The standard of management in the UK is being held back by employers that fail to take full advantage of the skills of qualified managers, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has warned.
Research published by the CMI today finds that two-fifths (41%) of qualified managers believe that their employers have not given them the chance to make full use of the skills they have gained through their studies.
The survey of 1,185 qualified managers identified line managers as a particular barrier to utilising skills. A quarter (24%) of managers said that their bosses had not provided support while they were studying and eight in 10 (79%) said that their line managers had not set them objectives for their learning.
In addition, 40% said that their bosses hadn’t even talked to them about their new knowledge once they were qualified.
Despite this, managers were largely positive as to the impact that qualifications have made on their work, with 90% believing it has made them perform better and 87% reporting an increase in the quality of work.
CMI chief executive Ann Francke commented: “This research should be a wake-up call for employers. Good management needs to be top down – it’s no good educating your middle managers if your senior managers are failing to support them.
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“It’s as simple as this – if you have qualified managers in your midst and you aren’t using them, you’re missing out. A step change is needed to place qualifications at the heart of management training and development – and ensure their support at all levels.”
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