Element of human resources management

Assignment Help Business Management
Reference no: EM131258286

https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-try-a-new-strategy-empathy-1466501403

Article Analysis: write a 2-3 double-spaced page analysis of the article.

The essays should be organized in the following manner:

1) Overview and description of the article (brief)

2) Identification of how the article relates to some element of Human resources management (HRM)

3) Discussion of the benefits and/or consequences of the HRM component to the firm/industry (what is your opinion/stance on the issue)

Here is the article in case the website doesn't work.

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa.-Until recently, Aaron Gibson wouldn't have called himself an empathetic boss. He considered himself a "no-nonsense" leader with high standards. But some employees cited his blunt and brusque manner when they quit the three local YMCAs he runs.

Mr. Gibson changed his style after a recent leadership workshop at a consultancy here, where he and other leaders got a crash course about leading with empathy. The YMCA regional executive director realized he didn't understand his staffers' needs. "You never know what someone is feeling unless you ask," he says.

Corporate empathy may sound like an oxymoron, but more businesses are emphasizing the trait in developing managers and products. Cisco Systems Inc., Breakthru Beverage Group and Ford Motor Co. , have invested in empathy training to improve management, retain employees, or guide design decisions.

Individuals who master listening and responding to others are the most successful leaders, and this skill outranks all others, concluded a study released this year by human-resources consultancy Development Dimensions International. The finding reflects assessments of more than 15,000 leaders in 18 countries. A 2011 study of 6,731 managers from 38 countries by the Center for Creative Leadership also uncovered strong performance by empathetic bosses, saying they "effectively build and maintain relationships."

About 20% of U.S. employers offer empathy training as part of management development, up significantly from a decade ago, estimates Richard S. Wellins, a DDI senior vice president. He expects that percentage will double in 10 years.

Empathy Exercises

Tips for practicing empathy at work:

  • Pay careful attention to colleagues' emotions, not just their words
  • Use phrases like "I hear that you're feeling angry," to recognize a person's emotions without being judgmental
  • Be authentic and sincere even when you disagree with someone's feelings
  • Use phrases that both acknowledge emotions and still hold employees accountable

Source: Development Dimensions International

Contemporary workers "want a sense of connection," which empathetic managers offer, says Adam Waytz, an empathy researcher and associate professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Yet, few companies scientifically measure outcomes from this training, he adds.

At least one measure suggests that empathy boosts corporate results, too. The top 10 businesses among 160 in a 2015 Global Empathy Index generated 50% more net income per employee than the bottom 10. The index analyzed such factors as how well those companies treat workers and communicate with customers.

The Empathy Business-the consultancy that produces the index-also advises businesses such as Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., a British sports car maker eager to attract more female buyers. Treating customers empathetically "differentiates our business,'' says Chief Executive Andrew Palmer.

Encouraged by Empathy Business, Aston Martin created an all-female advisory board to advise on design of the DBX, a spacious new model. This international customer board can veto engineering decisions and will eventually weigh in on marketing.

Ford also incorporates empathy into vehicle design. Newly hired engineering graduates must don an "empathy belly" shortly after they join design teams. The weighted garment makes a wearer feel like an expectant mother-including extra pounds, back pain and bladder pressure. Engineers personally experience challenges facing pregnant drivers, who need "a little more room to get in and out of the car," says Katie Allanson, a Ford ergonomics specialist.

After 30 minutes of simulated pregnancy, male colleagues often ask Ms. Allanson when they can take off the belly. ("Three more months to go," she jokes.) The practice has influenced ergonomic features in certain models, such as easier automatic adjustments of the driver seat.

DDI and several rivals strongly emphasize empathy during broader leadership training for clients. Many bosses lack the skill, its studies show.

In self-assessments before their DDI session this spring, a third of 19 first-line supervisors and senior managers from local businesses and nonprofits scored lower on empathy than other leadership traits.

Bosses don't think they need much empathy to lead people and so "we don't give it a lot,'' trainer Diana Powell told participants gathered in an airy classroom.

Good staffers are less likely to leave if they sense bosses are attuned to their feelings, the DDI senior consultant said, adding that empathy "is about listening to the feeling and responding to that feeling."

Easier said than done. In a role-playing exercise, some participants had to inform an overworked staffer about errors in a client technical document that he prepared for another unit. Playing the pretend supervisor, a human-resources manager tried to reassure him by saying she appreciated his contributions.

The man playing the staffer wasn't impressed, however. He angrily declared, "I need my boss to say, 'Dude, I screwed up. I have not supported you the way you need to be.'''

