Until two years ago, it was easy to spot future leaders in every batch of new people at a company. Alphas among them forced their way into the cabins and grabbed the cabins of others with deadly speed. This often gave the impression to the rest of the staff that these alpha employees were reclaiming roles and designations that had been temporarily given to others. but again, covid pandemic happened. Business leaders were no longer considered invincible in corporate hierarchies.
Since then, the days of Alpha employees have been numbered.
Why Pandemic? Because it sparked a discussion on ’empathy’, ‘vulnerability’ and the need to work together as a cohesive unit, trusting each other. Until then, these features were taken to be ‘soft touch’ features in many companies, but not necessarily. Till then the essential part was to get the job done, which was part of the business drive for return on investment.
A CXO behavioral coach explained to me that alpha is not a personality trait, but a behavioral trait. Koch said, “Modern leaders care about ‘how’ something was accomplished, not ‘what’ was accomplished.” As the teams in the offices worked through professional and personal crises, they were forced to listen, make decisions involving everyone, and seek advice. How to get out of many difficult places. There was no room left for a dominant approach. No one had experienced a lockdown or medical crisis on this scale, and even the leader of the pack was forced to loosen the reins of control.
The human resources (HR) head of the Mumbai-based group explained how the business house was changing and the Alpha team members were no longer appreciated. “His age is over. We are going global and the new generations are teaching us not to be alphas,” he indicated, indicating that an aggressive and ‘getting results at any cost’ behavior would not work at the group, which employs over 20,000 people. gives. The HR chief said the group had changed its performance measurement system and co-workers were now asked to rate each other based on what were previously called “soft skills”. The manager no longer has any say in appraisals and employees’ Key Result Areas (KRAs) are directly linked to their team and business performance. The message is clear: No one group of employees will influence the culture and decision-making capabilities of the entire group.
Are Alphas Bad for the Workplace? Absolutely not. Many of them have fought and empowered their teams and companies in many battles. In some ways, they are like whips of political parties who influence decisions and organizational culture by pushing for agreement on important issues. Not all words are aggressive. Some operate in phantom mode. Typically, they make themselves available to top leaders, become exposed to information that may be important in certain circles, and within a short period of time, they are usually given more responsibility than their peers. Sometimes, they leave their marks even after they are no longer in the company.
Why the change then? Companies are realizing that it is risky to place disproportionate responsibility on a few people. This is a risk that pervades directly across the hierarchy and propels a select few into the limelight while the rest are relegated to the shadows. Companies are realizing that when baton holders rally support behind a leader or project, the risk of a turbulent environment fueled by manipulation, groupism and office politics may increase. Two alphas who become hunters in the same company can get embroiled in a mutual war.
One CXO pointed out that an egalitarian approach to problems is the new trend. Employers are forced to rethink every policy they employed in previous decades because now for the first time they have multiple generations of workers squeezed into the same pay scale.
“The return-to-work policy, which was taken for granted by companies as Covid cases have come down, is facing resistance. The CXO said, “The warning mails have led to threats that this will impact ratings, but employees are firm in their stance that this is a hybrid at best, or someone will have to deal with the exit interview.” The Alpha Team Leaders of the U.S. have also realized that accepted norms need to be overhauled and may no longer hold the same power as they had before the pandemic.
Will the Alphas eventually be kicked out of the group? unlikely. As fields shrink, those who display alpha behavior must change along with their employers. The dominant voice will need to be softened, even though the approach to problem-solving should be one that makes optimal use of all skill-sets represented. Hierarchies are fluid, and that means that even for the alpha, the path to survival and success is hazy. Walking together with others would be a safer option.
Who after Alpha? study on workplaces The recent rise of the so-called omega employee has begun to unfold. Someone who is confident, has many interests beyond work, doesn’t need validation, is capable but avoids confrontation. After the pandemic, Omega employees are in demand.
Devina Sengupta writes on workplaces and education for Mint
catch all business News, market news, today’s fresh news events and Breaking News Update on Live Mint. download mint news app To get daily market updates.
Updated: 06 July 2023, 11:05 PM IST