10th November 2011
Patrick Woodman of the CMI outlines the role of government as a "champion of good practice" in management efficiency.
What are currently the biggest failures in management practices in the UK, as noted in today's survey into ineffective management?
What our survey of 2,000 employees and managers across the UK shows is that a huge amount of time and money is being wasted through a number of ineffective practices including unclear communication, lack of management support, micromanagement and lack of direction.
You do see stories of individual cases of bad management hit the headlines. Our survey shows that, with workers reporting that an hour-and-a-half of their time is wasted every week due to poor management, it is the quiet incidents that happen away from the headlines that are, nonetheless, stripping value out of the economy.
These issues, occurring on a daily and weekly basis, may not make the headlines but it is every bit as important to tackle these day-to-day inefficiencies.
Ineffective management could be costing UK businesses over £19bn in lost working hours per year. What steps does the CMI recommend taking to combat this?
Managers need to focus on the bad practices that have been revealed by this research. There are various steps that managers can take on a daily basis to get to grips with poor management, such as more regular one-to-ones with their teams, and more team meetings to ensure there is a shared sense of direction across the team, and employees have a greater understanding of what is going on.
It is also about the development, the qualifications and the training that those managers have.
We need to raise employer demand for professional development. It is about recognising the core responsibilities at the heart of the management profession and supporting managers to be able to fulfil their roles properly.
What role does the CMI see management qualifications playing within the UK?
Management qualifications are a really great way of developing managers' capacity. One of the best estimates about the level of qualifications among managers is that only one in five managers is actually qualified in management.
Management qualifications are not the only route for development, but they are effective and well understood by employers.
There are qualifications available for everyone from first-time managers through to much more experienced managers – it is not just about MBAs. Professional qualifications combine academic study with practical content to help managers do the job.
We would want to see greater uptake of those qualifications, with more managers aspiring to reach chartered manager status – the ultimate recognition of a manager's professionalism.
What role can government play in promoting the uptake of professional management qualifications?
Government has a very important role to play in championing good management practice, notably in improving the evidence base about the impact of poor management on the UK economy. There is increasing evidence about the damaging impact that poor management has, but it is not necessarily as widely recognised as it needs to be.
Government must also champion good practice and raise employer demand.
Another piece of CMI research has shown that top of the policy wish list for managers is greater control for employers over skills funding and potential tax breaks for employers who invest in skills.
Although economic circumstances are difficult, it would be fantastic to see initiatives in that direction.
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