Leadership vs Management in the Post-pandemic World – Rethink Your Workplace!

After Abraham Zaleznik wrote his famous landmark article about the differences between leadership and management in 1977, it became commonly accepted in the corporate world that, although both aspects overlap, managers and leaders are essentially two very different types of people. Managers were traditionally expected to be concerned with meeting objectives and running the business smoothly, while leaders were thought to spark inspiration and take responsibility for the bigger picture.

Traditional leadership and management characteristics

Most executives would agree that, although people often assume that anyone in a management position is a leader, not all managers lead and not all leaders manage. Before COVID changed the way we do business all over the world, it was widely believed that managers and leaders, respectively, typically displayed the following traits:

A leader would

• See the bigger picture
• Assume responsibility
• Take risks and accept the consequences
• Inspire employees
• Communicate a clear vision
• Strive for change

On the other hand, a manager would

• Plan details
• Delegate tasks
• Minimise risk
• Control and exercise authority
• Work towards set objectives
• Maintain the status quo

The post-pandemic approach to leadership vs management

According to the World Economic Forum, employees in today’s new working world are increasingly challenging structures that have traditionally governed the corporate workplace, primarily presenteeism and hierarchical management. And this new reality requires a new approach to leadership and management in organisations if they want to stay relevant and successful.

The Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders has determined that leadership of the future is all about making a positive difference to employees’ lives and to society as a whole. Organisations have a real opportunity here to set up management and leadership structures that do just that. And this includes hiring talent who can do both: manage and lead.

The paradigm shift brought about by the pandemic has shown how quickly and easily long-established structures and processes can be changed – and this agile, nimble approach is now expected across the board by employees and stakeholders alike. So, you no longer need to accept the stereotypical division between management and leadership but have the perfect opportunity to rethink your workplace to make it fit for a new era.

What employees want

A 2022 Gartner survey has found that employees today value human leadership above all else. This means that managers who focus on authority and micromanagement without considering employees’ overall well-being and the bigger picture for the company are out. Instead, it would make sense for hiring strategies to focus on empathetic, flexible leaders who can manage staff at all levels in such a way that they will gladly support the leadership’s overall vision. Workers who feel that they’re being managed by an authentic fellow human being and treated at eye level have been found to be 37% more engaged. That’s music to any organisation’s ears!

Not surprisingly, studies have repeatedly shown that it matters how leadership is tackled in organisations because it affects employee attitudes and behaviours – and ‘positive attitudes and behaviours translate into greater productivity and employee creativity.’ A 2021 survey commissioned by the Australian College of Applied Professions found that almost a third of workers dislike their managers and are concerned about their lack of soft skills. The ideal scenario is putting individuals in place who combine the technical skills of a good manager with the personal skills and attitudes of a great leader. This may mean creating a new hybrid role to combine responsibilities in a way that benefits both leader, employee and the organisation as a whole – and this is the challenge businesses need to meet nowadays.

What decision-makers can do

Although, according to Senior Economist Callam Pickering’s Hiring Lab analysis, Australian job postings on Indeed continued to rise to 127% above pre-pandemic levels by mid-2022, by far outperforming other countries such as the UK, Canada and the United States, Australian employers still want to make prudent hiring decisions in today’s volatile economy. This means focusing on finding and attracting the best leadership staff in the Australian market. Not least because, according to The Study of Australian Leadership (SAL), ‘leaders play [a critical role] in Australian workplaces and in determining whether an organisation is able to meet the challenges of a dynamic and competitive environment.’

Hiring policies

As a decision-maker, you can give direction to HR and set up hiring policies that stipulate exactly what kind of managers you would like to see recruited. To save costs when hiring talent, it makes sense to bring onboard managers who also possess leadership qualities and can act as both leader and manager. After all, managerial skills can be learned if someone has the right attitude and courage to lead. Consider consolidating separate managerial and leadership positions into a newly created hybrid role, and try giving your managers more freedom to lead. This might just bring out the best in them and boost employee engagement. And this, in turn, can help you retain top talent and not lose your best people to the competition. A win-win situation!

Changing perceptions of leadership and management

Interestingly, the Australian Leadership Index found that although there had been a significant reversal of historic trends in 2020, during the first year of the pandemic, which saw an improvement in perceptions of leadership, leadership perceptions went on to fall again throughout 2021. This translates to a major opportunity for employers to establish a solid leadership structure with a view to improving this figure again next year. By the same token, a study published in the Journal of Management Development has found that managers who empower their employees, much like an inspiring leader would, benefit from increased employee trust and organisational effectiveness. Separating management and leadership has been tried for decades, with mixed results – now is the time to tread new paths and dispel this old adage.

The leading manager

When recruiting new higher-level staff, try hiring someone who brings the best of both worlds to the table – a manager who leads (or a leader who manages!) and who:

• Helps plan details but always keeps an eye on the overall goal
• Delegates tasks but is happy for the buck to stop with them
• Takes calculated risks but has a backup plan
• Has authority but naturally inspires people to follow
• Is passionate about their vision but understands that less exciting milestones and objectives need to be met along the way
• Is keen to introduce change when things don’t work without trying to reinvent the wheel in areas that run smoothly

No more either/or

The time may have come to try this new approach to the typical leadership vs management dichotomy. Employees in the ever-changing post-pandemic world will appreciate flexible managers with leadership qualities that can oversee practical matters while inspiring staff at the same time. Hiring talent who combine the best of both worlds will motivate employees and save your business money.