Amid signs of growth, scars of recession force business leaders to look ahead 10 years

26 January 2010

CMI research reveals the economic crisis has forced business leaders to consider changes to the way we work in Britain

With official figures due to show that the recession is over, data from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) shows that the economic crisis has forced business leaders to consider changes to the way we work in Britain.

CMI's Future Forecast survey, based on the views of 1,337 respondents, reveals that managers and leaders believe that the business landscape will look radically different in 2020. CMI's survey finds that:

- seeing is believing: more than three-quarters (77 per cent) believe that virtual businesses will be commonplace and 43 per cent suggest that community-based businesses will grow in number

- staff have their say: 1 in 3 respondents say that, by 2020, organisations will have become more employee-centric. 1 in 5 also suggest that more ‘employee-owned' organisations will emerge

- playing with politics: emphasising current disengagement with the political system, 54 per cent argue that global corporations will have more influence than governments.

Ruth Spellman, chief executive at the CMI, says: "Looking ahead ten years, it seems that business leaders have learnt the harsh lessons of the recession. The insular, corporate, approach blamed by so many for the economic downturn, appears to be shifting towards a more inclusive style of leadership as employers accept the commercial benefits of building an engaged workforce and working across many partners.

"One of the major challenges we face as the UK emerges from recession is how to re-connect with the workforce. Now, at last there is acceptance that, for a high quality of working life, it doesn't matter so much what the business is, but how the people in that business, from the very top through to the bottom, behave.

"Successful organisations will be those who can do more than embrace this change – they will be the ones anticipating, identifying and driving it. Of course we cannot determine the future, but that does not mean we shouldn't prepare for it to ensure that organisations and teams are effective, capable and competitive."

CMI's data, released today, follows the earlier publication of research which highlighted business leaders' admission that they need to focus on their staff. Figures released in December 2009 suggested that more than a quarter (27 per cent) has recognised the need to say ‘thank you' more often. Just under a fifth (18 per cent) also said they will spend more time with their teams.

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