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In the VUCA/BANI global business environment, the crafting and execution of robust, adaptable strategies have become a key determinant of organizational success and sustainability. Traditionally, the upper levels of management have held the reins of strategy formulation, often creating a disconnect with the middle management layer. That layer which is primarily responsible for execution. This hierarchical approach, however, is being challenged and reshaped, promoting a collaborative ethos where middle management plays a pivotal role in both the formulation and execution of strategies. This blog not only explores the relationship between strategy formulation and execution, emphasizing the central role of middle management in fostering organizational prosperity and resilience but also offers some pertinent points to ponder upon as far as leadership development programs in India and Asia are concerned.

The strategy formulation paradigm:

Historically rooted in classical management theories, strategy formulation has been the domain of top management. This hierarchical approach, while systematic, often isolates middle management, who are closely engaged with the day-to-day operations and have firsthand insights into the operational intricacies of the business. The aftermath of this disconnect is profound, engendering strategies that are not fully aligned with ground realities, thereby hindering cohesive execution and alignment with organizational objectives. As organizations evolve, there is a burgeoning recognition of the need to integrate the rich insights and experience of middle management into the strategy formulation process, fostering strategies that are both realistic and finely attuned to the market dynamics.

The middle is the pulse:

Operating at the nexus of strategy and execution, middle management serves as the organizational pulse, harmonizing top-level strategies with ground operations. Their close engagement with operational realities, coupled with a deep understanding of customer preferences, positions them as vital contributors to strategy formulation. By assimilating the perspectives and insights of middle managers, organizations can craft strategies that are deeply grounded in reality, fostering a cohesive and motivated organizational environment. This integrative approach promotes agility and adaptability, enabling organizations to respond swiftly to changing market dynamics.

The pitfalls of excluding the middle:

The corporate landscape is dotted with instances where the exclusion of middle management from strategy formulation has precipitated significant failures. One such case is Kodak, a dominant player in the photography industry, which faltered in its transition to the digital era. Despite middle management’s awareness of the shifting market trends, their insights were largely overlooked, culminating in a strategy that was glaringly disconnected from the digital revolution that was reshaping industries. Similarly, Nokia’s descent from its position as a market leader can be attributed to a fragmented strategy formulation process, where inputs from middle management were not effectively integrated, resulting in a belated and inadequate response to the burgeoning smartphone market. In contrast, companies that fostered an inclusive approach to strategy formulation, integrating insights from middle management, have navigated market shifts with greater agility and success. For instance, Netflix’s transition from DVD rentals to streaming was facilitated by insights from various organizational levels, fostering a strategy that was both innovative and adaptive to market shifts.

The success arising from inclusiveness:

Conversely, organizations that have embraced a collaborative culture, actively engaging middle management in strategy formulation, have reaped substantial benefits. Google exemplifies this approach, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation that enables middle managers to actively contribute to strategy development, thereby nurturing an environment of innovation and agility.
Similarly, Toyota’s ascendancy in the global automotive sector can be attributed to its inclusive approach to strategy formulation. Through its lean management philosophy, the company engages employees across all levels in continuous improvement processes, crafting strategies that are firmly grounded in reality and aligned with organizational objectives.

Furthermore, the agile methodology adopted by many technology companies, which emphasizes cross-functional collaboration and iterative progress, demonstrates the success of inclusive strategy formulation. This approach encourages active participation from various organizational levels, fostering strategies that are adaptive, innovative, and closely aligned with market needs.
Navigating the complex and dynamic business environment necessitates a reevaluation of traditional approaches to strategy formulation and execution. Top executives should foster an environment that encourages active participation from middle management in strategy formulation. In their act of leadership coaching, they should focus on middle management training and leadership competency development training. This not only promotes a culture of inclusivity but also amplifies the chances of successful strategy execution. A vigilant approach towards identifying gaps in middle management involvement and initiating timely course corrections can pave the way for a synergistic and prosperous organizational ecosystem.

