An abundance of ‘accidental managers’ – people who are promoted to run a team simply because they are popular, good at their job, or happen to be available to take charge – is driving away talent from UK organisations.
According to a study by the Chartered Management Institute and YouGov, one in three people have left jobs because of a negative work culture, and half of those who say their bosses are ineffective plan to quit in the next year.
Workers who rate their manager as ineffective are more likely to be planning to leave their organisation in the next 12 months than those who say their line manager is effective (50% vs 21%).
The CMI said that managers with formal training are significantly more likely to call out bad behaviour or report concerns of wrongdoing compared to those who have not had any training.
Accidental managers
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Ann Francke, chief executive of the CMI, said that the report was “a wake-up call for a low-growth, low-productivity, and badly managed Britain to take management and leadership seriously”.
The research, Taking Responsibility: Why UK plc needs better managers, found that “accidental managers” are often promoted for the wrong reasons, with nearly half of managers surveyed (46%) believing colleagues won promotions based on internal relationships and profile, rather than their ability and performance.
While one in four people in the UK workforce holds a management role, only a quarter of workers (27%) describe their manager as “highly effective”.
Of those workers who do not rate their manager, only a third (34%) feel motivated to do a good job and only one in four (25%) are happy with their overall compensation.
A large majority (72%) of those workers who rated their manager as effective felt valued and appreciated. This figure dropped to just 15% when the manager was rated as ineffective.
Francke said: “The picture of the UK economy in recent years has been a seemingly relentless drip feed of entrenched challenges, from stalled productivity, labour shortages, skills gaps, to instances of shocking behavioural failings by individuals and organisations that have catapulted the UK into the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
“Promotions based on technical competence that ignore behaviour and other key leadership traits are proving, time and time again, to lead to failings that cause damage to individuals and their employers, not to mention the wider economy’s performance.”
She added: “On a very practical level, skilled managers should be seen as a reputational insurance policy – they will help prevent toxic behaviours, they will call out wrongdoing and they will get the best out of their teams.”
The research found that 82% of managers who enter management positions have not had any formal management and leadership training – the so-called “accidental managers” – and 26% of senior managers and leaders had not received management or leadership training.
The study also revealed divides among managers across gender, ethnicity and socio-economic backgrounds. Male managers (22%) were significantly more likely than women (15%) to say they had already learned enough about management, and managers from lower socio-economic backgrounds (57%) were more likely than managers from higher socio-economic backgrounds (48%) to say that they did not have management and leadership qualifications.
Managers from white ethnic backgrounds were also more likely to say that their manager treats them fairly and with respect (81%), compared to those from non-white ethnic backgrounds (70%).
The managers’ survey was carried out in June 2023 among 2,524 employees with management experience and 2,018 employees with no management experience.
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