People Managers

The role of people managers is constantly evolving as they navigate a rapidly changing workforce. Managers must balance the needs of the organization, their department, individual team members, and their own responsibilities as employees. Our client, a global technology provider, recognized the challenges faced by people managers and aimed to develop a set of tools to help them better connect with, lead, and develop their teams.

We began our project by framing hypotheses around the different journeys within the people manager experience, based on our existing knowledge. We then conducted one-on-one conversations with over 40 managers across six countries, representing a range of industries, company sizes, and levels of responsibility.

During these in-depth discussions, we explored the specific needs, challenges, processes, and current tools used by managers, as well as opportunities for improvement. By considering the number of direct reports and other variables, we identified several unique manager types that needed to be considered during tool development. These insights formed the foundation for future product roadmaps, helping our client to better address the needs of people managers.

Our exploratory research provided our client with a deep understanding of people managers at a foundational level across their organization. As a result, our client’s perspective on people managers has been transformed, enabling them to more effectively develop tools that aid managers in advancing and retaining high-performing employees.