Ms. Powell suggested the boss instead could have said, "I understand you feel anxious and frustrated around this situation" before detailing the critique and promising extra resources.

Effective empathy requires practice to become "unconscious competence," though managers must still hold subordinates accountable, Ms. Powell said.

Mr. Gibson, raised in a tough Pittsburgh neighborhood, has practiced empathy extensively since the workshop, listening harder and dropping his intimidating, constant stare during employee encounters.

He now finds staffers more comfortable about talking to him. "It's a 180-degree difference," Mr. Gibson says.

Some employers even require supervisors to update their empathy acumen regularly. At Breakthru Beverage, a New York-based distributor of alcoholic drinks, sales managers must take a short refresher course about empathy every year.

"Empathy is chess, not checkers,'' explains Dennis DiMaggio, Breakthru's chief learning officer. "It takes a while to develop that skill.''

Reference no: EM131258286

Questions Cloud

Behaviour from these purchases : If you have a credit card, make a detailed list of all of your purchases for the past six months. Then write a paragraph describing what credit card companies learned about your interests and behaviour from these purchases.
Books parks and recreation perpetual care fund : The City of Ridgetown received a gift of $3,000,000 from a local resident on April 1, 2012 and signed an agreement that the funds would be invested on a permanent basis and the income would be used to maintain all of the city parks and recreation cen..
Compute the availability of machines in the department : Determine how many total hours per year the 25 machines in the department are under repair both before and after the preventive maintenance program is installed.
Create an iequippable interface that contain an equip method : Create an IEquippable interface that contains an Equip method with no return value that accepts a Character parameter. Create an abstract class called Armor that derives from IEquippable and has member int called defense.
Element of human resources management : 1) Overview and description of the article (brief) 2) Identification of how the article relates to some element of Human resources management (HRM) 3) Discussion of the benefits and/or consequences of the HRM component to the firm/industry (what is ..
Compute and analyze items - projected income statement : GMB6000- MANAGERIAL FINANCE - Compute and analyze items (a) through (h) using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and calculate The Payback period.
What is the main difference between the funds : What are fiduciary funds? Please identify and explain the two main types and what is the main difference between the funds?
Accounts receivable and allowance for uncollectible accounts : The following events occur for The Underwood Corporation during 2018 and 2019, its first two years of operations. Record transactions for each date. Post transaction to the following accounts: Cash, Accounts Receivable, and Allowance for Uncollectibl..
Determine the number of quotation levels : A contuses voltage signal is to be converted into its digital counterpart using an analog to-digital converter. The maximum voltage range is ±30 v. The ADC has a 12·bit capacity.

Reviews

Write a Review

 

Business Management Questions & Answers

  Define the requirements for effective mrp

Briefly discuss the requirements for effective MRP. The citation provided is a guideline. Please check each citation for accuracy before use.

  Defend your stance with research application

Do you think CMG is a successful company? Defend your stance with research application. How do CMG's resources support the company's competitive position?

  Question 11in the circumstance christopher v smith kline

question 1.1in the circumstance christopher v. smith kline beecham corporation in which an employee prosecuted for

  Discussions about satisfying mutual interests

Thinking a little deeper, what are some underlying needs and interests involved with these situations that can be explored? How can you convert these situations into discussions about satisfying mutual interests and achieving mutual gains?

  Do you believe which the complex task of management

Do you believe which the complex task of management can be boiled down to a few principles? Or will there always be so many personality and situational variables involved which the practice of management will remain more of an art than a science?"

  Frameworks of the triple bottom line

What are the three frameworks of the triple bottom line? What does the triple bottom line mean for a company? How does your company specifically address the triple bottom line?

  Explain how these characteristics shape

Explain how these characteristics shape your reading response. Support your views with at least one example of a dramatic text and one example of a poem.

  Examine the relationship between water rights and society

Find three cases in three different regions of the world where issues have arisen in relation to people's access to safe sources of water. You will likely find that many such issues are political disputes over water rights.

  What is the likelihood

A recent study by the Greater Los Angeles Taxi Drivers Association showed that the mean fare charged for service from Hermosa Beach to the Los Angeles International Airport is $18.00 and the standard deviation is $3.50. We select a sample of 15 fares..

  Contitutional issues does this law raise

California passed a law prohibiting any transporting of nuclear waste in the state unless the company doing so is a resident or is owned by residents of California. What contitutional issues does this law raise?

  Aggregate demand for company

Aggregate demand for company over next 8 months as follows, where each quantity is measured in cartons. Calculate the  total cost of plan A and B.

  Describing typical features of software

Develop a 1,050-word summary describing typical features of software in supply chain management. In the summary include the following:

Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd