Michael Page - eBook - Adapting is Thriving | Page 7

Practices
Putting the
emphasis on
leadership in
a disrupted
world
Purposeful and
empathetic leadership
will help organisations to
balance short-term risks
with sustainability, and
to find opportunities in
adversity, writes London
School of Economics’
Dr Elaine Yerby.
Inherent external risks can fundamentally change an organisation’s
trajectory, as recent events have shown. Even businesses that were
previously resilient in the face of economic shocks discovered they
couldn’t continue to operate in the same way during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Going forward, leaders will need to become adept at balancing short-term
risks with the long-term sustainability of their organisation, workforce and
the stakeholders that rely upon them. Achieving this balance involves
making difficult business decisions and will put an emphasis on ‘how’
we lead. Empathetic, purposeful leadership that places an onus on
listening and supporting the physical and mental health of employees,
and embracing and supporting diverse workforces, will underpin the
building of resilient organisations.
This imperative comes not only from the legal requirement that employers
consult extensively with their employees on their return to workplaces.
During the pandemic we have witnessed deep divisions and structural
inequalities in health provision and access to safe workplaces.
For example, some organisations had insufficient crisis-management
plans for mass working from home, or lacked the necessary PPE to keep
employees and customers safe. As leaders, we will be under pressure
to demonstrate improvements in these areas to our stakeholders as
we manage the risk of potential further lockdowns.
A renewed emphasis on
diversity and inclusion
We are now aware of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic
minority employees. There will be a growing impetus for organisations
to conduct meaningful equality impact assessments on all ‘return to
the workplace’ policies and business continuity plans.
Diversity and inclusion, which prior to lockdown had been rising in
strategic significance, takes on a new importance post-pandemic.
Leaders who can genuinely embrace a comprehensive approach to
supporting and building diverse and inclusive working environments
will see benefits for their employees’ physical and mental wellbeing,
but also for organisational health and resilience.
An essential part
of working practice
will be organisational
learning strategies,
to allow leaders to
harness areas
of strength
demonstrated
during the crisis
Embracing diversity has long been proven to enhance the innovation and
adaptability that creates resilient organisations. Where possible, leaders
should also be developing strategies that articulate the societal purpose
of the organisation to all stakeholders. Demonstrating wider societal
ambitions can generate a common purpose and the engagement and
commitment from employees required for sustainable organisations.
Opportunities in adversity
Resilience also involves seeking out the opportunities in adversity.
Post-pandemic, an essential part of working practice will be organisational
learning strategies, to allow leaders to harness and build upon areas
of strength demonstrated during the crisis.
For example, we have witnessed a seismic shift to remote or homeworking,
with the Office for National Statistics reporting that, by the end of March
this year, 20 million people had relocated from offices. Before this, only
1.4 million people in the UK worked from home on a regular basis.
Emerging survey evidence highlights both positive and negative experiences
for employees – and for organisational performance – associated with
remote and home-based working. What is clear is that leaders will need
to exploit organisational data and engagement with their own employees
to establish which aspects of remote working have been effective, and
how it will feature in business continuity plans and further into the future.
As leaders, we must actively encourage the collection of broad types of
employee data (from pulse checks after virtual meetings to more in-depth
feedback, focus groups, and one-to-one meetings) to develop a strong
understanding of employee experiences and to explore opportunities
that have arisen out of recent challenges.
We have already witnessed organisations incorporating new forms of
remote working into their employer brand and talent attraction strategies.
When communications are conducted with empathy and openness,
there are also opportunities to harness employee insights and ideas for
driving innovation, improvements, and new modes of service delivery.
These can help to sustain organisations and build their resilience.
During the pandemic, leaders engaging with their people (and wider
stakeholders) in purposeful and empathetic ways, when making difficult
business decisions, have laid the groundwork for future growth and
sustainability. While it is impossible to predict a post-pandemic future,
as much depends on the epidemiology of the virus and possible
vaccines and therapeutics, leaders moving forward with a clear vision,
compassionate style and commitment to diversity will be paving the
way for a brighter, more resilient future.
Dr Elaine Yerby is a senior lecturer in practice at the London
School of Economics’ Department of Management.