CMI Better Management Report 2023 Published
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has this month published a crucial and stark report on the state of management and leadership within the U.K. Titled Taking Responsibility- Why U.K PLC Needs Better Managers, the report is the result of a nationwide study which explored the strengths and weaknesses of Management and Leadership within U.K business.
Working in partnership with YouGov, the report was based on three strands of research. The managers survey, carried out online in June 2023, surveyed 2524 employees with management experience. Also in June, 2018 employees with no management experience were surveyed. In addition to these YouGov run surveys, CMI also turned to its membership and conducted research with managers who are CMI members. 1030 of them responded to a survey which explored the qualities and impact of a good manager.
Key Findings
The key takeaways from this study, at times, make for an uncomfortable assessment of the state of Management and Leadership within the U.K; the report lays bare the impact that untrained, or poorly trained, managers have on workforce morale, retention, and productivity. The study found that:
- 82% of managers who enter management positions have not had any formal management and leadership training- they are “accidental managers”.
- 52% of managers do not hold any management and leadership qualifications.
- Ineffective managers have a deep impact on employees including on their motivation, satisfaction, and likelihood to leave their job.
- Half of workers who rate their manager as ineffective are planning to leave their organisation in the next 12 months (50% vs 21%)
- Good management and leadership practices lead to better performance, including better retention, creating a positive work environment, and meeting business objectives.
- A third of current managers and leaders have never received any formal management and leadership training (33%) including a quarter of senior managers and leaders.
- Those with formal management training are significantly more likely to trust their team and feel comfortable leading change initiatives and to feel comfortable calling out bad behaviour compared to those who don’t.
STAMC Director, Rick Bond, responded to the report: “This insightful and thorough investigation demonstrates what we’ve known for a long time: training matters. When you have 82% of managers being dubbed ‘accidental managers’ you can see there’s a problem. You wouldn’t hire an untrained electrician and expect them to do a good job and you wouldn’t want an accountant who hadn’t been trained doing your taxes. The same applies to management; you are setting people up to fail before they’ve even begun. Ignoring the importance of training managers and leaders ignores the complexity and importance of the role.
Despite a poor situation, what this report does highlight is the marked positive impact that training has on managers and leaders and the morale, retention, and productivity of their teams. This report should be seen as an opportunity to reflect upon and to promote the expectation for good quality Leadership & Management training at all stages of a manager’s career.”
Interested in reading the full report? Access it here
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