A look at current trends and data

Citation

Nolan, S. (2013), "A look at current trends and data", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 12 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2013.37212caa.009

A look at current trends and data

Article Type: Research and results From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 12, Issue 3

Story 1

Key leadership attributes, success factors and concerns

A survey from Sa?d Business School, University of Oxford, provides a snapshot of leadership views in 2012. The 152 senior leaders surveyed were based internationally and across a range of sectors, and are all past participants of the Oxford Strategic Leadership program.

The most important qualities

Leaders were asked to consider the three most important qualities needed to thrive as a leader in 2012. Of 22 options offered, the most popular term chosen to describe leadership today was “integrity” (52 percent), and generally the ideal leader was described in altruistic terms by respondents. Among the least popular terms to define leadership were “authority” (3 percent), “risk-taking” (3 percent) and “ambition” (5 percent).

Leaders’ concerns

The survey also asked the leaders what keeps them awake at night. Among the concerns most frequently raised were the following:

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  The responsibility of leaders and organizations towards their stakeholders including the need to provide fulfilling roles for staff; the need for companies to “do the right thing” more broadly; and the need to consider the environmental impact of their decisions.

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  Leaders mentioned a fear of failure and asking themselves whether they are up to the job and still contributing at the highest level; the negative impact of company politics; and the unrelenting pressure of the role and the scrutiny it attracts.

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  People issues – the need to choose the right people to work in a global context; identifying talent within the organization and developing it; the nature of leadership among generation X and Y and how we develop and manage them; succession planning; and retaining talent.

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  The sheer complexity and uncertainty of the business environment now compared with 30 years ago and the pace of change. Concerns ranged from missing an opportunity or essential intelligence due to information overload, to the ongoing threat posed by the financial crisis.

Looking to the future

Finally, the survey asked the leaders to consider what the future holds. Responses focused on disruptive change and the need to be agile in anticipating the unexpected. Some stressed the need for constant innovation and the role of technology in helping us manage information overload. Many respondents focused on geographical shifts in power and wealth, some highlighting the drive and creativity of Latin America, Africa and Asia and contrasting this with the complacency of western economies.

Others highlighted the rising importance of the bottom billion as a viable market. The changing expectations of generation X, Y and Z and their desire to customize a job to make it meaningful, were also highlighted, and the likely increasing significance of the organization as a community for employees. Associated with this is the need for organizations to strive to make a difference, not just to make a profit, if they are to appeal to employees and customers alike.

For more information

Visit www.sbs.ox.ac.uk

Story 2

Six fundamentals of successful global leadership

There are six competencies that predict successful cross-cultural leadership. This is according to a global study of nearly 2,000 leaders in 13 countries by Right Management, a specialist in talent and career management that is part of ManpowerGroup, and Tucker International, a HR assessment company.

The aim of the study was to explore the competencies that leaders need in order to operate across cultures, continents and diverse markets. It identified the following six intercultural competencies essential for leading multinational organizations:

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  Adapting socially. To socialize comfortably with new people in unfamiliar social situations and to demonstrate genuine interest in other people.

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  Demonstrating creativity. To enjoy new challenges, strive for innovative solutions to social and situational issues and learn from a variety of sources.

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  Even disposition. To remain calm, not be critical of oneself and learn from mistakes.

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  Respecting beliefs. To demonstrate respect for the political and spiritual beliefs of people in other cultures.

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  Instilling trust. To build and maintain trusting relationships.

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  Navigating ambiguity. To see through vagueness and uncertainty, not become frustrated, and figure out how things are done in other cultures.

Owen J. Sullivan, CEO of Right Management and president of Manpower Group Speciality Brands, comments: “Global leadership requires operating amid ambiguity and complexity. We found that global leadership calls for particular behaviors and competencies. Identifying the key competencies that assure successful outcomes and developing those thoroughly allow scarce talent and development dollars to be invested wisely. In this way organizations may get the greatest potential return on their global leaders.”

For more information

Visit www.right.com

Story 3

Employee voice the route to sustainable business success

“Releasing voice for sustainable business success” is a research report resulting from collaboration between the Involvement and Participation Agency (IPA), Tomorrow’s Company and a number of major companies with the aim of learning more about employee voice.

The report is based on in-depth case studies, a large survey of employers and analysis of annual reports and examines how organizations help their employees to speak up, the conditions that have to be in place for voice to flourish, and the contribution it can make to business success. It calls for a paradigm shift in our relationships at work arguing that without active, confident and vocal employees, companies and organizations will not be able to achieve sustainable business success.

The benefits of open and collaborative structures

The report outlines some of the good things that companies are doing to create more effective, open and collaborative structures that engage their employees and facilitate employee voice. The results show that employee voice can improve decision making, stimulate innovation and drive engagement and productivity. But it also has direct benefits for employees in terms of their sense of satisfaction and value at work.

Key findings include the following:

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  Voice is the foundation of sustainable business success. It increases employee engagement, enables effective decision making and drives innovation.

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  Voice is about both culture and structures; first you need to get the culture right, then you need to provide the processes and channels through which voice can be expressed.

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  Authenticity and trust are essential. Employees will only speak up when they feel safe and when they know their opinions are both valued and will be acted on.

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  Organizations need to use a variety of channels to access employee voice, and ensure they support both the individual and collective voice of employees.

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  There is some unease about voice and social media; seven in ten organizations either forbid or discourage the use of social media to express opinions about the company.

For more information

Visit www.tomorrowscompany.com/rethinking-voice

Story 4

Employees believe organizations are ethical

Two surveys from the Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) set out the views of employees in Great Britain and continental Europe (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) on ethical standards and behavior in their workplace. The majority of British (84 percent) and continental European (77 percent) employees say that honesty is practiced “always/frequently” in their organization’s daily practices. In addition, the majority of British and continental European employees perceive their organization as having an “ethical culture” in place – according to seven indicators measuring the ethical behavior of line management and ethical standards in organizations.

However, of the fifth of British employees (20 percent) and the quarter (28 percent) of continental European employees aware of misconduct in their organization in the previous year, only half in each case (51 percent) say they reported it. Simon Webley, IBE’s research director, says: “Attitudes of indifference (‘It’s none of my business’) and the belief that no corrective action would be taken, deter employees who are aware of misconduct from raising their concerns. Businesses need to work harder at communicating the importance of speaking up, and supporting staff who do.”

Compared to 2008, components of a formal ethics program seem more prevalent in Britain, with significant increases in the proportions of British workers saying their organization provides each of four aspects (written standards on ethical business behavior, up from 66 percent in 2008 to 73 percent in 2012; an anonymous mechanism for reporting misconduct, up from 54 to 69 percent; training on ethical standards, up from 55 to 62 percent; and an information helpline on ethical issues, up from 49 to 58 percent). The case in continental Europe is less positive. Just half (53 percent) of employees say their organization has written standards of ethical business behavior in place, and less than half of employees say their organization has an anonymous speak up mechanism (31 percent) or an advice or information helpline (34 percent) or provides training (39 percent) on ethical issues.

For more information

An executive summary can be found at www.ibe.org.uk/userfiles/execsumm_gbethics_work%20survey2012.pdf

Sara Nolan