Managing During a Crisis
26 April 2009
Read by 1807 persons
How to maintain team morale? How to manage tensions and concerns? How to communicate about the future of the company? During a crisis, managers have a major role to play with worried employees.
Intermediaries between company management and employees, managers are on the front line in managing the crisis. According to a joint study by Opteaman and Medef Ile-de-France published in December 2008, managers fear that the crisis will generate "excessive pessimism and a lack of motivation" among their employees. Indeed, three major concerns affect employees: the decrease in their purchasing power, the decrease in their salaries, or the loss of their jobs.
Motivate, involve, communicate. During a crisis, business leaders believe that two managerial behaviors prevail: motivating and involving employees and communicating extensively about the vision and position in the face of the crisis. On a daily basis, this requires team leaders to be able to be proactive in finding solutions. To relay the company's message and enforce instructions, and finally to take initiatives to reassure their own teams.
Maintaining a positive and willing state. Employees, for their part, expect their managers to demonstrate above all an ability to adapt (22%), courage and composure (18%), and an ability to make quick decisions (17%). Paradoxically, while 80% of managers feel affected by the current crisis, only half of them have changed their behavior towards their employees. Main objective: maintain a positive and willing state in the company. 49% of the managers interviewed encourage their employees to be more creative, more collective, or more courageous.
Posted on April 26, 2009
france5.fr
Intermediaries between company management and employees, managers are on the front line in managing the crisis. According to a joint study by Opteaman and Medef Ile-de-France published in December 2008, managers fear that the crisis will generate "excessive pessimism and a lack of motivation" among their employees. Indeed, three major concerns affect employees: the decrease in their purchasing power, the decrease in their salaries, or the loss of their jobs.
Motivate, involve, communicate. During a crisis, business leaders believe that two managerial behaviors prevail: motivating and involving employees and communicating extensively about the vision and position in the face of the crisis. On a daily basis, this requires team leaders to be able to be proactive in finding solutions. To relay the company's message and enforce instructions, and finally to take initiatives to reassure their own teams.
Maintaining a positive and willing state. Employees, for their part, expect their managers to demonstrate above all an ability to adapt (22%), courage and composure (18%), and an ability to make quick decisions (17%). Paradoxically, while 80% of managers feel affected by the current crisis, only half of them have changed their behavior towards their employees. Main objective: maintain a positive and willing state in the company. 49% of the managers interviewed encourage their employees to be more creative, more collective, or more courageous.
Posted on April 26, 2009
france5.fr
