Managers struggling to win over their team may want to try interacting more with them, according to one expert.

Pekka Viljakainen, former executive vice president of IT corporation Tieto, wrote on Harvard Business Review that he has seen his popularity among employees sky-rocket since he started writing an exhaustive blog of his decisions and general activity.

In his opinion, staff appreciate the value of the information he offers online, but they also like to see him making mistakes in a very human way. In this way, executives in permanent and interim manager jobs can boost their relationship with their staff via online interaction.

Mr Viljakainen began his blog after seeing his popularity plummet. He said: "It was a true leadership nightmare. Despite my years of experience, monetary success, and the fact that I had not changed a thing in my daily executive routine, I was lost. To figure out what had gone wrong, I travelled around the world and met with my employees, usually in hotel meeting rooms."

However while it can be upsetting for a manager to know his management style is not working, new research suggests it is equally important for the happiness of their team members.

Psych Central's senior news editor Dr Rick Nauert said the report published on Springer's Journal of Business and Psychology showed staff are happier when they feel their bosses support their autonomy.

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