50MINUTES - Becoming a Caring Manager: Bring out the best in your team

There is a relative consensus between different management authors with regard to the definition of a manager. Their main characteristic lies in their task, namely knowing how to manage and coordinate a group of individuals whom they are responsible for. The director of a company is therefore also a manager.

N.B.

The decision to not distinguish between managers and directors in this guide is deliberate. Caring management can be a shared stance, as each individual has the purpose of creating collective intelligence through synergy.

The function of management theories is to interpret how organisations work. The first work in this field is relatively recent, as it dates from the start of the 20th century, and it aims to improve the performance of companies.

Until the 1970s, organisations were structured around a bureaucratic model: a strict hierarchy, a substantial degree of control, and little delegation. In this context, the 1990s were a turning point: status and level in the hierarchy were no longer enough, and management turned towards the concept of results and the means of achieving results. Managers had to change: they now needed to develop legitimacy based on relationships. Their ability to motivate their teams began to be prioritised over technical mastery of their job. They had to have strong communication skills as they were thrown into the heart of human relationships and human issues, most of the time with no preparation. This period also saw the globalisation of the markets, increasingly rapid changes of environment and new organisations in networks or in the planning stage.

This paradigm shift for managers led them to activate other resources. Relationship training became necessary, in particular in order to develop empathy and an awareness of emotional intelligence. Managers became leaders. Hard power, the prerogative of aggressive managers and very hierarchical and centralised companies, was over. Although it was suitable in the context of mass production, in our post-industrial society where the mobilisation of intelligence is important and where involvement has replaced obedience, workers are free individuals and display little loyalty towards companies. Generation Y clearly represents this movement, which is structural and will become more pronounced with Generation Z.

The generations: a quick reminder

• Generation X comprises people born between 1960 and 1980. They struggled to find stable and well-paid jobs and tend to remain in their post and climb the professional ladder over time. This generation prioritises the balance between professional and private life. For them, information is slow and controlled. They struggle to understand Generation Y and vice versa.
• Generation Y comprises people born between 1980 and 1995. They grew up with television, the development of the internet and video games. For these digital natives, authority does not necessary mean competence. They question everything, including existing approaches to management, which Generation X does not like at all. Generation Y prioritises efficiency over years of experience, and they want to be understood. For them, work is not the most important thing: they are looking for a better quality of life, think in the short term and move around a lot. They want rapid career progression, flexible hours, freedom and independence.
• Generation Z comprises people born from 1995 onwards. This generation grew up with social networks and is constantly connected. Unlike other generations, they never experienced life without new technologies. For them, congruence is all the more important considering that soon there will probably be no more barriers between personal life and professional life, which tend to blend together.