Employees or Children?

In my many years of experience in management training and, on the other hand, in my role as a mother, I have realised that children's behaviour is comparable to that of employees and, as such, our children can help us a lot in human resource management and vice versa.

In this article, I draw inspiration from the stages of development theorised by Erikson, according to whom employees (like children) follow specific stages in their professional growth:

1. TRUST/DISTRUST – this is the phase you go through when you start a new job or join a new team. Employees need to find trust in themselves and in others; they seek a correlation between their own needs and those of others. The concept of reciprocity (give/take) develop

Need to feel accepted by the rest of the team.

If mistrust > trust = frustration and suspicion of not being accepted.

It can be linked to Adler's need for connection.

2. AUTONOMY/SHAME - the first approaches to rules take place. Self-esteem and self-control develop. If autonomy does not grow, shame for failure ensues.

This can be linked to Adler's need for the appreciation of skills.

In the case of a manager, this phase is delicate because it can lead them to become overly controlling if they have not developed sufficient confidence in the first phase, or to delegate too much even if their colleagues are not yet ready and sufficiently autonomous.

3. INITIATIVE/GUILT – at this stage, the employee tends to identify with their manager, their ideas and their behaviour. Feelings of rivalry, envy or jealousy may arise, which then tend to lead to feelings of guilt and fears of possible retaliation.

This can be linked to the need to highlight Adler's contribution.

4. INDUSTRIOUSNESS – at this stage, the employee feels capable of... needs encouragement to do more, to make suggestions.

This can be linked to Adler's need for courage: if I am encouraged, I make suggestions; if I am not encouraged, I feel useless, inferior, inadequate.

5. ROLE MATURITY – once maturity is achieved, there is a need for new stimuli, a new identity or a more complete identity (desire for career advancement). Tendency to compare oneself with other roles in the company or with similar roles in other companies.