The manager of the future needs to be a real leader of people. Once we exclude those roles that require an actual physical presence and lots of routine task supervision (as that isn't going to go away just yet) then what we are left with is the need to develop qualities and competencies of genuine leadership: inspiration, authenticity, honesty, direction, guidance.
Recruiting and talent acquisition If hostilities do commence in the often fabled war for talent, then people managers of the future management will naturally need to play a serious role in this. Google might have them queuing around the block but we reckon that the line managers will need to take a more active role in acquiring the right talent than passing the vacancy to the recruitment manager - internal or external. Candidates will increasingly be checking them out in the social space, checking if they are the kind of person that they want to work for.
Support of a virtual assistantEmployees under the future management might get some of the basics done via a cognitive assistant. Think Siri on acid. The virtual PA will schedule meetings, update diaries, manage inboxes. It will be able to handle much of a current routine activity. However, although it might be able to remind you of birthdays, it won't be able to run to the shops to get a card - yet.
eBook HR 2025: The Future of Work by Gemma Reucroft and Tim Scott.
The future management will be using technology everywhereBy the time we get to 2025, the average computer will have the power of the human brain. Technology will be faster and smaller, able to run more and more of our daily lives, and it probably won't be in some old shoe box in an office, tying you to a physical location.
Managing collaboration across boundaries and distributed employeesThe team might be anywhere, from another continent to their front room. Employees doing what we've heard called the one minute commute: From bed to laptop. Tailoring their style to the individualGender, age, location, culture, personal circumstances. One style will not fit all. But then again, did it ever?
Engagement and retention activity for the in-demand technical specialistsThey won't be easy to replace in the hollowed out future. One might just have to fight hard to find the talent and to retain them.
Managing cognitive overloadData and information coming from multiple sources. Email might be considered by some to be a legacy system, but it probably will still be around, just about, although it will be just one of the ways that the people manager of 2025 communicates. After all, we said that email will kill off the letter, but there are still plenty of them being posted every day.
More to read:
If you would like to read more about the changing role of management, then download the eBook HR 2025: The Future of Work by Gemma Reucroft and Tim Scott; available at bookboon.com.