The COVID-19 pandemic has presented disruption and uncertainty in the workplace, and managers simply cannot be expected to have all the answers during this unforeseen crisis.
Command-and-control practices of management seem increasingly archaic and don’t function in the modern era. A management style that bases its success principles on what worked best in the past can no longer be used as a guide to what will work best in the future.
Therefore, managers need to adjust their leadership style to a more flexible and adaptive model that facilitates problem-solving in a constantly changing environment.
The best way to adjust? Managers should begin to adhere to a coaching model that puts the well-being and support of employees at centre-heart.
What Is Command-And-Control?
Command-and-control is an authoritative style of leadership where instructions are given through a top-down approach that adhere to procedural standards of the organisation – these standards have been developed in order to reproduce the businesses’ previous successes.
Whilst there are benefits to this approach such as standardising products and services, facilitating quality control and achieving goals quickly, the draw-backs are much more prevalent on lower level employees.
Command-and-control management limits the autonomy of employees to come up with creative and innovative ideas, contributing to frustration and a lack of motivation in a hierarchical system.
It also contributes to slower responses when faced with challenges, since the management style is based on rigidity and regularity that limits the ability to adapt quickly.
Therefore, companies should no longer base their leadership style on command-and-control due to lack of creative input and motivation from employees.
Instead, managers should move towards the role of a coach.
A Manager As A Coach
To cope with the ever changing realities of modern times, companies are moving towards a management style that encourages employee input and innovation – a people-centred coaching style.
Communication and collaboration is a vital component of a coaching style of leadership, in which managers give encouragement, support and guidance rather than instructions.
The Benefits Of A Coaching Style Of Management:
- More Efficient Workforce: Research shows that coaching leads to better engagement, higher productivity, and enhanced customer service.
- Build Morale: Abolishing a rigid system of hierarchy and instead allowing for communication and collaboration flourish throughout the company builds morale and enables every member to feel included and valued – this in turn leads to a lower turnover rate of staff.
- Increased Innovation: Alongside the manager’s support and guidance, control is relinquished to employees so that workers have more scope for their creative input heard and taken on board.
- Quicker Shared Solutions: As problems arise for the company, a collaboration of many minds of workers will result in quicker problem solving and more efficient solutions.
- Increased Collaboration: Employees of all levels are granted the opportunity to discuss problems and bounce ideas off of one another, building trust across departments.
Ultimately, the pandemic has brought and will continue to bring drastic change in the way we work, and consequently companies have embarked on a major process of organisational change.
This organisational change must adopt a continuous form of on-the-job development, and the best way they can do this is by adopting a coaching style of leadership.
Ceed can provide the toolkit for managers to succeed in their coaching leadership, helping improve productivity and motivation within your business.