Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/136276
Upside NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WORK Where's the Motivation? European leaders are creating demotivating working environments for their employees, according to new research from global management consultancy, Hay Group. While good leadership is synonymous with a flexible, tailored approach that suits the situation, over a third (39 per cent) of European leaders have mastered none or only one leadership style, compared to a quarter (23 per cent) who are able to adopt a range of four or more styles. Also, as economic uncertainty prevails in Europe, the region's leaders are falling back on a coercive style of leadership. Characterised by a 'just do it' attitude, the coercive leader takes control, instructing and managing employees with a critical eye. Once a rarely used style in the region, this is now a dominant approach for over one third (31 per cent) of European leaders, rising from just 18 per cent in 2005, compared to 23 per cent in North America and 24 per cent in the Pacific region. It is therefore unsurprising that just 17 per cent of leaders in Europe are able to create a high-performance environment for their employees. More than half (56 per cent) of European leaders are generating demotivating working climates. In the world's emerging markets the coercive style remains the approach of choice, with around half of Asian and South American leaders (48 per cent and 60 per cent respectively) citing it as their dominant style. Leaders are beginning to utilise democratic, coaching, affiliative and authoritative approaches, as globalisation has impacted local leadership practices and market conditions have improved. However, just one quarter (24 per cent) of leaders in Asia and one third (37 per cent) in South America are able to utilise four or more styles. This is reflected in their working environment, where a significant 66 per cent of leaders in Asia and 59 per cent in Latin America are producing demotivating climates. North American organisations are outshining their neighbours, with one third (37 per cent) of leaders successfully creating an energising or high performance climate. With the authoritative style dominating (47 per cent of leaders use this style), Hay Group's research shows North American leaders to be typically good at providing a clear long-term vision for their team. However, despite more North American leaders delivering positive climates than elsewhere in the world, there is still a need for change. Almost half (49 per cent) of leaders in this region are still creating demotivating working environments. [8] HRO TODAY GLOBAL | SPRING 2013 It is a similar picture in the Pacific region. With just a quarter (23 per cent) of leaders in the region mastering four or more leadership styles, it is unsurprising that over half (52 per cent) are creating demotivating climates. The study is based on analysis of Hay Group's styles and climate data, covering 95,000 leaders in over 2,200 organisations across the world. New Partnership Randstad Sourceright announced a strategic partnership with HICX Solutions Ltd for its enhanced managed services provider (MSP) solutions. Integrating with the providers of the supply base management platform, Randstad Sourceright can deliver an advanced customer experience through improved supplier discovery, greater visibility to mitigate compliance risk, more streamlined operational efficiency, and real-time communication and reporting. HICX Solutions' supply base management suite is a comprehensive solution for managing supplier information, contracts, compliance, risk, and performance. Soft Skills Through eLearning Carillion, a leading integrated support services company, has introduced 53 eLearning courses from interactive training specialist Engage in Learning to equip 9,000 of its U.K. staff with the soft skills and personal development they need to do their jobs. Covering communication skills, personal effectiveness, influencing, leadership and teamwork, coaching, customer service and managing high performance, the new eLearning courses were introduced after Carillion had undertaken a nine-month, in-depth evaluation. The new eLearning courses feature practical tips and techniques, interactive exercises and video clips. Many of Engage in Learning's courses have a complementary, interactive eBook, which summarises the eLearning content and enables learners to create their own notes and action plans. Designed to help learners transfer their skills and knowledge to the workplace, the eBooks can be read on smartphones and tablet computers. Carillion identifies employee training needs through one-to-one discussions, and annual appraisals, and it encourages each employee to create their own personal development plan. Carillion will monitor the use of the eLearning courses through its learning management system, which tracks all training undertaken and provides detailed management information.