A loss of connection with employees

To deal with this problem, leaders have to develop spatial and digital intelligence

June 24, 2017 02:51 pm | Updated 02:51 pm IST

In the economic environment prevailing today, leaders need to manage large numbers of internal and external relationships, maintain visibility within a network of people and foster creativity and innovation. To be able to meet the newer demands of their job, leaders cannot stick to the old top-down style of management. According to Steelcase researchers, an alarming number of leaders lack a meaningful connection not only with their employees, but also with their executive peer group. Without these interactions, leaders cannot develop broad organisational intelligence. A major reason for the loss of connection is the ‘Private Office Barrier’, these researchers say.

Fifty-eight percent of leaders work in private offices compared to 23 percent of the employees. While this disparity is probably not surprising to most, it could change with the entry of newer generations into the workforce.

Office language

Space is the body language of an organisation; it is a way to communicate and provoke desired responses. Many leaders don’t recognise the power of the space around them to communicate their organisation's desired culture.

The impact of office layout on corporate culture is immense.

While designing spaces for today’s employee, the best results are always human-centred; a workplace crafted to engage, comfort and support busy workers. Employees need to feel the essence of working from home.

Geographical barrier

The greater challenge for leaders in the future would be establishing a connection with teams distributed across the globe. Fifty-six percent of the senior leaders in Fortune 500 and large global companies expect virtual teaming to increase in the next one to three years. Engaging globally distributed teams adds to the demand on an executive’s time. Leaders should develop digital intelligence to be able to connect effectively with these teams.

( Praveen Rawal is Managing Director at Steelcase India and Southeast Asia. )

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