At GrowthSqapes, we understand the critical role played by the middle managers. Arising out of our extensive research and experience in the market, backed by the know-how of the globally recognized – The Tavistock Institute, our Middle Manager Development Program – G-PULSE is custom designed to enhance the capabilities of middle managers by focusing on several key competencies.

This blog has been written by Satyakki Bhattacharjee, the Managing Partner at GrowthSqapes.

At regular intervals, organizations engage with their employees in performance conversations to share where things are and where they need to be and maybe a glimpse of, what holds for the employee in the future. The idea for these performance dialogues is to show the employee the quintessential mirror of how things are and to show transparency and openness in the present and for the foreseeable future. Through this space, we try to explore and reflect on how performance dialogues can become a series of conversations that if handled well can bring out the best in people and may change the trajectory of their workplace performance.

Up first, let’s try and address what we understand by performance dialogues.

Performance dialogues are a documented and time-sensitive conversation between the supervisor and the team member regarding performance in the role, that ensures employee effectiveness and engagement and may make the employee more future-ready. As supervisors and subordinates get together to have performance conversations, from time to time, we also look at the finer nuances that a supervisor/manager must keep in mind to have meaningful and engaging performance conversations.

At the very outset we need to understand that performance dialogues are not just about feedback. That’s the first paradigm we need to change, Every supervisor will be well-off in understanding that this conversation does not just focus on one-sided feedback, it’s a dialogue, and hence it should go both ways. Additionally, organizations that embark on leadership development programs in India are now seeking to develop this skill in their managers through the middle management training and first time manager training programs. So, let’s try to dive deep and understand how managers can make performance dialogues more engaging & effective.

Make uninterrupted time for this: If you are a supervisor and are planning to have a performance conversation, make completely uninterrupted time for the same. Mobile phone on silent mode from both sides and a room that is comfortable and private to start with. Know this, that your team member will be guarded during this conversation, hence making them feel comfortable will be the least that we can do to start the dialogue.

Keep your biases to yourself: Please keep your biases about the team member you are having a dialogue with away or to the very least. Your team member will sense that there are negative biases at play during the dialogue and hence may make them more guarded and that may derail the whole dialogue. Go for this dialogue with an open mind with an intent to learn and understand about the other person and what they are communicating. The said and the unsaid both.

Seek first to understand and then to be understood: Allow your team member to share more about the work and their achievements. Listen with both your heart and mind. Build as many agreements as possible as that may make the colleague more open, effective, and engaging.To understand the other person better , ensure to doyour homework well. Deep dive into the data and check what kind of questions you may want to ask to bring in more clarity. Not knowing the full data about the performance of your team member dilutes your credibility and makes you look unprepared.

Feedforward and not feedback: Make the dialogue as constructive as possible and more future looking: While in praise, share the strengths of the colleague that they bring to the table and what those strengths can do for them, their role, and most importantly for the organization. Share the areas of improvement as neutrally as possible and not personally. Keep in mind that the areas of development must not be a laundry list, but just a couple of them that are the most important for the development of the colleague. This would help them drive their energies accordingly.

Keep the dialogue open both ways: Since this is a dialogue and the endeavor is to keep the conversation open both ways, allow the colleague to share perceived areas/ Behaviors where in you can also work on. This shows emotional maturity from you as a leader who also can work on areas. Once decided, make these areas a critical part of your “To Work On” list for the coming months. Here’s a success mantra: accountability works both ways.

Have check-in performance dialogues regularly: Performance dialogues do not have to be a year-end activity. When it’s too late to work on areas, the conversation becomes past-oriented rather than present and future-focused, and that almost is a waste of time rather than something constructive. Instead, make time regularly say, once a month, if that works for you to have to check in dialogue and focus on agreed-upon areas.

