‘Us And Them’ – The Curse Of Management

A newly appointed manager, when asked how he was getting on in his new role replied “I get called ‘one of them’ now so I must be doing something right!” Previously an experienced team-member, he had been well respected by his peers and was the obvious choice for promotion. Unfortunately things went down-hill from then on. He lost the respect of his team, performance dropped, the number of disciplinary issues increased and his credibility with his manager fell.

It appeared as though, in changing roles, he had simply swapped one mindset – that of a capable team-member, for that of a despot! Or rather that of a manager whom he himself had feared at some point in his past and he was mistaking fear for respect.

We work with a lot of organisations; talking to managers at different levels. It’s always revealing when a manager (or team members too for that matter) talk about ‘us and them’. It may be an innocent conversation or it might be an important presentation they have to make, but it’s the ‘us and them’ that gives the game away when talking about people within their organisation. ‘They want us to do…..’ or ‘they won’t do……’ or ‘it’s their fault……’ Our choice of language can, unconsciously, drive a wedge into the gap between ‘the management’ and the ‘managed’.
Does there need to be a ‘gap’ in organisations between managers and staff? Does that traditional perspective still apply? Or can we work towards a more inclusive approach that values all different levels for the contributions made, whatever the level of seniority?

3 Steps To Reducing The ‘Us And Them’ Mentality

1. Strategic Focus – get people involved in shaping and defining the organisation’s strategic focus. Provide opportunities for people to have an input on strategy and solicit feedback so that people feel consulted on the bigger issues like ‘direction’ and ‘purpose’. Managers can create opportunities for teams to have a say on the bigger picture as well as the day-to-day operations.

2. Describe Performance And The Review Process – work closely with those involved in carrying-out tasks to define ‘what good looks like’. People need to know what inputs (activity/performance) they can make that will produce the outcomes required to achieve the strategic objectives. Managers need to focus on their inputs in supporting team performance.

3. Define Roles And Responsibilities – ensure that all involved know and understand how they contribute to the strategic focus – it’s important to provide clarity around activities, decision-making and accountability. Ultimately the manager earns respect and credibility with both their team members, and their manager, through the overall contribution made to the organisation.

To help your managers bridge the gap we have a special offer of 20% off the listed price of June’s Fundamentals of Management programme, to book or to learn more about how you can improve the contribution you make to an organisation contact us.