Almost half of UK management and staff either refuse to accept their own
shortcomings, or are completely oblivious to their weaknesses, according to new
research.
Results of 1,100 tests and assessments of employees showed more than 25 per
cent are in denial when assessing their own skills and attitudes, while a
further 20 per cent are blissfully ignorant of their failings.
The research, by business consultancy Life Orientations, highlights large
numbers of managers in the UK who can’t manage, listen or control, and get too
involved when they should delegate.
It claims managers get their priorities wrong, confuse colleagues and lose
sight of their longer-term objectives.
The report puts the blame on senior managers, who it claims have accepted
CVs or ‘by-the-book’ interview responses at face value, and then embedded
weaknesses into their organisations by failing to implement structured
assessment procedures.
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Vicki Gill, learning, training and development adviser at the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development, said it was critically important to
implement people management policies that meet the needs of staff and the
organisation.
"Particularly with senior management, training and development needs to
be tailored to their needs," she said. "If you have to have
discussions with them about shortcomings, make sure they are open and
non-confrontational."