Don’t take the high ground with your colleague during the dialogue: There is every bit of tendency and temptation for you as a supervisor to take the high ground during the performance dialogues. Keep it to a bare minimum and allow yourself to come to the level of your colleague. Let’s not forget, that this conversation and this dialogue may have the potential to change the career trajectory of your colleague and not for the good all the time. Here’s a pro tip: operate from reason and not your designation.

Present your authentic self: Last but not least important, no matter how skilled you are, if your colleague feels that you are trying to manipulate them, or lead them in a completely different direction they may switch off and become more guarded. Being authentic and open and far more important character traits than just fancy communication skills.

This blog has been written by Rupender Khaira, an Associate Partner with Growthsqapes.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are more than just buzzwords in the corporate world; they are essential elements that can drive innovation, enhance employee engagement, and improve organizational outcomes. However, despite the increasing recognition of their importance, DEI initiatives often struggle with silent issues that undermine their effectiveness and impact. Here are seven such issues that need to be addressed for DEI efforts to truly flourish.

1. Tokenism

Tokenism occurs when organizations remember symbolic dates like International Women’s Day on March 8th but forget to celebrate and support women throughout the year. This approach reduces DEI efforts to mere checkboxes and fails to create a culture that genuinely values and promotes diversity. Instead of focusing on one-off celebrations, companies should strive to integrate the principles of diversity and inclusion into their everyday practices and policies.

2. Projectification

The projectification of DEI refers to the phenomenon where activities that should be an integral part of a company’s operations are treated as temporary or special projects. This approach can lead to the perception that DEI efforts are not core to the business but rather optional initiatives that can be started and stopped. For DEI to be effective, it must be woven into the fabric of organizational culture and strategy, rather than being sidelined as a project with a start and end date.

3. Representationism

Representationism is the practice of filling diversity quotas to appear inclusive on paper without committing to the spirit of inclusion. This issue reflects a superficial approach to DEI, where the focus is on outward appearances rather than on fostering genuine understanding, respect, and equity. Organizations need to move beyond mere numbers and statistics to create environments where diverse voices are heard, valued, and empowered.

4. Side-stream

DEI often remains side-stream, meaning it is not considered a mainstream priority in many organizations. This sidelining of DEI efforts can lead to them being overlooked or undervalued in strategic decision-making and resource allocation. To overcome this challenge, businesses must integrate DEI into their core mission and objectives, demonstrating a commitment to these values at the highest levels of leadership.

5. Compliant-Mindset

A compliant-mindset towards DEI involves doing the bare minimum to meet legal or societal expectations without genuinely embracing the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This approach treats DEI as a box to be checked rather than an ongoing commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Organizations should strive to exceed mere compliance and actively seek ways to enrich their culture and practices with DEI values.

6. Leadership Soft-Pedalling

Leadership soft-pedalling refers to the tendency of some business leaders to approach DEI issues with caution or indifference, failing to champion these initiatives with the vigor they require. For DEI efforts to be successful, they must be supported and advocated for by the organization’s leadership, demonstrating a clear and unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive culture.

7. Poor Interpretation

Poor interpretation of DEI involves a lack of understanding of the processes and principles underlying diversity, equity, and inclusion. This issue can lead to misguided efforts that fail to address the root causes of inequity and exclusion. Educating leaders and employees about the nuances of DEI can help organizations develop more effective strategies and initiatives that truly promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Addressing these seven silent issues is crucial for organizations that are serious about their DEI efforts. Leadership development programs in India must recalibrate the pedagogy by acknowledging and tackling these challenges head-on, and include such interventions that ensure businesses can move beyond superficial measures and make meaningful progress toward creating more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces.

This blog has been written by Satyakki Bhattacharjee, Managing Partner at Growthsqapes

Context

In many ways, we spend almost a third of our lives in our office. If you look around you will notice that some of your closest friends are people whom you met at various jobs over the course of your career. Perhaps it will be true for you also, that before the pandemic Covid 19, every day you looked forward to seeing friends at work, going out with them for lunch, getting coffee, being in meetings together, and having impromptu coffee-corner conversations. These friendships not only defined but also transformed what work meant to you. In fact, it wasn’t just work, it was life.

