The boss as a discontinued model? Managers in new roles

Are managers really on the sidelines? Or do they just need to fundamentally adapt their role? In times of agile, independent teams and the general hype surrounding the start-up culture, it seems that the areas of responsibility of the classic manager are becoming obsolete. Many companies want to act more flexibly in order to adapt to the new challenges of digital transformation on the one hand and not lose sight of the needs of customers on the other. For this reason, they are currently focusing more on the proverbial start-up spirit, flat hierarchies, the mentality of short decision-making paths and the distribution of responsibility among all employees. As part of their digitization initiatives, companies are increasingly breaking away in the direction of self-organization and agility. The goal: more innovations and better customer orientation. After all, companies can generally act faster and more flexibly only if decisions are made where the relevant expertise is located.

Managers are by no means "written off

Inevitably, this cultural change leads to the weakening of long-established hierarchical structures. Teams are expected to organize themselves and make decisions. They work in a goal-oriented manner, are responsible for resources, communicate with partners or customers, and divide up task packages among themselves in a self-determined manner. In the future, they will largely take over former areas of responsibility of the classic manager. But how can such far-reaching changes be tackled? How can the transformation into a dynamic organization succeed? This is precisely where the role of the manager, which had already been written off, comes back into play. Managers and bosses are called upon to create the conditions and to moderate the change toward more responsibility and self-organization, as well as to ensure that the initiatives and ideas of employees support and advance the overall strategy of the company. They are the bridge between management and the employees, who are committed to working together in teams.

Managers are "enablers

Currently, employees often expect certain decisions 'from above' out of habit. If the 'self-organized company' is simply proclaimed and then everyone expects employees to suddenly behave in an entrepreneurial manner, this usually initially creates a high degree of uncertainty and the associated stress among employees and managers. Organizations need leaders to address this transformation in a targeted way - complemented by methods that give employees security, such as clearly defined roles. In addition, senior executives empower teams to perform their tasks and actively support the personal development of each individual. After all, purely hierarchical leadership with a sergeant at the top is no longer in keeping with the times. Instead, executives are evolving into enablers for employees in agile organizations. They take on the role of trailblazers for innovative and agile teams. Especially when solving complex problems and implementing projects, they pave the way for employees. In doing so, they show themselves to be open to new perspectives as well as innovations and motivate teams to pursue new ways of thinking or ideas. Managers must move away from the image of performance controllers and evolve into coaches for their employees.

Create a culture of innovation

In the wake of digitization, one of the most important tasks of senior executives is to help employees develop as individuals. Managers are needed who create a culture of innovation in which employees perform at their best and are committed. This is the only way to drive innovation. Agile innovation teams need guidelines and someone to watch their back. Self-organized teams must be encouraged in their decisions, they need time and space to develop, and they should also be allowed to fail. The manager is indispensable for accompanying this transformation - he or she supports employees and teams in developing from a strictly managed work situation in digestible steps to an autonomous team working on topics across the board.

It does not work without leadership

For the agile organization to succeed, it requires maximum transparency, short decision-making paths and direct feedback. To achieve this, however, the role of managers must also adapt and adjust to the changed tasks. The secret of a good boss or manager in digital times: He or she must delegate and empower employees to do their jobs to the best of their ability. At the same time, the manager must be given the necessary methods and control tools to enable and 'let go' of employees in organization-specific steps. After all, delegation only works if the person who is given the task is also able to carry and implement responsibility and tasks. To this end, control tools should be used, because these make it easier for managers to increase delegation and the expansion of the individual's area of competence and responsibility at low risk and to provide optimal support for the transformation. After all, leadership is essential - at least for organizations of a certain size.

Author:
Dr. Consuela Utsch is Managing Director and founder of Acuroc Solutions GmbH and AQRO GmbH. As a specialist, she has been advising medium-sized companies and large-scale industry for more than 20 years on the implementation of operational and project management processes, as well as in all areas of IT governance and the sustainable implementation of digital transformation and the associated change management. Dr. Utsch holds a worldwide patent on her AQRO method and is the author of the reference book "AQRO Stress-free and Efficient Human Resource Management".
www.acuroc.de / www.aqro.eu