Resistance from engineers and millennials

The group that had the biggest problem with management was the company’s engineers.
Engineers have reason to dislike bad management. This field in particular fosters creative
individuals who have their own personal style of doing things. When someone tries to
micromanage this type of worker it results in conflicts and a loss of interest. Laszlo Bock, author
of "Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live" explained:

”Engineers generally think managers are at best a necessary evil, but mainly they get in the way,
create bureaucracy, and screw things up.”

However, it’s not just engineer driven companies that are experiencing this transition. A survey
by Virtuali found that 83% of millennials want fewer layers of management. This means they
want managers who are easily approachable and willing to take their opinions into account. This
is evident in today’s millennial led organizations that favor open work spaces where CEOs,
managers and employees work alongside each other.

Leading gaming company Valve took it so far as to abolish the management level entirely,
instead relying on a completely flat organizational structure. Avant garde shoe company Zappos
has become well known for being the first large company to introduce holacracy, an
organizational structure that focuses less on traditional management roles and more on
autonomy. Google itself experimented with a flat structure in 2002 but had to revert back a few
months later. Project Oxygen came about in 2008 as a means to address the management crisis.

Project Oxygen
In an environment where the conventional is always challenged, Google’s People Innovation Lab
started Project Oxygen trying to prove that manager quality does not have an impact on
performance. To prove this point they hired a group of statisticians to evaluate the differences
between the highest and lowest rated managers. Data was collected using past performance
appraisals, employee surveys, interviews and other sources of employee feedback.

However, instead they proved that good management actually makes a difference. To better
define what makes a good manager they came up with a list of 8 qualities based on the data
received.

 Google’s Project Oxygen findings

 Is a good coach
 Empowers the team and does not micromanage
 Expresses interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being
 Is productive and results-oriented
 Is a good communicator—listens and shares information
  Helps with career development
 Has a clear vision and strategy for the team
 Has key technical skills that help him or her advise the team

While this list seems obvious there were three reasons why it had such a big impact on
management at Google. First, it was based on people analytics. At Google scientific evidence is
key, therefore using people analytics gave the project greater credibility. The fact that it was
based on employee feedback encouraged wider employee buy in and trust. Similarly, the hard
data helped to convince managers why they needed to improve their management style.

Second, the interesting thing is that technical skills came in last. While it’s important that
managers have the needed technical level to guide employees, soft skills such as coaching and
communication are absolutely essential. This proves that being a great developer doesn’t
necessarily make you a great manager.

Third, it provided a checklist of management qualities. As Bock explains in his book, whether or
not your manager is well versed in management 101 and every training course your company
offers, having a checklist makes a big difference as it actually reminds managers to remember
and implement these skills on a daily basis.

As a result, Google changed its feedback surveys to mirror these qualities. Instead of simply
measuring how much output a manager achieves, the surveys now focus on how much time they
spend coaching their team, whether or not they communicate a clear vision, etc. They also
developed new management training programs centered around these skills.

Donovan explained that, “Having a good manager is essential, like breathing. And if we make
managers better it would be like a breath of fresh air.” As Google takes its No. 1 spot for the
sixth year in a row in Fortune’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ list, isn’t it time to try a new
strategy for developing your managers?

How this applies to your company

Great employees don’t always make great managers

Though it may be common sense that a company of engineers would value technical knowledge
and ability in a manager, it is telling that this skill came in last place on Google’s list.

Great employees don’t always make the best managers - some engineers may prefer to focus on
their work. You have to have patience, great communication skills, the ability to see the big
picture and create long term goals.

The problem is that the traditional company is based on linking promotions with higher levels of
managerial responsibilities. It’s time for your company to rethink this strategy. Instead of putting
people with great technical skills in management positions, put people with great leadership
skills. Some companies have instituted dual tracks so that not everyone has to take the
management path.

Become a great coach

Becoming a great coach, especially in the tech world, is essential. What engineers, developers
and everyone under the sun really want is a manager who knows how to distinguish the line
between coaching and micromanaging.

To learn where this line lies, think about your employee. Are they an engineer with +5 years of
experience? Then what they probably need most is a manager who will help them to set goals
and then stand back and allow them to execute them in their own way (as long as this gets
results). As a manager one of your most important responsibilities is to guide your employees
towards goals that fall in line with your company’s objectives and and long term goals.

That being said, also allow some space for creativity. Google’s 20% time resulted in popular
products such as Gmail and AdSense. While there are rumors that this is not an official policy of
Google anymore, as a manager, encouraging employees to take some time to work on an
innovative new project they’ve pitched can bring you great products and loyalty from motivated
employees.

New engineers on the other hand may need more coaching. Here the line may become thinner
but the best way to provide guidance while not encroaching on your employee's freedom is
through feedback.

Feedback culture

Being able to give feedback the right way is the strongest tool in your management utility belt
(think more Batman than Home Depot). Two-thirds of millennials believe it’s their manager's
responsibility to provide them with development opportunities.

Despite this, many managers are often hesitant to give constructive feedback to their employees,
fearing their reaction. However, this is a major part of the development process, so if your
employees don’t know what they need to do to improve, their professional development could
become stagnant. Many leading HR and People Teams have recognized this risk, and are
finding new ways to support Managers to have more continuous conversations with their team to
help fuel performance as well as professional development.

Delivering well balanced actionable feedback is the answer. When you have to deliver
constructive feedback, some managers balance it out by first explaining to their employee what
they’re doing well. Always make sure your feedback places emphasis on actions and completely
avoids personality traits. For example, “I noticed you talked over Mark in the meeting yesterday”
rather than “You’re overbearing in meetings.” Always provide advice on how they can fix the
situation and discuss the best solution. For more in depth background, check out this article
on how to give effective feedback.

In return, it’s also important to millennials that managers are open to their feedback. This
generation does not like to see hierarchal barriers that prevent their ideas from being heard. This
means that managers also have to be good at not only receiving feedback, but acting upon it as
well.

Finally don’t forget that positive feedback is also needed. When your employee reaches an
achievement a great coach always remembers to recognize them for their efforts.

Get to know your employees

This is important both at a professional and personal level. Getting to know your employees’
strengths will help you give better feedback and show them you have a genuine interest in their
career. Managers who know their employees’ strengths are 71% more likely to have people who
are engaged and energized. Showing them you’re taking an interest in their career and
professional goals will help you gain a loyal workforce.

Give your managers the tools they need to lead the modern workforce

Managing teams today is a tough job, and they rarely get the support they need to succeed. Just
like your employees, offering regular trainings on key skills will keep managers engaged and
motivated to improve their management strategies. Here are a few topics that every management
training program should include:

 How to give and receive feedback as a manager

 How to run effective 1-on-1s
 How to engage employees
 Tackling unconscious bias

Beyond this, providing your managers with helpful tools to provide more actionable and
effective feedback will go a long way to helping them keep their teams engaged and motivated.

Learn how Impraise provides your Managers with the tools needed to better understand their
teams and helps them embed regular performance conversations and coaching opportunities into
every day workflows – so they're empowered to build more engaged and high performing teams.