Better managers required

British businesses often lag their international peers when comparing productivity and scalability which amplifies the challenges facing every industry.

For every world-class firm there is a long tail of organisations struggling to adopt the best working practices, with short-term considerations taking priority over long-term planning and investment.

In smaller businesses in particular, managers are often expected to perform without specific training, let alone formal programmes to support their development.

Organisations are encouraged to think about these five questions: 

  1. How open is your mindset to new opportunities?
  2. Is your ambition backed up by investment?
  3. How well does your business collaborate with customers, industry, and supply chain partners to create better solutions?
  4. How well do you use data to inform decision making and benchmark performance?
  5. How engaged are your people with your organisation’s priorities?
If your instant appraisal is that your organisation could do better, the good news is that the solutions are well documented, delivery frameworks proven and investment levels relatively small.

Significant strides can be achieved through management development programmes to provide new managers and those without formal management training with the core skills to undertake their role effectively.

How your organisation promotes learning underpins return on investment, with the most benefits accruing to those who enable colleagues to fully apply their new skills at work.

The right solution depends on a combination of forward-thinking leadership, awareness of global best practice, skilled delivery resource and flexible delivery that supports reinforcement over time.

For a helping hand to get started, our team can help you explore ways to inject new skills and behaviours into your workforce.