How to Address Divergent Concerns and Build Trust Now Before the Next Crisis
New research released in MIT Sloan Management Review reveals what employees want from direct managers in times of crisis. The needs identified vary widely and may even conflict within teams, but middle managers can still support workers effectively by taking individualized approaches and developing more trusting relationships.
“Extant research on leadership during crises generally focuses on organization-wide strategies germane to C-suite executives, leaving direct managers with little guidance on how best to support employees,” said Kristine W. Powers, coauthor of “What Employees Want Most in Uncertain Times” and doctoral student at Claremont Graduate University. “To address this gap, we went straight to the source, asking employees what they want, need, and expect from their managers in times of uncertainty.”
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Based on interviews with employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, Powers and coauthor Jessica B.B. Diaz identified five categories of needs and ways managers can provide support for employees. The key themes that emerged center around information, support, communication, leadership, and resources.
The authors offer evidence-based management strategies to address these needs. However, within each of these categories, numerous additional sub-needs, many of which seem to be at odds with each other, were also revealed.
“To meet divergent needs, managers must implement individualized consideration, varying their management approach based on each employee,” said Diaz, an assistant professor in the Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences and director of the human resource management program at Claremont Graduate University.
An effective way to boost motivation and performance, individualized consideration lets middle managers tailor their leadership style to meet employee needs where they are. While nearly impossible from the C-Suite, it is an extremely effective strategy for direct managers. But that effectiveness is contingent on trust, which grows out of the confidence an employee has in their manager’s integrity, care, and capability.
Much of how employees experience uncertainty rests on the level of trust managers establish long before a crisis comes knocking. In fact, research demonstrates that in times of crisis, individuals revert to pre-crisis orientations and beliefs about their manager’s trustworthiness. Practicing individualized consideration and developing trusting relationships can help employees cope with uncertainty, both now and in the future.
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Between March and October 2020, the authors asked employees across a variety of industries and organization sizes, “What is one thing your supervisor could do (or do more of) to help alleviate the uncertainty that arose as a result of the pandemic?”
They collected and coded the data in two phases, using an iterative process and inductive content analysis. Following the initial wave of data collection and coding (N=201), they collected information from an additional 86 respondents to ensure a sufficient sample size for theoretical saturation. In total, 287 participants responded with 398 unique comments.
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