Increased mistrust of the leaders of very large companies

Today, we are witnessing a phenomenon of increased mistrust of managers in the company. An Odoxa study published in March 2019 indicates that 66% of respondents have a bad opinion of the bosses of very large companies, describing them as “contemptuous”, “authoritarian” or “dishonest”. Beyond the lack of human qualities attributed to the managers of very large companies, 70% of those surveyed consider that they are only acting for their personal interest. Faced with this “crisis” of managers, it is tempting to think that we no longer need managers in companies: the solution would simply be to separate ourselves from them!

The evil of the century : the loss of meaning

However, a very significant figure is also highlighted by the Odoxa study; 80% of those surveyed have a favourable opinion of managers… of SMEs. What if the tutelary figure of the manager was not really called into question? What if the mistrust of leaders comes from the distance between the leader and his teams? As well as in the growing loss of meaning for employees?
Indeed, in recent years, psychological suffering at work, “bullshit jobs” and employee disengagement have been increasingly highlighted. A new concept then appeared: the “brown-out”. This refers to a new form of occupational disease, such as burn-out or bore-out, where employees consider their work to be useless. The “brown-out” therefore makes it possible to popularize the new evil from which employees suffer: the loss of meaning.

From the authoritarian manager to the inspiring manager

How can we give employees meaning in their daily work? How can we value them and inspire them to give the best of themselves? How can we develop stronger employee engagement? The answer lies in a Harris Interactive study on the impact of CEOs on Twitter. While 30% of Twitter users follow executive accounts, 51% have been positively influenced by the words of executives! Proof that managers are still necessary to the company, since they play a role in mobilizing their teams, and more broadly Internet users.
What if the problem was not so much the manager himself, as the Odoxa study suggested, but rather his role? Indeed, employees no longer expect their managers to be vertical and authoritarian. On the contrary, they aspire to more autonomy to achieve their goals and they want to be inspired and motivated by their leader. The manager can then help employees find daily meaning in their work.
This redefinition of the role of the leader, from the authoritarian manager to the inspiring manager, has already made its way into many companies. The concept of the liberated company is revealing in this respect. Indeed, the liberated company advocates a stronger bond of trust between the manager and his team, the reduction of the number of intermediaries, greater autonomy for employees and an inversion of the managerial pyramid.

The corporate manager: more necessary than ever!

If the Odoxa study can lead us to think that we no longer need managers. On the contrary, it reveals that they are more necessary than ever. Indeed, managers remain a fundamental link in the company; Only they can create links and give meaning to our organizations.

To read the full article by Christian Pousset, click here: https://www.hbrfrance.fr/chroniques-experts/2019/06/26331-dirigeants-une-espece-en-voie-de-disparition/
The Odoxa study on the image of business leaders, published on March 14, 2019: https://www.odoxa.fr/sondage/mauvaise-image-grands-patrons-plombe-celle-de-lensemble-chefs-dentreprise/
The Harris Interactive study #CEOs on Twitter, published on October 14, 2018: https://blog.twitter.com/fr_fr/topics/company/2018/etude-dirigeants-sur-twitter.html