HOW LEGAL LEADERS CAN BUILD HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS, EVEN AMID THE 'GREAT RESIGNATION'
Professor Andy Yap, who teaches Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, weighs in.
BY ASHUTOSH RAVIKRISHNAN
Professor Andy Yap joins an illustrious panel of academics that past participants of SAL-INSEAD Legal Leadership Programme would be familiar with: Professor Philip Anderson, who serves as Programme Director, as well as Professor Jay Kim and Professor Stefan Thau. Together, the trio have trained numerous senior leaders from the region’s legal circles—and Prof Yap’s addition promises to take this training to the next level.
His value becomes immediately obvious during our call, which takes place on the day that The Business Times runs a story detailing the “exodus” of junior lawyers from the profession. The piece comes on the heels of Law Society President Mr Adrian Tan’s recent revelation that the past two years have seen the greatest rate of attrition of lawyers in recent history.
Prof Yap’s extensive research into power dynamics, leadership and organisational development make him a natural person to comment on these trends. And in preparation for the next run of SILLP, he’s also studied the legal ecosystem closely. “It’s the Great Resignation, but also, it’s the ‘Great Exchange’, isn’t it?” he points out. “You’ve got people leaving and others joining, so teams are very fluid now. Leaders become the natural change managers in these situations. Especially so in the legal world, where leaders are known to set direction and culture.”
MANAGING MOVEMENTS
So what should leaders grappling with teams in flux do? The first step, he advises, is to think about why people leave. It might be natural to assume that departures reflect poor leadership, but that’s not always the case. “The pandemic has been enlightening for a lot of professionals, who may realise that their personal goals and values may not be aligned with those of their organisations. Or they may just want to try something new altogether.”
To senior lawyers who have cut their teeth in the law, the last statement might sound counterintuitive. “But that’s because they perceive the sunk cost of leaving: they have already gone through such hardships that they don’t have the inclination to jump ship, so to speak. Those just entering the profession may not share that view.”
Alongside leavers, teams will also see a raft of new joiners, some young and old. Both may bring with them new ideas that could revolutionise your performance for the better. But capitalising on such a revolution depends largely on the open-mindedness of leaders, who may not be willing to forego long-held practices and assumptions. And when considering the make-up of their teams, leaders should also consider the skillsets present within the group and whether they are complementary to one another—diversity adds value only when there is synergy. Leaders may be tempted to choose like-minded people because such teams tend to be more cohesive and efficient. But this may also lead to groupthink and undermines creativity and innovation.”
Amid all this talk of workplace teams, Prof Yap also recommends considering the dynamics and atmosphere of teams. He advocates for creating a culture of psychological safety, where people feel comfortable raising differing opinions. Such a culture has to be actively nurtured, as even the slightest body language cues can quickly shatter any notions of safety. “When we’re thinking about something, our forehead might crinkle into a frown. This may be perceived by your teammates as disapproval and may signal to them that their speaking out is unwelcome—even when it actually isn’t.”
WHY MANAGEMENT SKILLS MATTER
It goes back to his theory that leadership and team management isn’t always instinctive—it requires the same rigour and discipline that goes into learning any new skill. As one senior lawyer put it in a recent interview, being a great lawyer doesn’t automatically make you a great leader. It may not also assure you a seat at the table when important decisions are made, as Prof Anderson spells out in this video, taken from SAL’s recent Legal Leaders Dialogues:
Prof Phil Anderson, Prof Andy Yap, Prof Jay Kim and Prof Stefan Thau will run the three-day SAL-INSEAD Legal Leadership Programme at the end of March 2022. The programme is specifically designed and contextualised to address the needs of law firm partners, general counsel and legal service officers. The upcoming run is the final one eligible for the SkillsFuture Study Awards, which defray the cost of the programme by $5,000 for Singapore Citizens. Click here for more details.
