The Ideal Employee in the Press

Much to my surprise, the press in Germany has taken up my study about the Ideal Employee last week! I am humbled to report that several dozens of newspapers in Germany reported about it.

This is the original article as it appeared on the university website:

https://www.fernuni-hagen.de/universitaet/aktuelles/2015/03/2015_03_23_am_studie_der_ideal_mitarbeiter_fernuniversitaet.shtml


This is how it appeared in other media:

http://www.abendblatt.de/wirtschaft/karriere/article205224283/Studie-So-sehen-Chef-Lieblinge-aus.html

http://www.fnp.de/ratgeber/karriere/Studie-So-sehen-Chef-Lieblinge-aus;art284,1326591

https://krisenbegleiter.wordpress.com/2015/03/28/keine-querdenker-gefragt-was-fuhrungskrafte-von-idealen-mitarbeitenden-erwarten/


http://www.markenartikel-magazin.de/no_cache/unternehmen-marken/artikel/details/10011194-fuehrungskraefte-wollen-keine-querdenker-unter-den-mitarbeitern/


https://www.salesjob.de/vertriebsinfo/magazin/rubriken/personal/den-chef-beeindrucken-bitte-keine-querdenker/

http://www.107.7radiohagen.de/hagen/lokalnachrichten/lokalnachrichten/article/-0601e18932.html

The Ideal Employee, from a Leadership perspective

Managers base many personnel related decisions on so-called ‘lay theories’ about the way employees generally are or should be. Their internal images of (ideal) employees are the result of past experiences with others and develop into a conglomerate of expectations and hopes as well as misperceptions, bias’ and prejudices about subordinates. Either way, these “folk theories” about employees have been shown to impact employee performance* as well as interpersonal relationships**, and are powerful and vastly underestimated factors in the leader-follower dynamic.

The top desired trait in employees: Reliability

I studied some of the traits and behaviors that leaders expect from an ‘ideal employee’. Of course, many factors play a role when leaders develop their personal ‘ideal employee profile’, so my work revolves around leaders’ work and organizational context in relation to their ideal employee profile. In spring 2012 I undertook a leadership survey with 200+ US leaders from various companies to show that leaders’ work context can affect their preferences for certain employee types. Whilst I cannot share all of the results here and now, I found one to be particularly interesting: Reliability. It was the highest rated of all traits, so what leaders want most from employees is that they are reliable. This is not a surprising finding and makes sense: being reliable means to be dependable in accuracy, achievement and honesty - important traits for all organization members.

The really interesting question is: are today’s organizations actually providing a work environment that encourages employees to be reliable?

The problem with reciprocity

Lately it was the job market that made headlines. If companies hire at all right now, they seem to find it incredibly difficult to find good employees. According to Peter Cappelli this could just be one side of the story. In his newest book Cappelli challenges organizations that complain about a lack of skilled workers by arguing that the blame for the current situation on the job market lies in part by the businesses themselves. Companies are looking for the perfect employee (that seldom exists), are not willing to provide sufficient training (to the imperfect rest), and refuse to pay appropriate wages (to those who are lucky enough to have a job). Bottom line: If businesses weren’t so unnecessarily picky during the hiring process, if they trained people better and paid them more, they could solve the skilled workforce problem themselves.

Let’s say  Cappelli is right: how does leaders’ desire for reliable employees fit in with the unwillingness of organizations to really care for their workforce?

It doesn’t.

The problem with reliability is that it cannot be forced upon someone like we can force a work uniform upon them. Rather, it emerges in response to the fulfillment of a social contract on the side of the organization, provided by a reciprocal give-and-take and preceding any expectation.

Fostering the ‘Ideal Employee’

Can leaders in organizations create an environment in which employees want to be reliable? They will need to. Whatever it is that individual organizations need to do, it’s crucial to be aware that that it is up to them to create an environment instead of sticking to their expectations and complain if they are not being fulfilled. It is not up to employees to be a certain kind, but it is up to the organizations and their leadership team to provide the environment that will foster desired behaviors and qualities.

The results of my survey were eye-opening and I found several interesting associations between work context and leader’s preferences for certain employee qualities. Most importantly I was able to find support for the thought that context can create individual outcomes. For leaders and organizations, the first step in the right direction would be to ask themselves the following question:

Are we creating a work environment that makes people want to be what we expect them to be?

