“The organizations of the future will be dominated by soft skills” (J. Berridge)
Certainly, every manager in their career has repeatedly received advice on the best way to manage their team. What to do and what not to do, how to work to exceed set results and goals. But how can one work effectively when so many different methods fail to yield the desired benefits? How am I supposed to manage successfully when, before my very eyes, the era of the subordinate-superior dynamic is ending, and the period of work partners has long begun, to whom I cannot easily issue direct orders and who are no longer motivated solely by material values, such as successive raises or a better company car.
Colloquially, the word ‘management’ is associated with business, and one of many definitions of management describes this process as: “A set of activities (including planning and decision-making, organizing, leading, i.e., directing people, and controlling) aimed at organizational resources in an efficient and effective manner.”
According to Peter F. Drucker, management cannot be applied solely to business, as it also concerns institutions such as hospitals, Catholic dioceses, or universities. Furthermore, “mission defines strategy, and strategy defines structure,” which necessitates adapting the appropriate form of management to the specific character, industry, or goal of the company. Of course, management is closely linked to people, who constitute the greatest value and resource of a company. People who often come from different cultures and define themselves through different religious beliefs. Therefore, when a manager wants to maximize the value and productivity of each of their employees – which significantly contributes to increased company profits – they need to prioritize their communication in diversity management, because communication is not just about transmitting information, but communication plays a creative role.
Modern organizations are changing their assumptions about people working within the company structure. According to Drucker, the belief regarding an individual working for the company as an employee or subordinate is increasingly being devalued in favor of partnership relationships. Consequently, by definition, a manager cannot issue official orders to partners. Therefore, a high level of soft skills, such as communication, allows one to effectively negotiate what is important to them, both in situations where they have various means of enforcement and where they do not. Furthermore, great flexibility in communication and understanding human mechanisms is a means to foster long-term motivation based on combining company values with the values of individual partners.
“Communication is everything and everything is communication”
Jolanta Wasilewska
What distinguishes great companies, brands, and the best managers from the mediocre is mastery of language, i.e., excellent communication skills. That is why great leaders communicate their goals simply and do it perfectly. To reach such a high level, they first had to prioritize knowledge of communication and give it the highest importance, and then thoroughly learn and apply it.
Author Anna Modrzewska
