.svg)
Management is at the heart of corporate performance. But in the face of changing work patterns, increasingly complex organizations and evolving employee expectations, the role of the manager has undergone profound change. It is no longer enough to delegate and monitor results. Nowadays, you have to know how to mobilize, listen, arbitrate, develop and coach... all the while staying focused on your objectives.
For HR teams, supporting managers has become a strategic lever:
- Enhancing the quality of day-to-day management
- To retain talent and avoid break-ups
- Keeping corporate culture alive over the long term
This page brings together the fundamentals you need to know, the essential tools you need to disseminate, and concrete practices to help your managers succeed in their role.
Major management functions
Distinguishing between strategic and operational management
Strategic management defines key orientations, long-term vision and allocated resources. Operational management, on the other hand, takes place on a day-to-day basis: organizing work, managing priorities, supporting employees. These two dimensions must interact.
Fayol's 5 basic functions
Henri Fayol identifies 5 founding functions of management:
- Planning: setting objectives and anticipating actions to be taken
- Organize: structure roles, resources, tools
- Managing: leading, motivating, deciding
- Coordinating: streamlining relationships and projects
- Control: monitor results, make adjustments, promote progress
These functions remain valid today, provided they are adapted to more cross-functional, hybrid and changing organizations.
Adapting management to the company context
- Very small businesses: the manager plays all the roles. You need responsiveness, a direct link and few intermediaries.
- Startup: freedom and autonomy must go hand in hand with rituals and clear expectations.
- SMEs or large groups: inter-level coordination becomes key. But beware of unwieldiness.
- Public sector: transformation, regulatory framework and change management.
Zoom: the manager's key soft skills
A good manager today knows :
- Active listening
- Give clear, regular feedback
- Prioritize, say no
- Manage your emotions and support those of your colleagues
- Helping others progress and reinforcing autonomy
Management styles
Identify the main managerial positions
- Direct: fast, useful in a crisis. But demobilizes if systematic.
- Participative: reinforces commitment and responsibility. Requires time and listening.
- Persuasive: embracing a vision. Watch out for publicity stunts.
- Delegative: develops autonomy. Risky if benchmarks are not set.
Adjust your style to suit the situation and that of your colleagues
Management style is not set in stone. It adjusts to the team's level of maturity, the level of urgency and the stakes involved. A good manager navigates between different postures with flexibility.
Avoid frequent drifts
- Micro-management: overload, mistrust, demotivation
- Managerial absenteeism: vagueness, conflicts, lack of direction
- Masked authoritarianism: silence, loss of initiative, withdrawal
Day-to-day team management
Setting targets, monitoring performance
A useful objective is one that is clear, shared, achievable and measurable. Without that, it's hard to align efforts. Using the SMART or OKR method helps to establish a common framework.
Our NUMA tools are there to support you: a resource kit to manage your teams' performance, objective grids, performance reviews.
Setting up useful rituals
Well-thought-out routines increase efficiency and serenity:
Managing tensions with assertiveness
The quality of relationships depends on the ability to deal with difficult issues. The manager is not there to avoid conflict, but to set a framework for constructive resolution.
Discover the NUMA kit on emotions and conflict
Integrating digital technology into your practice
CRM, management tools, AI, asynchronous communication... Digital is a powerful lever, provided it's mastered. It should never replace the bond, but rather reinforce it.
Equipping managers with the right tools
A good manager needsclear, useful and activatable tools to succeed. Without a framework and a method, it's hard to manage your team effectively.
At NUMA, discover:
- The OSBD method to learn how to give clear, regular and constructive feedback.
- The resource kit for managing your team's performance with method, clarity and impact
- How to conduct a performance review
- A guide to preparing for an annual review
Find out more about our tools and resource kits.
Changing management: trends and innovative practices
Successful hybrid management
Telecommuting, flexibility, asynchronous communication... hybrid management has become the norm in most organizations. But while the tools are there, managerial reflexes have yet to evolve.
Many managers struggle to recreate cohesion, maintain commitment, or adjust their posture to dispersed teams. It's not just a question of distance: it's a profound transformation of the relationship between work, the collective and management.
The keys to successful hybrid management :
- Rethink rituals : a 15-minute stand-up routine every morning can be more effective than a long weekly check-in,
- Adapt communication channels: not everything deserves a visio, and some decisions can be made in async,
- Preserving informal bonding times: but without imposing hollow-sounding "zoom cafés",
- Clarify expectations: in a context where everything is no longer visible, trust is built on clear, shared objectives.
To find out more : Hybrid management: the keys to a high-performance team
Adopt a manager-coach posture
A good manager doesn't control, he helps people grow. This requires listening, questioning and coaching.
Enhancing collective intelligence
Horizontal management, co-construction, facilitation: teams expect to be involved in decision-making. This strengthens their commitment and efficiency.
Managing in an uncertain environment
In times of uncertainty, employees need a point of reference. The manager is that reference point - provided he or she knows how to :
- Managing resistance to change: The NUMA kit for accompanying change helps you to understand the dynamics of resistance, to welcome them without suffering them, and to transform them into levers of commitment.
- Communicating with clarity and impact: in times of uncertainty, employees need to be able to speak with a clear voice. Knowing how to explain choices, setting a reassuring framework while acknowledging uncertainties, is a key skill.
- Building resilience: keeping a cool head, taking a step back and bouncing back quickly from the unexpected has become essential.
- Adopt the right posture to react effectively to the unexpected: know how to step back quickly, arbitrate without rushing, recognize what you can't control without losing credibility.
Training and supporting managers
Training first-time managers
Taking on a new managerial role is a major change. Without support, the mistakes are classic: over-control, vagueness, isolation, overwork.
The NUMA "Management fundamentals" course includes: posture, concrete tools, feedback, 1:1, grounding in the field.
If you'd like to find out more, discover the replay and associated summary of "Nouveaux managers, +60 programmes plus tard, ce qui marche vraiment".
Supporting more experienced managers
Existing managers also need support to help them progress: remote team management, complex arbitration, mental workload, etc.
Choose the right formats
- Blended course: theory + practical application
- Peer learning: exchanges between peers
- Individual or group coaching : punctual support in the face of a blocking situation
- Micro-learning: short formats to be activated on demand
Avoid common mistakes
- Training without daily links
- Forget about post-training anchoring
- Choosing a format that's too top-down
Supporting managers: a lever for sustainable transformation
The role of manager is demanding, complex and constantly evolving. And it's also decisive for commitment, talent retention and performance.
Training, equipping and supporting managers is not a luxury: it's a strategic investment.
Talk to a NUMA expert to design a course tailored to your needs.
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
