MINING
Leadership
Mining’ s toughest issue is cultural, says OIM Consulting’ s research, suggesting that it’ s leadership behaviour that drives engagement and performance. Where leaders connect, listen and recognise effort, teams take ownership, operations run smoother and the results speak for themselves.
By Arjen de Bruin, Group CEO at OIM Consulting
As the headlights cut through the dust and the first trucks move towards the mine, another shift begins. Crews gather at the line-up, equipment checks are done, supervisors call the plan. It’ s a world built on precision and pressure, where every minute counts.
But from what OIM has seen across more than a decade of data, that focus is starting to take strain. People are showing up, but many feel detached from the work, and the leaders guiding them. Our latest research suggests this isn’ t about long hours or harsh conditions, but a deeper cultural fault line running throughout the industry.
That fault line runs straight through leadership. In mine after mine, OIM’ s analysis shows that leaders set the tone and shape the culture, and too often, that tone is rigid, top-down and disconnected.
Supervisors spend much of their day giving instructions, solving problems and attending meetings, with very little time left to lead in the field. Communication moves in one direction only, and feedback focuses on performance rather than people. Over time, that kind of environment builds compliance, not commitment. The data agrees: willingness scores an average 7.23 against a 7.9 benchmark, and commitment, 6.79 against 8.1. People might be at work physically, but they are not truly engaged.
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