As always, your feedback and comments are welcome. You may also email me at andrea.derler@gmail.com

True leadership: The “Lao Warrior” movie project

What is true leadership? Gather 150 people, gain their commitment to a project, inspire their passionate involvement and maintain their engagement. For more than 3 years. For free.

Lao Warrior – the movie project

Fast-forward to the finished product that I witnessed last Saturday at the Mission Valley Cinema in Raleigh (NC): the red carpet premiere of the martial arts action movie Lao Warrior, produced by Kenji Saykosy, David Nelson and many, many other volunteers.

The movie itself is not just your ordinary martial arts action movie. Sure you can count on cool fighting scenes all produced with actual martial artists trained in MMA, Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do; there are the bad guys and the good guys, a murder story and some beautiful, smart women. But Lao Warrior is much more than that: it is a statement in the fight against the dark side of humanity. It raises awareness for the countless tragedies caused by human trafficking, an increasing world-wide problem with catastrophic consequences for children, women and their families. But it also tells Kenji’s story as a refugee from Laos as a 5-year old, the struggles he endured and how he became who he is today: the owner of the MartialArts school I attend, a strong ambassador against bullying and human trafficking and a highly respected member of the Laos community in the USA.

Leadership: defined and exemplified

The Lao Warrior project is a fascinating case in point for what leadership really means. What does it actually mean? Let’s consult a more scholarly definition of leadership:

Leadership means to influence others by ways of socially accepted behavior so that they voluntarily change their behavior and join the pursuit of a common goal.   

This definition does not include formally created leader-follower-relationships as we know them in today’s business world. While managers can certainly also be leaders, their leader status is not guaranteed on the basis of their higher standing in the organizational hierarchy. From the standpoint of those who are supposed to follow, there are three options. They can either

- voluntarily change their behavior and follow a common goal because they want to. This is then we can talk about true leader- and followership. 

Then there are those who:

- Change they behavior because they have to due to pressure and force. Strictly speaking, we cannot talk about leader-or followership. 

And then there are situations where people

.) Simply do not follow. Of course, they can still be managed, or directed, but they do not follow in the strictest sense of the definition.

 Leader-lessons

Consider this: Kenji and his collaborators were able to make a 1,5 hour movie with 150 people who willingly donated their time, their professional skills and talents and passion in their free time. These 150 individuals who all have a day-job did it because they wanted to follow. They did it because they felt inspired to follow. They did it because they wished to be part of something meaningful.

I think it is about time we stop managing each other and start leading. The Lao Warrior project shows it is possible.

How?

Find a cause worth pursuing. Light a fire within others. And never, ever stop.  

      

Leading through Chaos

How do leaders behave under pressure? What do they look like, how do they behave and how do they react during chaotic work situations? All eyes are on them as situations get out of hand, stress levels increase and emotions boil over. It is how they lead others through chaos that determines the quality of decisions, outcomes and business results.

The ability to remain calm and collected, retain leadership presence and make the right decisions needs to be practiced. It requires a skill set and a mindset that combines focus on the problem at hand and yet flexibility and adaptability. It means to never lose sight of the big picture while remaining engaged with others in the here and now.

Cognitive learning concepts alone are limited in the way they teach the ability to lead through chaos. They focus on mental processes only and neglect physical reactions to chaos, pressure and emotional turmoil. One solution to this problem is to physically confront, handle and get comfortable with chaos and pressure through acquiring the basic skills as taught in the traditional Japanese Martial Arts. Learning how to stand, sit, look and breathe through Chaos is only the beginning. Getting familiar with being 'under attack' and exploring one's natural reaction is another; learning a highly effective prescribed way of managing or leading others through chaotic situations – the Leadership Kata – is the main goal. (photos: Chaos to Kata @ University of Michigan School of Social Work, 2014):

Applying the physical and cognitive process to handling chaos to real-world work situations, practicing and being coached through the process is the ultimate objective.Chaos to Kata is a concept developed in cooperation of a highly recognized Martial Artist, and a Leadership Consultant.

It is an experiential leadership workshop and coaching concept that has changed the lives of hundreds of people so far providing the concept and application of the Leadership Kata to chaotic work situations.

Leaders and top executives who are looking for a unique approach to leading others through the daily work chaos, who want to improve their leadership presence and decrease their stress levels are encouraged to attend. For more information on leadership workshops and training seminars, leadership retreat ideas or consulting services of a different kind, please visit www.chaos2kata.com.

Ready to Work!

I am pleased to announce that my life as PhD candidate is coming to an end and I soon will be able to do nothing but focus on working with leaders and organizations.

