Dive Brief:
- The people leader role is in need of “a deliberate redesign,” according to research released Friday by global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Co.
- In its current iteration, the demands of the people leader role, coupled with increasing complexity, evolving employee expectations and continuous change, are “pushing the role to an unsustainable point,” research found.
- Nearly 3 in 4 of leaders said that leadership skill sets will need to change completely or almost completely to adapt to the future of work in 2030, and 74% of organizations find it challenging to develop effective people leaders, according to previous surveys by McLean & Co.
Dive Insight:
“People leaders are carrying a workload that has expanded far beyond what the role was ever designed to support,” Lexi Hambides, director of HR research and advisory services at McLean & Co., said in a statement. “They are expected to coach, inspire, drive strategy, and support wellbeing while navigating constant disruption.”
Given the fast adoption of artificial intelligence into the workplace and evolving worker expectations, “leadership can’t be defined the way it once was,” Hambides said. Even the most capable leaders, she said, are being overwhelmed.
To that end, nearly 8 in 10 HR decision-makers said the CHRO role is expanding or increasing in importance, according to a November DSG Global report.
“Organizations that rethink the role now will be far better positioned to build resilient teams, strong cultures, and future-ready leaders,” Hambides said.
The McLean & Co. research “calls for a fundamental redesign of the role to enable leaders to focus on what drives the greatest impact: enabling people, fostering resilience, and translating strategy into meaningful action.” That can involve clarifying the purpose of the role, redesigning workloads to consider “visible and invisible responsibilities,” matching HR programs with leader expectations and using technology to give leaders more time for higher-value work.
“Without a reimagined approach, organizations risk losing the very leaders they rely on to navigate the future,” the research warns.
The challenges facing leaders have been repeatedly documented. For example, two-thirds of managers said they struggle with heavy workloads, according to a January Top Workplaces report. Likewise, C-suite executives said they are experiencing a “crisis of confidence” as they face higher levels of stress, burnout and turnover, according to a February LHH report.
As a result, “high-potential employees are increasingly opting out of leadership roles due to stress and limited reward,” McLean & Co. found.