Managing all employees in the same way can satisfy equal treatment policies in the workplace. Yet, that does nothing for employee’s well-being or performance. The solution? Adopting an individualized leadership rapport to contribute to organizational success and the retention of workers.
“For a long time, we thought that all employees should be managed in the same way. However, the manager develops a different relationship from one employee to another,” states Guylaine Landry, professor in organizational and human resources at the department of School of Management at the UQAM. “Supervisors will identify this when questioned.”
As the idea of equality still remains anchored in most minds, it is a reality that is not always considered in business. However, having an individualized relationship with each employee should not be confused with favouritism. “It is not about having darlings,” says the expert in manager-employee relationships. “It's like with children. We love them all, yet we develop a slightly different relationship with each one of them.”
Proven benefits
Studies conducted by human resource researchers demonstrated that adapted management has positive effects on everyone. "It's often the boss that we quit, not the job," says Landry. "Individualized leadership is great for staff retention." Another advantage is that it increases the workforce motivation. "This is true both in terms of subjective performance indicators and for objective criteria, such as sale volumes or growth rates."
There are also positive impacts in terms of employees' psychological well-being, which translates itself into a domino effect of good interactions among colleagues. "The immediate supervisor is the driving gear, as it represents the organization in the employees' eyes," says Landry.
How to develop an individualized leadership style?
To create custom, quality relationships with employees, one must adopt behaviours that promote a sense of justice at home. Rejecting an increase will not alone cause deep dissatisfaction like the lack of an explanation and the impression of not being treated with respect and dignity would. And be careful not to place blame on senior management teams. "Employees recognize a decision made by their immediate superior versus those coming from above," states Landry.
Demonstrating emotional support and understanding is also essential. "Emotionally supporting your employees at crucial moments in their professional or personal lives is a powerful tool for developing quality relationships," she says. "As for feedback, it should come every day. We must not wait for the end of year review to recognize successes." Generally speaking, workers need to be treated as unique individuals and feel that their skills are being put to good use.
It takes time
Good news: it's possible for a manager to develop this type of leadership style. There are special training programs that can help achieve this. "Even clumsy or imperfect efforts made in this direction are appreciated by the staff," says Landry.
Establishing these relationships with employees takes time. However, some managers oversee dozens of people. "In this case, you need to surround yourself with quality colleagues in order for the message to reach employees," she says. "Supervisors who have good relations with their own bosses often have better relations with their employees!"