Courage is key to the future of leadership development education
Dr Moran Anisman-Razin is an Associate Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Kemmy Business School. Here, she talks to Jane Haynes about her research in leadership development and the importance of courage in the workplace
Dr Moran Anisman-Razin Pictures: Sean Curtin/True Media
“We spend most of our waking time at work. And work can be great – it can be an experience that is fulfilling, full of flourishing and growth. And it can be awful. Our goal is to make work better,” says Dr Moran Anisman-Razin, Associate Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology in Kemmy Business School.
Moran, who joined the Department of Work and Employment Studies at KBS in 2021, is speaking following her recent publication in the prestigious MIT Sloan Management Review. The article, co-authored with academics from the University of Virginia and Erasmus University Rotterdam, presents a framework for managers to assess leadership development programmes and ensure they deliver on their promises for future leaders.
Leadership development has always been a key area of interest for Moran, originally from Israel, who studied Psychology and Sociology at Tel Aviv University. Following the completion of her PhD in Organisational Psychology at Bar-Ilan University, Moran carried out a post doc at Duke University, North Carolina. This kickstarted a deep interest in, and fascinating body of research around courage in the workplace, particularly among leaders.
“When we started our research, all we saw in the literature was moral courage – whistleblowing, going into a burning building to save someone. Yes, that’s courage; but what about everyday things that people do?” explains Moran.
“For leaders, having difficult conversations and creating relationships can require a lot of courage. So, my research focuses on ordinary courage. The way we define it, courageous behaviour is a behaviour that is done for something that is meaningful for the person taking action but involves some kind of risk to the person. So, an example could be having a difficult conversation with your subordinate, giving them a negative evaluation. It’s a huge issue for managers, and they really struggle with it.”
Moran recalls one project that illustrated the importance of this research for employees at all levels. In this project, almost 1400 people were asked to describe a time when they did something courageous at work. Far from the grand gestures one might imagine, the responses ranged from giving a presentation to going for a promotion and reaching out to make new friends. These responses provide an insight into the kinds of issues that today’s workforce is facing – very human issues.
While workplace stress and employee well-being are still prevalent in a post-COVID world, Moran highlights relationship-building as an emerging challenge.
“The way we treat work is different to how our parents treated work, and I think a lot of organisational structures, policies and expectations haven’t changed to reflect that,” explains Moran.
“For example, Generation Z are coming into the workplace now. Is their understanding of what it means to work hard, and what they’re willing to do, and their expectations of how the workplace treats them, different to what my peers and I were expecting at their age? I’m hearing that a lot from managers – they’re questioning how to manage these employees’ expectations while reaffirming that there’s hard work to be put in.
“It’s a big challenge, but I also think we need to examine ourselves – what do we, as management or organisations, need to do differently? How do you equip managers to manage those relationships?”
The way we treat work is different to how our parents treated work, and I think a lot of organisational structures, policies and expectations haven’t changed to reflect that.
The way we treat work is different to how our parents treated work, and I think a lot of organisational structures, policies and expectations haven’t changed to reflect that.
If you can get people on board with what you’re doing; if you can make people feel that they belong, then they will do so much for the organisation because they will feel valued – and it’s also good for them as individuals.
That relationship and people piece is becoming increasingly important in recent years, Moran says, in the context of leadership development or MBA programmes. ‘Soft skills’ such as how to inspire and connect with people in the workplace, and how to help them develop professionally, have become a key focus on these courses.
“I came across something recently about the limited training available for lower-level managers or people aspiring to take on higher roles – that’s all related to leadership. You see managers getting themselves and their organisations into so much trouble, just because they don’t lead,” explains Moran.
“A lot of times, people in the workplace just want to be acknowledged, recognised, and validated; [for a manager to say] ‘I understand your concern, I understand why it’s important to you – I can’t do anything about it, but I understand’. That is such a key part of leadership.
“If you can get people on board with what you’re doing; if you can make people feel that they belong, then they will do so much for the organisation because they will feel valued – and it’s also good for them as individuals.”
Linking in with her MIT Sloan Management Review article, Moran says that to achieve the above, leaders need to do uncomfortable things – they need to have courage, an approach that should be embedded within any leadership development programme worth its salt.
“By writing that paper, we’re saying ‘don’t just buy the course that looks nice’,” explains Moran.
“There’s the ‘let me put together some nice slides and sound like I know what I’m talking about’ course, where you wave around your institutional affiliation – that’s not enough. You must actually deliver something that helps companies.”
As with any discussion around the future of work, talk turns to the rise of A.I. and automation, and its implications for the next generation of leaders. While Moran acknowledges that the technology presents threats, she is choosing to focus on the potential opportunities.
“I think the main challenge is to figure out what we want A.I. and automation to replace, and what we do not want it to replace. For instance, we now have Chat GPT to write articles for us – but I like to write articles, I don’t want that taken over. I would love for a robot to do all my housework!”
“So, I think the big challenge and opportunity is not to let it manage us. We need to be intentional – ask what our mission is, what it is that we’re trying to achieve, what impact do we want to have. And then, we need to look at how we can leverage all of that to enable people to get the most out of themselves – what we can take out of their workload to give them more time to create a high-value contribution.”
Looking ahead, Moran – who lives in Limerick with her husband and two children – is focused on effecting positive change through her work in leadership development and courage.
“It’s not just about teaching, it’s not just about research – it’s about how we can make an impact. And I think that reflects a little bit of Ireland as we have come to know it in the last couple of years – a focus on how we can make a positive impact.”
