Britain 'needs better management'

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The government should strive for "first class management and leadership at every level," an all party parliamentary group has been told.

A meeting of the APPG on management earlier this week considered the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) manifesto.

It demands a "radical new approach to management and leadership" and asks policy makers, managers and employers to demonstrate their commitment to management and leadership excellence by pledging support for the manifesto. Some 1,500 employers have already signed up.

CMI chief executive Ruth Spellman reminded the group that one in five people is employed by the state.

A key pledge in the manifesto is for the government to improve the profession of management in the public sector, where it is thought by some to be overlooked.

Spellman called upon the government to "set the agenda and lead the way".

Quality of management was one of the key messages.

"We still think management is for amateurs," she said. "It is not."

Strong skills are vital and systematic investment is needed to achieve them.

It is imperative in order to remain competitive, she argued.

Spellman also said that 85 per cent of CMI members back tax incentives for those who invest in leadership.

Ian Lucas MP, a junior minister in the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, said that there is a clear link between management, productivity and sales growth.

He argued that while studies shows that the UK "do management pretty well, it could do better".

Lucas referred to research showing the UK is lagging behind some countries in management terms including Japan, Germany and the US.

He acknowledged that the government has a key role to play and pointed out that they are working with universities to tailor management degrees and have invested £1bn in training for managers through the Learning and Skills Council.

John Hayes MP, shadow minister for universities and skills, expressed his concern that businesses still complain of skills shortages and Britain is falling further behind.

Liberal Democrat spokesman John Thurso MP, a successful business man himself, fully endorsed the report which he praised as a "political no brainer".

Questions and comments were then taken from the floor.

One audience member raised the issue of talent shortage in the industry.

Hayes gave a contentious reply.

The problem, in his view, is not so much shortage of talent as application of talent.

Another person questioned whether the government would actually implement the report in the public sector.

Lucas assured the audience that the government would take the report forward.

However, he was keen to emphasise that the public and the private sector have a different ethos and should be managed accordingly.

Thurso refuted this and argued that management is a process which is the same across the board.

Meg Munn (Lab, Sheffield Heeley) expressed her fears that the recession could lead to the re-emergence of a culture where managers are devalued and not enough priority is given to their training and development.

One audience member urged the government to extend the CMI qualification in the public sector.

Hayes retorted that in fact a tendency towards over- management exists in the public sector.

The questioner claimed that there are not enough managers in the NHS.

Hayes conceded the point and asked the gentleman to jot down his points in an email, a response he admitted was "a politician's answer".