In the study of sociology, the “proximity principle” describes the tendency of people to form friendly bonds and interpersonal relationships with those who are nearby. We often tend to become friends with people we meet regularly, energizing each other, bringing joy to each other and sharing a smile, an inside joke, or few drinks after work.

Studies reveal that these friendships really matter for employee engagement. A Gallup survey found that employees who have a “best friend” at work are seven times more likely to be engaged at their job. This engagement has a positive corelation with employee motivation and organizational climate. For years prior to the pandemic, organizations benefited from the proximity principle. Many leaders further invested in office layouts, micro kitchens, and team bonding events to encourage even more shared moments. They were rewarded with a workforce that was highly engaged.

Then Covid happened. Proximity became harder to come by than ever. Even employees who did go to the office found it empty or populated by coworkers they barely know due to sanitization arrangements. After Covid, many workplaces have become hybrid. Work From Home is an established practice in the post Covid world for several reasons, both from the employer side and the employee side. However, as evidenced by several employee engagement surveys, burnout, and attrition across industries, employees’ social and emotional needs are no longer being met. Many people feel isolated and fatigued working from home, yet most (81%, according to a Harvard Business School survey) don’t want to give up the flexibility of not having to come in every day.

In the light of this new reality, it is for the leaders to take charge of the situation. How can leaders fill their employees’ cup? How do leaders provide autonomy and flexibility while fostering togetherness? How can they balance social interaction with efficiency, since no one likes long meetings? Leaders need something to replace the daily social dopamine shot employees used to get from interacting with coworkers in the office — but as we’ve experienced over the last two years, more emails and Teams/Zoom happy hours aren’t going to do the trick. So, what will?

The growing importance of organic interactions

Employee experience can be seen as the combination of three types of interactions. First is of one-to-many interactions, second is of one-to-one interactions and third is of one-to-few interactions. While the leadership teams set the strategy and provide coverage with corporate brand, culture, values, and policies such as compensation philosophy, parental leave, return-to-office mandates, and the like, the game on the ground is what employees experience day-to-day with their managers, peers, and subordinates. This ground game involves managers going out in the field, walking the talk, meeting up with people, and confronting real problems on the ground. This ground game is organic interaction in its purest form. And it is this ground game that is an antidote to the digital interactions.

While organizations need to have all three types of interactions, it’s often quite hard, if not impossible, for a corporate leadership team to facilitate deep connection from the top down. In today’s virtual and hybrid work reality, employee engagement and human connection are a person-to-person ground game. Imagine watching an IPL cricket match one evening in a stadium with your team mates versus watching the same on computer with everyone being logged in at the same time. We realize that the online experience is nowhere close. Analogically speaking, in a remote work environment, the ground game becomes more important than ever in driving employee experience, engagement, and loyalty.

Leaders are key

Owing to the fact that organic interaction has no alternate, leaders and managers are in the best position to initiate and facilitate these interactions because of the personal relationships they have with each member of their team. They are the proverbial key to unlock the doors of people- to- people organic interaction. But managers themselves need more support. A Gallup study showed that those who are in people management positions have taken a greater mental health hit than individual contributors. Over the last two-three years, many newly promoted managers, first time managers in particular, have been overwhelmed by having to suddenly manage remote workers facing issues pertaining to health, childcare, relocation, and a list of other personal challenges.

