In the past, we’ve discussed how managers feel unique pressure in the middle of the organization and they aren’t getting the support they need.
Gallup even wrote a book on the topic called It’s the Manager. They highlighted the role managers play in the engagement of individuals on their team. The premise was that managers need to shift from boss to coach.
Gartner published a report based on their Manager Survey that suggests the challenges managers face can’t be solved with skills training.
Instead, they need organizational support.
The report found that the average manager has 51% more responsibilities than they can effectively handle, and they are spending 59% of their time “working to do work”. – Gartner
I struggled a bit to understand what was meant by “working to do work”. I’m aware of people feeling they must leave work to get their work done, but this phrase was new to me and there wasn’t a clear definition from Gartner.
So, I turned to AI for support.
My prompts uncovered a list of things that make sense. Here’s the summary of things considered “working to do work”.
- Supporting Activities – Administrative work like setting up meetings, managing communication channels, and other necessary yet less productive activities.
- Coordination – Effort to align goals, set plans, and schedule work across teams.
- Collaboration – Communicate among team members, with stakeholders, and across departments to resolve conflicts and ensure collaboration.
- Documentation and Reporting – Creating reports and summaries of work progress. This includes status reports, project documentation, performance, and compliance.
- Problem Solving / Troubleshooting – Resolving unexpected issues and conflict.
- Resource Management – Managing budgets, time, and personnel.
- Meeting Prep and Follow-Up – Preparing agendas, gathering materials, action plans, etc.
- Adapting to Change – Revising plans and evolving requirements.
My Perspective
I think there is something interesting here.
Companies are focused on training/coaching managerial / soft skills.
Yet, this might not be what managers need.
Support to shift the organizational processes and/or redefine the role of the manager.
This makes me feel like there are two types of managers – people and project.
Leading the team or the work.
We can do one well, but trying to manage both is leaving managers burning out and feeling like they are falling short on both.
Your Turn
What do you think of these findings?
Do you see these challenges at your workplace?
How could we start to address the core problem instead of the surface issues?