2023 has presented numerous challenges in the spheres of HR and management. It has seen organisations battling to attract and retain talent, bolster employee engagement and navigate hybrid working.
Amidst global social, economic and environmental uncertainty, businesses are only beginning to grapple with rapid advances in AI. Many managers are buried under heavy workloads and are unequipped to deal with ‘people issues’. And for their part, employees are struggling with cost of living, working longer hours and suffering from a disconnect and breach of trust with organisations demanding a ‘return to work’ regardless of the consequences.
But is it all doom and gloom? Not necessarily.
At Belbin, we believe that adopting a behaviour-based approach to work can help businesses to address all manner of challenges more effectively, from helping managers delegate to making hybrid working work for you.
So, which issues look set to dominate the agenda in 2024? And how can we use the Belbin Team Roles framework to address these at scale and at pace for a better year ahead?
1. The acceleration of AI
With great power comes great responsibility. AI has the capacity to revolutionise HR, enabling us to make more informed decisions when it comes to our people.
But this year has also taught us that there are some things that are – at least for now – the sole domain of humans: our empathy, our complex problem-solving skills and our resourcefulness in collaboration, to name but a few. As Talan Miller of Belbin Australia writes,
“Our human ability to problem-find, problem-frame and then problem-solve in teams will hold great value for the foreseeable future”.
To find out more about the people skills that will come to the fore in the age of AI, check out Talan’s article: https://www.belbin.com/resources/blogs/what-are-future-proof-skills-for-the-coming-age-of-a-i
2. Intergenerational working
According to LinkedIn, we can expect an ‘unretirement’ wave in 2024, as the oldest members of the workforce defer retirement or return to work, citing cost of living as a major contributory factor. Meanwhile, Generation Y are entering management, with Generation Z hot on their heels.
This could be good news for the workforce as a whole. Research in Harvard Business Review states that ‘age diversity’ can be valuable, so long as team members articulate their differences – and are willing to learn from one another.
Here’s how to make that happen: https://www.teamhub.co.nz/flexibility-diversity-self-awareness-why-what-generation-z-are-looking-for-could-benefit-everyone/
3. Developing managers
According to Gartner, 73% of HR leaders confirmed their organisation’s leaders and managers aren’t equipped to lead change. Managers are reporting overwhelming workloads and a lack of training.
It’s time to consider: how and why are we promoting managers? Is it time to revisit that strategy to put behavioural strengths front and centre? And what can we do to help managers once they’re in role?
Here’s our take: https://www.belbin.com/resources/articles-directory/promoted-to-incompetence-the-rise-of-the-accidental-managers
4. Change management
Gartner reports that 82% of HR leaders say their managers aren’t equipped to lead change.
This year, we’ve learned that people don’t seek leaders who are certain, they seek leaders who are adaptable. In other words, we don’t want a leader who’s qualified to see us through this crisis. We want one with the aptitude to make the best of any crisis.
So how do we understand individual approaches to change and use our understanding of behavioural strengths to boost resilience and foster a more positive response to change.
This webinar explains how to use the language of Belbin Team Roles to cope with change in your teams: https://www.belbin.com/resources/articles-directory/belbin-and-change-webinar
And this article explores attitudes to change by Team Role: https://www.teamhub.co.nz/belbin-team-roles-and-change/
5. Hybrid working
With some companies adopting a ‘return to the office’ policy this year, the hybrid war is far from over. And that’s because hybrid work acts as a barometer for many other aspects of organisational health.
If employees can’t be trusted to work remotely, is this indicative of poor management or poor engagement? If people don’t want to come into the office, are they trying to steer clear of a bad manager or a toxic working environment? If they are disengaged, are they the right people, and are they being given the opportunity to play to their strengths?
If you want to gather people to innovate, do you know who in your team works best with others and who generates ideas in isolation? If you want your team together for meetings, have you made sure that all (and only) the necessary people are included?
We have so much to say in this area, but here are a few starters:
- https://www.teamhub.co.nz/maximising-your-effectiveness-in-remote-and-hybrid-work/
- https://www.belbin.com/resources/articles-directory/making-the-most-of-meetings-with-belbin
Whatever business challenges 2024 brings you, Belbin is here to help. From effective delegation to engagement and beyond, Belbin reports, training courses and workshops can help. Harness the language of Team Roles to boost individual and team performance through practical, behaviour-based working strategies.
We look forward to working with you this year!