Navigating leadership in a new era of disruption

Organisations need strong and inclusive leaders to create positive lived workplace experiences, according to panellists at a Bayes Business School event exploring how a changing world is impacting on modern styles and demands on leadership.

Geopolitics, artificial intelligence and cultural shifts all present challenges to global governance and leadership roles across different sectors. With ever-growing lists of major companies deciding to scale back diversity and inclusion efforts, leaders’ efforts to harness positive working cultures at the same time as driving results are facing a tough examination.

The panel discussion brought together experts looking at how this disruption is reshaping ways of working and organisational trust, with a particular focus on equity, inclusion and fairness.

Chaired by Leila McKenzie-Delis, Founder and CEO at DIAL Global, four expert practitioners offered a glimpse into how organisations can embrace disruptive change responsibly to grow, benefit society and build trust with employees from their own experiences:

• Paul Modley, Managing Director and Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, AMS
• Dr Marcelle Moncrieffe-Newman, Chief People Officer, City St George’s, University of London
• Mark Randall, Global IDE Lead, pladis
• Geoffrey Williams, Head of Culture & Sustainability at Howlett Brown and Founding Director of Geoffrey O. Williams Ltd.

“When individuals are afraid or uncertain, productivity goes through the floor”

Themes included the impact of short-, medium- and long-term organisational upheaval.

Rapid transition nurtures what panellists described as ‘survival mode’, where the need for quick fixes and short-term outcomes clouded bigger-picture purposes of change.  The experts warned against moving too much too soon, expressing a need to consider the ‘why’ behind changes before enacting them. Failure to do so, they agreed, is creating additional upheaval and uncertainty which can adversely cripple organisational productivity.

“Successful management of change requires an intentionally inclusive approach”

However, by cultivating an environment of belonging with inclusivity and accountability markers, and regular communication throughout change, leaders can minimise the risk of a two-tiered approach – especially when sections of a workforce may feel uncomfortable speaking out or being themselves.

Perhaps the most important characteristic described by panellists was trust, and how organisations should be moving beyond engagement surveys to ensure this can be developed between organisations and its colleagues, and bosses and their subordinates.

Following the panel discussion, questions from the audience explored unwanted obstacles to a trust environment in the workplace, and whether feedback, guidelines and rules were in fact a hindrance to powerful leadership through uncertainty.

The role of AI and its impact on human tasks was also scrutinised. Recent figures suggesting the number of people not in education, employment or training (NEET) has surpassed one million in the UK prompted a question about the future of entry-level roles, with panellists calling for greater campaigning for the creation of work experience opportunities.

Younger generations, the panel claimed, had become “testing ground” for new products but without the means to purchase them, while human relationships were still “at the centre of doing great business”.

Professor Sam Kamuwiro, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Bayes, said:

“Global events and technological change have the potential to completely derail organisational productivity and morale, and this calls for strong leaders who can steer organisations through challenges and make disillusioned employees feel at ease.

“With jobs being modified by AI and diversity initiatives scrapped or watered down, it is inevitable that anxieties will creep into workplace productivity. Disruption impacts different workforce groups, and leaders must demonstrate accountability and inclusivity in decision-making.

“Our panel spoke candidly about some of the issues that managers and human resource departments are facing, and why engagement and empowerment of people are particularly pertinent towards earning buy-in and productivity.”