HR: 7 indicators for identifying managerial dysfunction in a team

Identify poor management with 7 specific signs. For HR, a practical tool to intervene before things go wrong.

Managers may have impeccable posture in meetings, but allow their team to become bogged down in tension, confusion, or inefficiency.

From experience, this is one of the paradoxes that HR often encounters: the feeling on the ground does not match the official line. And, of course, the warning signs only appear once the situation has deteriorated...

In this article, I suggest seven subtle signs to watch out for, enabling you to detect managerial dysfunction at an early stage and avoid silent contagion.

1. Abnormal turnover rate

Let's start with the most obvious.

A one-off turnover means nothing, but a team that regularly loses members should raise questions. As we know, it's not always the job itself or the salary level: it's often the managerial relationship that drives people away. The following wording may seem strange, but you need to capitalize on departures by systematically asking about the reasons behind them.

Keep an eye on: contract terminations initiated by employees, departures without advance notice, departures that leave no usable feedback.

2. Increase in micro-conflicts or latent tensions

As an HR professional, you are often alerted to repeated friction, informal reports of minor issues, passive-aggressive emails, vague exchanges, or changes in attitude within a team.

What this means: the manager does not manage tensions. He covers them up or allows them to develop. In other words, he shirks his role as a leader.

3. Decline in collective dynamics

A team can deliver its deliverables perfectly well... while being "dead" on the inside. What you need to look at is the level of collaboration: meetings without debate, a decline in mutual support, a lack of cross-functional initiatives, everyone staying within their own scope.

Ask yourself this tough but clear question: "Has the manager abandoned leadership of the team in favor of simply managing tasks?"

A good indicator: the absence of cross-feedback between colleagues or collective suggestions for improvement.

4. Recurring request for validation or permission

When employees systematically asks for permission to do their job, this is not a sign of rigor, but rather a manifestation of psychological insecurity and, more broadly, infantilizing management. Be careful, there is also the possibility that the manager has failed to set clear boundaries. Don't hesitate to arrange HR interviews with the various subordinates to get a sense of the general feeling and atmosphere in the departments.

A typical symptom is employees who over-rely on others (and sometimes HR) for decisions that should be made at their level.

5. Feedback provided through channels other than the manager

When the team learns what it is doing well or poorly from its N+2, HR, or rumors, it means that managers are not doing their job of providing feedback. This may be due to avoidance or discomfort. In any case, it is a break in the chain of trust and performance.

Please note: this manager may appear to be "well-liked" by his team. However, this is not respect, but rather mutual avoidance.

6. No feedback on structural difficulties

A healthy manager reports problems, alerts you to missing resources, and suggests adjustments. A manager in difficulty will tell you that "everything is fine"... until things explode. A lack of feedback is definitely not a good sign: it is often a sign of avoidance, or even mistrust of operational management towards HR.

Alert point: look at the trend. What are operational managers doing? Do they instinctively view HR as allies and communicate with them? If all managers report back except for one or two, there may be a barrier that needs to be broken down.

7. Fatigue or loss of direction within the team

You see it in HR interviews: requests for internal mobility, unexplained sick leave. A properly managed team can be under pressure without necessarily collapsing. But a poorly managed, poorly listened to, or poorly protected team quickly becomes exhausted, even with a light workload.

What should alert you: a team that no longer understands the meaning of its work, that moves forward without direction, or that dwells on the same issues over and over again.

Caution: HR departments are too often reactive.

Most managerial dysfunctions cannot be resolved with a simple reprimand or online training. They require in-depth work on attitude, concrete actions, and leadership reflexes. Identifying these subtle signs is the first step.

The real question, ultimately, is: what are you doing to help your managers evolve their attitude?

To your solidity

Olivier KAMEL