Generative AI. Mental health. Hybrid working. Since the pandemic, the way people work in organisations across the globe has continued to evolve at pace, with the future of work becoming a hot topic. KDVI Research Associate, Alicia Cheak, has been exploring the research to not only identify the trends impacting (or soon to be impacting) organisations and leaders, but also what this means for Leadership Development practice. Here, Alicia picks out three ways Leadership Development teams need to adapt their approach:
Rarely have we seen the pace of change within organisations moving at such high speeds. The pandemic brought hybrid and remote working into the mainstream, while the recent advent of generative AI has brought a mixture of uncertainty and excitement. How, where and when people work is constantly evolving and the source of continued debate.
And this continuous change requires Leadership Development to adapt. Organisational objectives are constantly shifting in response to highly dynamic markets, there is a lack of consistency, and leaders themselves are focusing on business imperatives, leading to a lack of leadership involvement. The result? The traditional approaches are no longer sufficient, and we need a multi-faceted approach. Here are three ideas that organisations can utilise as part of a development strategy:
Personalised Content
The fact that we all learn differently is now well-established in organisational development teams. While that doesn’t mean the days of endless e-learnings are necessarily gone for everyone, highly personalised approaches to development are being put into place in many forward-thinking organisations. Blended learning environments, augmented with technology and customised content, allows individuals to find the right path for them, creating a development journey that resonates with their specific interests, skills, and developmental areas.
Coaching certification: Ensuring Quality and Impact
While the concept of coaching for senior leaders has been around for decades, the past few years have seen a positive shift towards coaching being offered at multiple levels of organisations. Of course, this is a good thing – the more that people can have access to quality coaching, the better. But the democratisation of coaching can’t come with quality sacrificed, so ensuring that certification standards for coaches and evaluation metrics are in place is crucial.
Leveraging Interpersonal and Group Processes
An organisation is a myriad of interdependencies; within and between teams, departments and business units. These interdependencies provide fertile ground for development, as working in cross-functional groups and teams gives the opportunity to embed peer and group coaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing. Putting these platforms and processes in place drives collaboration and innovation, enabling people to develop and leverage relationships across the entire ecosystem, while making a culture of coaching the norm.
At KDVI, we use the group coaching methodology pioneered by Manfred Kets de Vries to create the space for executives in the hectic world of work to step back and gain perspective on personal and organisational challenges, clarity on priorities and to use the power of the group to align teams in the pursuit of shared objectives while finding the courage for personal and professional change.
We’ll be covering more from our future of work trends research in our related articles. In the meantime, find out more about Alicia Cheak.