new study points to an essential first step: Companies need to put the right people in the role. Promoting—and sometimes pushing—employees into it on the basis of their performance as individual contributors is not a viable tack.  
3. The researchers offer the following recommendations: ask people to nominate themselves for managerial roles, ensure a rigorous application process, equip aspiring managers for the hardest parts of the role, and normalize opting out.

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Topics:  Managing, Middle Managers, Performance