To succeed in the ground game, senior leaders and HR teams in organizations must support new managers with specialized onboarding, training, analytics, and ready-to-use FAQs and playbooks. They need to be imparted with first time manager training so that they are trained to address issues such as; what to do when an employee stops engaging during team meetings or has a family member who falls sick. In these dynamic times, leaders also need to grant managers greater autonomy to cut through some of the prevailing bureaucratic red tape and make the right decisions to support their employees in real time. As it emerges, many situations are still unprecedented and urgent. Hence managers need to be trusted to make the correct decisions in the moment in addition to knowing where to go if additional support is required. For the leaders, they also need to be exposed to leadership development programs so that they can learn newer ways to support and facilitate their teams.

This blog is written by Namita Singh, a Consultant & Project Manager with GrowthSqapes.

As we at Growthsqapes reflect on 2023 and close the year, our journey as a Learning & Development Consulting firm has been both enriching and insightful. It’s a privilege to dive into the depths of organizational dynamics and leadership intricacies, uncovering lessons vital for both business growth and personal leadership development. As the year draws to a close, we are thrilled to share with you our top four learnings that have significantly shaped our professional approach. These learnings come from our work in leadership development programs in India and Asia.

1. Embracing Systems Competence In Leadership One of our most profound realizations this year has been the critical role of systems competence in effective leadership. True leadership effectiveness stems from an ability to understand the interconnectedness within an organization. This year, we observed a CEO who, by adopting a systems-thinking approach, transformed their organization. This shift not only resolved chronic issues but also fostered a more adaptive and innovative culture.
   
   Key Takeaway: Systems thinking is an imperative leadership skill. Understanding organizational interconnectedness is key to holistic decision-making.
   
   
2. Leveraging Human-Data Driven Insights In 2023, we placed a greater emphasis on integrating human-process data with traditional data analytics. This approach, which considers unconscious aspects of employee behaviour and interaction, provides deeper insights into organizational health, productivity, and effectiveness. For instance, combining employee sentiment analysis with performance metrics led to more nuanced and effective business strategies.
   
   Key Takeaway: Expand data analytics to include human-process insights for enriched understanding and enhanced decision-making accuracy.
   
   
3. Climate Intelligence: A New Leadership Imperative This year, we’ve seen Climate Intelligence (CQ) emerge as a critical component of leadership. Similar to the impact of Emotional Intelligence (EQ), CQ is becoming increasingly relevant. CQ involves understanding and responding to the business implications of climate change, including integrating Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) into business strategies. Leaders with high CQ are more adept at navigating future challenges and fostering future readiness.
   
   Key Takeaway: Develop Climate Intelligence and align organizational strategies with SDGs and KRAs for future-ready leadership and sustainable green business.
   
   
4. Moving Beyond Eloquence To Competence While effective communication is essential, we’ve learned that eloquence should not overshadow competence. True leadership is demonstrated through actions and informed decisions rather than just persuasive speech. This year, we witnessed instances where leaders’ reliance on their communication skills masked underlying deficiencies.
   
   Key Takeaway: Prioritize substance and action over style. Effective leadership is rooted in expertise and informed action.

Outlook

These four macro insights have been pivotal in our growth, evolution and solutioning as a consulting firm. They highlight the changing landscape of leadership and organizational dynamics. As we continue our journey as one of the best corporate training companies in India, we remain dedicated to learning, sharing, and offering solutions that foster effective leadership and resilient organizations for business growth.

As we look to the future, we envision a landscape of continual growth and capability building for business growth within the realm of organizational development. Our journey just begins with these insights; as stepping stones towards a broader, more collaborative exploration and solutioning for effective leadership and organizational resilience.

We see a future where conversations and shared experiences become the bedrock for innovation and growth. Our commitment extends beyond our current learnings, anticipating a dynamic and evolving dialogue with leaders and organizations worldwide. Together, we aim to forge a path that leads to enriched understanding and sustained progress through strategic capability building.

In this ever-changing landscape, whether we do online leadership development trainings in India or in-person leadership development programs in India and Asia, Growthsqapes stands at the forefront, ready to navigate, adapt, and contribute to the collective growth and development of organizations and their leaders.

All of us @ Growthsqapes.