- Research finds that managers are unaware or could not remember 60 percent of the work their teams are doing
- Managers surveyed for the study said they thought they should be able to account for 80 percent of their team’s work
- Researchers suggest that machine learning algorithms can help close the gaps in understanding
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
Managers are often unaware of the work their teams are performing, according to recent research published in the Harvard Business Review.
Researchers looked at 14 teams, comprising 283 employees, at four Fortune 500 companies. Managers were asked to teach a software system the processes they thought their team was significantly involved in. A machine learning algorithm then looked for similar work performed by the team to see how closely they aligned.
On average, managers did not know or could not remember 60 percent what work their team was performing.
- Managers said in the survey said they believed, on average, that they should be able to account for at least 80 percent of their team’s work
- The lack of awareness could mean that managers are often unaware of what their teams need, which could result in leadership investments that don’t align with a team’s needs
- The researchers suggest that machine learning algorithms can help close the gaps in understanding, helping managers to better understand team’s work patterns and productive activities
