Around half of HR professionals believe that senior business leaders donโt have the people management behaviours and skills needed to get the best from their people, according to the latest CIPD HR Outlook survey of HR professionals.
Performance management and people management were voted the top leadership behaviours and skills needed by organisations over the next three years. However, out of those who chose performance management, more than half (53%) said senior leadersโ current skills in this area were ineffective. Similarly, 44% of HR professionals felt senior leadersโ people management skills were ineffective.
Leaders were instead rated as being most effective on technical ability, budgeting and financial management, and operational management; only one of which (budgeting and financial management) was included in the top 10 leadership behaviours and skills needed in the next three years.
Dr Jill Miller, Research Adviser at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, comments: โGiven that a business is its people, itโs very concerning that leaders are rated so poorly on their people management and development capabilities. In order to lead people effectively, leaders need to have a variety of skills โ but while technical skills are critical in organisations, they do not always go hand-in-hand with people skills. Organisations need to respond to this mismatch by making targeted investment in their leadershipโs people management capability. A strong talent pipeline, which promotes both strong people management and technical excellence, will support people to reach their full potential at work and is essential for a sustainable and high-performing business.
โOne reason for the difference between rhetoric and reality in leadership skills is the use of outdated career development models where the only way to progress at work is by taking on people management responsibility. Technically-based career progression should also be possible for those who donโt want to manage people or donโt feel itโs in their skill set. That way, organisations can still offer career advancement, but in a way that ensures they have the right people with the right skills in the right places.โ
Furthermore, in organisations where line managers have taken on new people management responsibilities devolved from the HR function (50% of respondents), less than half (44%) are given any formal training, and only three in five (60%) are given ongoing tailored support.
Miller continues: โItโs good to see HR being able to devolve some people management to different parts of the business, as line managers are often best placed for dealing with the day-to-day responsibilities, such as managing absence. However, itโs worrying that in many organisations there is an expectation that line managers will acquire people management skills through sheer virtue of being given that job title. Even those with great potential as people managers will still require training to become the best they can be in the role. Under a great manager, a great team will flourish.โ
The survey also found that in many organisations, business leaders and managers arenโt being given access to HR data โ the insights, facts and figures about the workforce โ to inform business decisions. In those organisations that do use HR analytics, more than a quarter of senior leaders (26%), 45% of line managers, and more than half (51%) of risk and compliance professionals do not have access to HR data.
Miller adds: โThe wealth of insight weโre starting to see emerge as a result of HR data is a promising evolution of the HR profession. But in order for managers to make evidence-based people decisions, HR needs to share this workforce information with them to encourage tangible change and drive value in the business.โ