My dissertation is submitted with the title:

The Ideal Employee

The influence of work context, personality and organizational culture 

on the development of leaders' prototypical implicit follower theories

Following up on my previous posts, my research involved 2 studies with 320 leaders in the USA and Germany/Austria who were asked ..

a) about the qualities and behaviors of (their) Ideal Employee

b) if and how their perceptions of the environment is linked with their Ideal Employee image

Other questions the dissertation deals with:

c) the impact of an Ideal Employee image on leadership behavior, interactions, personnel processes 

d) possible consequences on personnel selection and hiring

e) impact on organizational change and diversity efforts

In a nutshell:

Overall, the results suggests that leaders' Ideal Employee is similar, instead of different or complimentary, to leaders' work environment. This means, that leaders' personnel-related decisions may be guided by their perception of 'fit' between an employee and the work context, corporate culture or their own personality. Seemingly "non-ideal" (non-conforming) employees may be weeded out or receive different treatment from those who seem to conform. 

The emphasis on traits similar to the prevailing work context can make change and diversity in organizations very difficult. Organizations why are worried about their diversity and inclusion efforts, or are planning change projects are advised to consider their leaders' implicit Ideal Employee image and their links to the work environment.

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Publication:

Derler, A., & Weibler, Juergen. (2014). The ideal employee: context and leaders’ implicit follower theories. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 35(5), 386–409.

The Ideal Employee: What Organizations Should Know

Most managers can describe their “Ideal Employee”. Pretty logical!

But, where does this image come from?

And why does it need to be carefully managed by organizations?

In the past two years I asked 320 leaders in the USA and Europa about their Ideal Employee. This is what I I found in a nutshell:

In manager' eyes, an Ideal Employee should “fit in” with the prevailing work context and culture, and be similar to the manager him/herself.

Non-conformity? Individuality? Creativity? Complementing qualities? 

Not really on the list of desirable traits.

What drives leaders' preference for conformity?

My studies found an astonishing degree of alignment between work context, organizational culture, leaders’ own personality and the way they form expectations for staff members. For example, managers in highly formalized and regulated work contexts prefer efficiency over creativity in staff members; and while open-minded leaders expect their employees to be creative, very conscientious managers are also looking for employees who just get the job done within the given limits. Lastly, organizational culture strongly affects their opinion what’s good about subordinates: hence, leaders will form their employee image according to the values endorsed at work.

What’s the problem here? Take lack of diversity and gender inequality for a start.

In my dissertation, I argue that leaders’ Ideal Employee image can be hazardous for leadership effectiveness. An 'Ideal Employee' image or 'employee prototype' can become rigid if strengthened by organizational values or processes. And, inflexible expectations determine leaders’ behaviors towards employees, their personnel related decisions and consequently, their work relationships. They can lead to idealized or unrealistic assessments and to great difficulties in hiring new team members.

A lack of cultural, intellectual or social diversity, as well as gender inequality in organizations are the direct result of people's prototypical expectations excluding non-conforming individuals. It's not their lack of skills, it's the organization's inability to register their skills.

What can organizations do about their leaders’ Ideal Employee image?

Now that we know that the work place co-determines the way leaders want their Ideal Employee to be, organizations can start managing their managers’ (unproductive) expectations. They can:

·         Find out what their leaders’ Ideal Employee profile is

·         Assess the prevailing organizational culture and other organization-related elements

·         Think about ways this Ideal Employee image may be at work on a daily basis

·         Be aware, manage and change the nature of their Ideal Employee image

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Apart from working as independent management trainer and coach since 2006, I am currently finishing my PhD dissertation in Economics with a focus on Leadership and Organizational change. Part of my work has been published this month in the Leadership & Organization Development Journal[1]. All throughout my career, I have been working closely with organizations in both Europe and the USA; my goal is to provide answers to real-world organizational problems on the basis of management science.

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[1] Derler, Andrea, and Weibler, Juergen. 2014. “The Ideal Employee: Context and Leaders’ Implicit Follower Theories.” Leadership & Organization Development Journal 35(5):386–409.

JAPANESE MARTIAL ARTS CENTER: Ann Arbor Jujutsu Practitioner Combines Martial Arts and Leadership Research | Andrea Derler

JAPANESE MARTIAL ARTS CENTER: Ann Arbor Jujutsu Practitioner Combines Martial Arts and Leadership Research | Andrea Derler: Jujutsu Practitioner Combines Martial Arts and Leadership Research