In readiness
Ruth Spellman believes that improving management skills will be key in delivering the government’s ‘Big Society’ vision
The third sector has been placed at the heart of David Cameron’s ‘big society’ plans and is considered essential to reforming public services. The new coalition government plans will see third sector organisations deliver a greater number of public services and the pressure will be on smaller neighbourhood charities and social enterprises in particular to take over services including schools, welfare schemes and drug rehabilitation.
These are ambitious plans.Some charity leaders have expressed doubts already, about smaller charities being equipped adequately to take on such roles, and are questioning whether they have the resources and the know how to compete with public sector organisations to deliver such services.
In this period of uncertainty and likely upheaval, charity leaders and managers will come under pressure as employees, stakeholders and government look to them for strong direction, leadership and management. To cope, it will be vital they have the right skills in place to tackle new challenges, lead their organisations effectively and improve organisational performance. Staff at all levels will need to be developed to ensure they are fit forthe future.
Retention issues
However, whilst many UK managers recognise that developing employees is important, some organisations are simply overlooking training altogether in the current economic climate which is having major repercussions.
Our national management survey conducted in February showed that 38.5 per cent of UK employers recognised that their failure to offer adequate training and development opportunities has resulted in staff resignations.
Employees are also leaving companies as a direct result of poor management. Almost one in five people surveyed had left a job as a result of bad management, half believe they could do a better job than their bosses and an equal number were willing to take a pay cut to work with a better manager. Feedback from people also revealed that a fifth of employers claim their managers are authoritarian and half said that there was a dominant style of management in their organisation that was negative. The lack of trust in managers was also highlighted with eight out of ten workers stating that they would not turn to their bosses if they had a problem at work.
At the root of some of these problems is the fact that managers aren’t getting the training they need either. Sixty-three per cent of managers claimed they had received no formal management training and many said they were ‘accidental’managers who had not set out to manage a team.
Employee assessments
Given the challenges ahead for the voluntarysector, now is the time for managers to improve their own skills and also provide the right training and development for their employees. One of the challenges for many organisations is that managers are in the dark about their own skills, knowledge and competence at performing their roles and that of their employees.
One solution for leaders to gain this insight is to deliver employee assessments that regularly test employees at every level and highlight their individual skills, competence and confidence. Information gleaned from such assessment will highlight how well an individual is performing, how competent they are and any areas of weakness. We are partnering with Cognisco, a provider of customised employee assessments to offer our members customised assessments designed to improve management skills. The initial assessments will focus on employee engagement and performance management.
We believe that such assessments help employers reduce the risk of employee incompetence and minimise any potential risk from employees making mistakes. They also help them recognise when people are ready for promotion and if they have the skills to take on new projects and add value in other areas in the organisation. Assessments also highlight training needs so employers can ensure people get the right training at the right time and their skills are being utilised in the best way, which is motivating for employees and will help improve performance. And, without this kind of knowledge about employee skills, leaders will never be certain how good their workforce is or how and where it could improve.
Whilst we believe assessments are an essential first step in establishing training requirements, formalised training programmes are also essential. We work with many Chartered Management Institute (CMI) members to help them provide the right training and development courses to improve the performance of managers.
Recent case studies
Kingston Hospital recently benefitted from extensive management training when it was going through a major period of change. Forty of its executives, including junior managers, undertook CMI management courses at Kingston College.
Consequently, overall performance has improved and several employee promotions have occurred as a result. In the voluntary sector, we recently worked closely with the Salvation Army Housing Association to deliver management training that helped improve organisational performance and enabled it to meet the requirements of regulatory boards.
Outlook for the future
Both organisations recognised the importance of employee training and development at all levels in their organisations in helping them get through periods of organisational upheaval and change.
Likewise, if third sector organisations are to live up to the coalition government’s expectations and claim their role at the heart of public services delivery, employee training and development will be essential.
Author: Ruth Spellman
Ruth Spellman OBE is chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute.
Prior to joining the Institute in June 2008, Ruth served as the first female chief executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
She also spent seven years as chief executive of Investors in People UK (IIPUK) where she helped raise the profile of the employer-led organisation across 27 countries and was the former HR director of the NSPCC.
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