Job stagnation and the disconnect of managers from staff expectations

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An unhappy employee. While data exists on how to manage staff, grow strategically, negotiate deals; a shameful disconnect still exists between what science knows and what businesses actually do. PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH 

By SCOTT BELLOWS

IN SUMMARY

• In the midst of a busy executive’s plethora of responsibilities, causes of staff displeasure often escape notice.

Muigai paced back and forth across the office floor one Wednesday evening. He began to notice significant discontent among his staff. What originally started with a few rumbling comments later manifested as decreasing performance.Muigai’s firm employed 30 people and he desired the team to still feel like a family. He found meaning in his life that he provided a stable work environment for his employees. He tried hard not to let the company’s fluctuations affect his staff.

Meanwhile Wanja worked for Muigai. He performed data warehouse management functions at the firm. Now two years into his job, Wanja wondered whether he could progress.

He appreciated that his pay check came regularly on time and that staff never feared layoffs. While Muigai hired Wanja based on his extensive skill set, Wanja yearned to expand his knowledge and options.

Muigai watched Wanja’s once stellar work start to deteriorate. Meanwhile Wanja spent substantial portions of each work day searching for new employment online. What caused Wanja’s discontent?

A reader of the above scenario may clearly notice the trouble at Muigai’s company: humans do not thrive as stagnant creatures. However, in the midst of a busy executive’s plethora of responsibilities, obvious causes of staff displeasure often escape notice.

As Business Talk ends its series on research techniques, let us demonstrate how research can change lives in the real business world.

While mountains of data exist on how to manage employees, grow strategically, negotiate deals, etc, a shameful disconnect still exists between what science knows and what businesses actually do.

Academics uncover thrilling methodology and techniques, but publish for other academics to read.

Meanwhile, managers learn from other managers or unqualified academics. Cutting edge research rarely reaches training halls and classrooms.

So Muigai manages in an information void. He attends management seminars with famous CEOs as inspirational speakers. He leaves the sessions full of hope and his mind brimming with simple clichés.

Both his optimism and the clichés fade quickly each time as the real world at his own office brings him to the realisation that his circumstances exist differently from the famous CEOs’ personal journeys shared at the seminar.

What Muigai actually requires involves concrete facts on what works, what doesn’t, and test results in real companies.

Muigai felt fear of discussing career growth with his staff since he thought that if a manager mentioned it to an employee then the employee might start thinking of leaving the job.

However, humans are not robots. Humans exist as sentient beings and hold such thoughts long before a manager ever mentions it to them. So managers often ignore the unspoken elephant in office.