{"id":3941,"date":"2025-04-23T19:52:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T19:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aomtodayprod.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=3941"},"modified":"2025-07-17T14:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T14:09:10","slug":"how-organizations-undermine-managers-effectiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aom.org\/today\/how-organizations-undermine-managers-effectiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"How Organizations Undermine Managers\u2019 Effectiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Daniel Butcher<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Many organizations are guilty of some common missteps when it comes to how they\u2019re handling their managers.<\/p>\r\n

Academy of Management Scholar Carol Kulik<\/a> of the University of South Australia said that part of the problem is that managers don\u2019t have the chance to practice leadership skills or management strategies and tactics before they have to actually put them into practice leading a team.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cMany line managers don\u2019t get proper training before taking on their role, and as a result, their first thought is the impact of employees\u2019 career-development decisions on themselves; this is a very natural reaction,\u201d Kulik said. \u201cSo when an employee comes to you and says, \u2018I have this other job opportunity, and I’m going to be leaving,\u2019 it\u2019s hard for line managers in the moment to say, \u2018Oh, that does sound like a good opportunity; I\u2019m happy for you,\u2019 because what they\u2019re thinking in their head is, \u2018Oh, this really sucks for me, because I\u2019ve made this big investment in onboarding and developing you and now I\u2019m going to have to replace you.\u2019<\/p>\r\n

\u201cLeadership has to train line managers to find the right words at the right time,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd most organizations don\u2019t make that investment in their line managers. \u201cI know it sounds contradictory, but line managers need to have these scripts available, to be prepared for the unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Kulik said that she encourages organizations to look carefully at their line managers.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI often call them the unsung heroes,\u201d she said. \u201cOrganizations have so much hanging on the line managers doing the right thing at the right time in individual interactions with their team members, and I think they\u2019re chronically underappreciated in organizations today.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n

A sample of Kulik\u2019s AOM research findings:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n