About Harvard Business Review (HBR)
The Harvard University Management Magazine has been published for a century and gathers articles based on research and data. Its authors include the best international management and business experts in a variety of fields, including leadership, negotiation, strategy, marketing, finance and operations. Harvard Business Review articles are translated and published in Globes three times a week: on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (G Magazine).
About the authors
Lindy Greer is Professor of Management and Organizations at the Stephen M. Ross at the University of Michigan.
Francesca Gino is a behavioral scientist and Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
Robert E. Sutton is an organizational psychologist and professor of management, science and engineering at Stanford University
Do the best managers take charge, lead from the front, give orders and push employees to do great work, or do they listen and empower them? The most effective leaders, our research suggests, routinely switch between these two approaches to meet the needs of the moment.
Whether managers have exclusive authority or within a hierarchy, they often encounter difficulties. Teams led by domineering managers do not produce the innovative and creative thinking that is the lifeblood of companies. Skilled managers need to know when their teams need to make suggestions, raise concerns about problems and risks, and argue. Thus, they create a safe work environment that allows people to make their voices heard. But what makes skilled managers such?
Change the way of thinking
Many leaders hold false beliefs about power that prevent them from alternating between exercising and delegating authority. Here are ways to escape this trap.
Question the assumption that the hierarchy is fixed. Yes, most companies have an organizational chart. But managers should know that the nature of organizations does not allow maintaining the same hierarchical order at all times.
Recognize that sharing power does not detract from your authority. Many leaders fear that encouraging others to express their opinion and make decisions will weaken their position. But the opposite is true – leaders who know when and how to give up power gain respect and commitment.
Test yourselves and the team
Managers and teams often don’t even realize they are trapped in a “one power mode”. That’s why it’s important to be self-aware and make your team members self-aware too. What is meant and how can it be done?
Learn your habits. Pay attention to how much time you get in discussions. Managers often talk too much in meetings where everyone is supposed to contribute ideas.
Learn the norms of your team. The challenge here is not only to identify the default state of your team; The goal is to understand what leads to this situation and how to push colleagues out of their comfort zone.
Set clear expectations
Skilled leaders know when and how to act from this or that position of power. They send clear signals about their demands from the people, both routinely and before meetings, programs, tours or other gatherings. how?
Clarify changes in the plan. If your team is struggling to adapt to your requirements, review the plans of your last five or six meetings. Have they clearly stated when you want people to generate or discuss ideas, and when it’s time to make a decision?
Differentiate between meetings. Another way to motivate employees is to determine the purpose of the meetings. This is something that Massimo Lombardo, who at the time was the director of the Codogno Hospital in the Lombardy region of Italy, did in the first months of the Corona epidemic. The administrators and staff of the hospital had to make changes at a time when the demands on them were extraordinary. To stay on track, Lombardo noted in which meetings staff members would receive their clear action instructions, and in which they would have to propose.
Use rituals to mark transitions. Rituals can be a creative and good way to mark transitions from one state of power to another. For example, when US Navy SEALs go off duty, all present drop ranks to signal a temporary “flattening” of the hierarchy.
Avoid simulated “flattening”. A manager (let’s call him Sanjay) shared a story about his boss (we’ll call her Aretha): Time and again, Aretha would ask Sanjay to conduct a meeting and make a major decision. Then, just as the decision was about to be made, she would jump up and make it herself. Such behavior is common in organizations where managers struggle to decentralize authority.
Back up changes with actions
Leaders must be aware of the words they choose, their body language and how they attend certain meetings, and which meetings they attend. how?
Give a personal example. In the best meetings we’ve studied, coordinated power movements between team members are automatic, immediate, and graceful.
Clarify the requirement. Tell people it’s time to change their behavior using simple and clear language, and maybe even raise your voice when necessary.
Use body language. The non-verbal behavior can strengthen or undermine the message. If, for example, you ask: “Does anyone have a different opinion?”, while you join hands while standing at the head of the table (while everyone is sitting) – do not expect effective results. On the other hand, if you ask the same question while sitting in the middle of the table with your hands uncrossed and a slight smile on your face – the results are likely to be different.
Read the situation. Experienced managers know when to shift from command and control to empowerment. Take for example Steve Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warriors. At various points during the season when it is cold, it is necessary to energize his players, so he gives them the opportunity to decide on the strategy that will be implemented in the game.
Leave the room. If you are the most powerful person in the room, your very presence can be intimidating. One possible remedy: leave – or don’t even enter – the room.
© Harvard Business School Publishing Corp