Management is challenging, and there is no arguing this fact. It requires impeccable expertise, utmost motivation, and critical skills. And most importantly, management involves commitment. Commitment is the crux of business success. It allows organizations to reach its objective and achieve visions. Without commitment, organizations can lose everything from their brand image to market position. 

Today, the workplace environment is changing constantly and significantly. And handling change is not easy. Due to the pandemic, organizations are now facing new, unprecedented challenges and must develop strategies to tackle and manage each. 

Companies worldwide are compelled to tackle growing management challenges. These include workplace inefficiency, boosting cultural harmony, responding to crises, embracing inclusivity, and limiting uncertainty about the future. 

This article will review ways businesses can strategically tackle the mounting management challenges and attain success. 

• Build a diverse and inclusive culture 

Diversity and inclusion are integral elements of any organization today that can significantly help overcome homogenous workforce and other management challenges. A diverse workforce improves business performance, uplifts the overall reputation, and paves the way for business innovation. Every organization can ultimately benefit from a broader range of perspectives, increased creativity, and enhanced customer experience. 

A recent report confirms that a 1% increase in racial diversity between management increases productivity by $729 and $1590 per employee annually. Another study mentions that diverse companies experience 2.3 times higher cash flow. The same survey states that collective decision-making outperforms individual decision-making by 87%.

Moreover, inclusion improves a company’s reputation, speeds up problem-solving, accelerates employee engagement, and reduces employee turnover. However, many managers and leaders find attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool challenging. In such scenarios, drafting inclusive workplace policies and promoting a culture of harmony and acceptance ensures employees from all walks of life are welcome and motivated in the organization. For this purpose, an online management program proves exceptionally beneficial in adapting to change on every front. It helps build necessary leadership capabilities indispensable for the modern workplace alongside essential communication skills to boost inclusive and diverse environments. 

• Incentivize employees 

Often organizations face the issue of demotivated employees due to lowered morale. A viable way to boost motivation is to reward employees for their diligence and dedication to your organization. Nonetheless, rewards do not have to be monetary. Rewards can be in several forms, such as corporate retreats, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, health coverage, and professional development opportunities. 

Compensation incentives cover essential incentives such as profit-sharing and performance-related bonuses. On the other hand, recognition incentives are more budget-friendly and involve positive interactions and a feel-good culture. Appreciation incentives include company retreats, parties, early offs, extra holidays, etc. Incentives are indeed beneficial for businesses. A Cornell University study proves that incentive programs increase performance by around 44% and motivate up to 66% of employees to remain with their employers.

Employee incentives boost the workforce morale, decrease employee turnover, and attract a larger talent pool. Nearly 4 out of 10 individuals consider company incentive programs before seeking employability. 

• Enforce teamwork 

Another challenge most managers face is workforce inefficiency. But to overcome this, teamwork proves exceptionally promising. A recent report confirms that teamwork can enhance productivity, lower staff turnover, and increase revenue by 30%. Furthermore, 37% of employees believe collaboration to be effective and significant in yielding better outcomes. 

Teamwork can be an effective strategy to tackle management challenges and drive business performance. Several reports prove that teamwork can boost productivity significantly. A study showed that well-connected teams could enhance profitability by as much as 21%. These are massive numbers, even for large corporations. Therefore, enforcing teamwork should be a priority for managers in all organizations. 

Teamwork can reduce burnout by dividing tasks amongst several individuals. It improves employee morale, makes employees more content with their jobs, bumps your bottom line, and helps retain employees. Teamwork is also essential for fostering innovation, risk-taking, and personal growth. 

• Motivate workers 

As mentioned previously, motivation plays a critical role in handling management challenges. Motivating employees should be part of every organization’s core goals and objectives.

Motivation refers to the extent of commitment, drive, and energy employees bring to the workplace every day. Without sufficient motivation, companies face issues in productivity and inefficiencies in outputs. Motivation can increase employee engagement, improve customer service, and lower employee absenteeism. Moreover, employee motivation leads to higher levels of creativity and innovation, enhanced manager-employee relations, and a positive company reputation. Lastly, motivation allows employees to change, become adaptable, work on personal development, and build a diversified skillset. 

A Gallup study confirms that highly motivated teams improve performance by 17% and lower absenteeism by 41%. Moreover, employee motivation also increases profitability by 21%.

• Draft contingency plans

It’s necessary to remember that crises can hit anytime. Hence, it’s always best to remain prepared for the worst. Contingency plans reassure employees about their employability and future. 

Contingency planning is always a good idea. It saves managers time and money because catering to an unexpected incident at the eleventh hour could prove inconvenient and, in some cases, impossible. Contingency plans minimize the loss in production, streamline communication pathways, and improve company morale. Moreover, crisis planning is comprehensive in scope and helps identify future threats. It promotes quick-recovery time that can be lifesaving in case of a life-threatening incident. 

Remember, the motto of your contingency plan must always be preventing panic and promoting action. So, create a contingency plan that allows employees to quickly switch to recovery mode rather than waiting for instructions. 

• Effective communication 

Communication is vital in management, and we cannot overstate the fact. Almost 86% of employees complain about ineffective communication in the workplace. Moreover, poor communication increases the error rate in companies by 70%.

Communication can mitigate conflict, build trust, increase job satisfaction, enhance brand loyalty, and fuel innovation. Several business leaders claim that effective communication in the workplace empowers productivity, helps create a diverse workforce, and increases inter-departmental cooperation. It also plays an integral role in improving crisis management, enhancing team building, and maintaining workplace harmony. 

However, many managers find it challenging to communicate with employees, given the hectic work environment. Building a direct line of communication among staff members and the entire organizational hierarchy will prove monumental in eliminating communication issues. Make managers available to speak to subordinates and boost a culture of open communication. Lastly, embrace transparency and straight talk to mitigate communication loopholes. 

Final thoughts 

It is well-established that management is no easy job. It can be daunting, arduous, and demanding. However, there are specific viable ways to handle and tackle emerging management challenges. Overcoming management challenges can be time-consuming. Therefore, you must remain patient and consistent with your efforts. Focus on the management challenges arising in your organization and tackle them accordingly and strategically.