Mind the generation gap

Modern law practices are fraught with age stratification. On the one hand, there are the elder grandees of the profession who often work well into the retirement years. These pillars of the organisation acquire a longitudinal expertise that is well honed and often a unique synthesis of their experiences and personal talents.

Conversely, the profession also comprises the young, vibrant so-called millennials, who have a variety of leadership and support needs that do not always translate well across the generations. While generation Y needs a friendlier, feedback-orientated approach to personal development, the baby boom generation retains perceptions of status and, often, meritocracy. Their tendency
to prefer spontaneity over formality, such as praise in the moment rather than formal appraisal, can result in the neglect of effective formal systems of staff supervision.

Staff supervision

Law Society guidance requires that appropriate arrangements are made for supervision in law firms with suitably credentialed people supported by appropriate policies. I remain surprised at the number of firms I connect with on my travels that do not seem to have usefully embraced this. For many, staff supervision remains a time-consuming luxury that can be an unwelcome distraction from fee generation.

Perhaps this reflects the dichotomy of values that span across the age strata, where
baby boomers still carry the philosophy of survival and economic generation compared to the millennials' quest for meaning and experience that is less acquisitive. However one views this phenomena, the result is often supervision systems within firms that are unfit for purpose, run grudgingly by otherwise motivated people
who do not necessarily see the developmental needs of the organisation.

Organisations do not just develop through the revenue generated by their leading
lights while junior staff learn on the fly. Nowadays, they grow by embracing the complex, emerging nature of organisational development,
the engagement of staff, and the creation of environments that establish 'learning organisations'. In common with all private organisations, law firms must of course generate revenues, but these are seen as the outcome of goal-oriented processes rather than the aim in itself.

In many firms, however,
staff supervision is poorly systematised. Organisations prefer an 'open door' policy for staff support, where junior staff can rapidly garner advice and assistance while fitting in around other demands, celebrating this as a reflection of their flexible, dynamic style. On-demand access to the company's
leading lights may seem good, but there are many who require introspection, contemplation, structured support, and
feedback that reflects particular developmental needs.

Individual development

A failure to systematise supervision can also mean
that support for staff cannot be consistently and meaningfully provided across the firm. Staff lack the consistency of structured support and over-defer to the wisdom of the tribal elder rather than developing thinking strategies for themselves.

Where structured supervision systems are offered, there is
often a blurring of the distinction between case management and a style calculated to focus on the developmental needs of a new generation of lawyers.

Years of coaching experience have taught me that people learn best through opportunities to consider where they stand in relation to the work activity they are undertaking, when they are enabled to fine-tune their judgement and working practices through a process of iteration. Knowledge, skills, and insights are not learned in a single transaction; they often have
to be processed many times
to allow real insight and the development of skill.

Good organisational processes such as supervision can embed the lessons within the person and contribute to the development of greater emotional intelligence, rather than rote learning, as in the past, or simply forming a queue for the senior partner when out of one's depth.

Those working in legal environments where supervision forms part of a truly person-centred approach to individual development, rather than serving as some fee-generating artefact, should consider themselves lucky. These firms
are relatively few in number, yet operate from a value base and perspective on organisational development that is as far ahead of the traditional law firm as the digital cloud is in relation to the gramophone.

There is a new world out there, and decisions on the delivery of practices that make for a successful, sustainable organisation need to be carefully considered.

David Cliff is managing director of Gedanken @David_Cliff