Top Leadership Trends—and Why They Matter
August 30, 2017
Whether you lead an entire organization or only a team of people, it’s smart to be aware of the key trends in management and leadership.
Knowledge Sharing and Cross Pollination
Rather than keeping workers divided into separate departments of functional expertise, businesses are encouraging employees to understand what is happening across the organization.
Employees can make timely and effective decisions when they have a panoramic view of the business they work for, not just their area or job—and this allows the business as a whole to remain nimble. Organizations become more competitive and teams become more cohesive.
Leaders create a culture of cross-functionality and knowledge sharing if they themselves collaborate across teams.
Greater Investment in Professional and Personal Development
To keep up with rapidly changing technology, more companies recognize the need to invest in their employees’ education and development.
This greater investment in human capital is happening in a variety of ways. Some businesses pay for part or all of the costs associated with employees pursuing higher degrees. In particular, online MBA programs, big data/data science degrees, as well as marketing and communication studies are proving popular.
Businesses are also finding ways to offer in-house training modules to keep staff members up to date on relevant topics, often hiring speakers who specialize in niche subjects.
Mentorships are yet another way to support professional development. These may be accomplished by pairing inexperienced workers with highly experienced team members who have been in the industry or with the company for some time or with colleagues who are adept in a particular area. Allowing employees to work in other businesses or markets to develop their knowledge and skills is another option.
Thanks to technology, personalized learning is more possible than ever. Workers can optimize their learning according to their particular goals, style, interests and pace. Additionally, bite-sized learning which can be covered in just a few minutes rather than hours or days are also gaining more traction.
The results of employee development are significant. Staff members are likely to be more engaged and loyal. Plus, talented and informed employees naturally support the overall growth of the organization.
More Flexibility and Agility in Work Types, Methods and Locations
Technology combined with a renewed focus on employee retention has led to more employees being able to work remotely. Flexibility and agility in the workplace are only set to grow further. For example, human resource and management can also leverage technology to provide workers with greater digital automation on the job. This can help boost productivity while also lessening day-to-day stress. Increasingly, big data is being applied to handle an ever-growing number of tasks.
There are shifts in employment types, too. The growth in independent contractors is obvious, for instance. With the costs involved in hiring full-time employees being too high for many firms, and with lots of people keen to work for themselves and enjoy more flexibility with the jobs they take on or the times or locations they perform them in, the older model of full-time employment is less popular. Businesses must find ways, though, to ensure these contractors become a cohesive part of the team in order to ensure the most efficiency and productivity possible.
The latest developments in leadership and management are often the best ways to boost employee engagement and overall company productivity.
Jackie is a content coordinator and contributor who creates quality articles on topics including technology, home life, business management and education.