Half
of employers are failing to develop under-represented groups, such as women and
ethnic minorities, as senior managers, according to the Industrial Society.
The
Managing Best Practice report reveals that 55 per cent of companies do not know
what steps to take to ensure that these groups receive senior management
development. This is despite 74 per cent of employers having, or working on, a
senior management development strategy.
Francesca
Okosi, HR director for the London Borough of Brent suggests that the results of
the survey indicate that employers need to do more work to improve their
records.
She
said, “There are ways to fast-track staff in a fair way, such as shadowing and
mentoring, which are not labour-intensive or expensive for employers. It’s
incumbent on employers to have a more diverse workforce across management
levels.”
Andrew
Forrest, director of learning and development for the Industrial Society, said
there is a mismatch between what employers value in senior management and what
action they take.
He
said, “Of the 29 attributes valued in senior management, the ability to change
is rated highest of all (78 per cent).
“One
of the most challenging changes facing organisations is to take action on
policies about valuing diversity. Companies that fail to support diversity may
find that people take their talent elsewhere.”
Other
findings show that the senior management quality most valued by UK companies is
effective communication (75 per cent) and the ability to perform a job within
budget (74 per cent).
The
Industrial Society surveyed 295 personnel and HR specialists in the public,
manufacturing and services sectors.
By
Karen Higginbottom
