The Price of Poor Management: dynamism & transformation - there’s a little way to go
It is bandied around and commonly cited that people don't leave jobs; they leave managers.
And with the recent landmark study conducted by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) in collaboration with YouGov, this has been reinforced with startling evidence. The results, revealing the ramifications of inadequate management in the UK, emphasise the need for profound change in our management landscape. So, then if this is bigger and broader than the arts & culture sector - what can be done about this?
Well, the CMI-YouGov study paints a grim picture of the state of UK management and leadership. Poor management practices are not just inconvenient; they bear real costs – both tangible and intangible. Among the key findings (please do read the full report for yourself):
Employees under ineffective managers often struggle with motivation. The lack of direction, purpose, and encouragement creates a vacuum of enthusiasm.
When employees don't feel valued or heard, they often disengage. They contribute the bare minimum and refrain from going the extra mile, leading to reduced productivity and innovation.
Poor management is a breeding ground for negative behaviours. From favouritism to micro-managing, the toxic traits trickle down, creating hostile environments that are detrimental to teamwork and collective goals.
“Ineffective managers have a deep impact on employees including on their motivation, satisfaction and likelihood to leave. The economy is flat. Labour markets are tight. Top talent is in high demand. Yet many UK organisations are allowing mediocre or ineffective managers to damage their prospects.
Overall, only 27% of workers assessed their manager as highly effective; 37% said they were somewhat effective; 18% rate them as neither effective nor ineffective, and 18% rate them as somewhat (12%) or highly ineffective (6%).
Staff who rate their manager as ineffective are far less likely to have job satisfaction or feel personally valued and respected. They are unlikely to feel motivated to do a good job, or to praise their company culture.”
This is where professionals like me step in, offering consultancy services tailored to support and improve management and leadership strategies (and a whole lot more interrelated topics). I help organisations transition from stagnating practices to dynamic leadership methods. The first step is awareness.
The problem
In my Dynamism blog from 2021 I go deep on the concept behind Arts Council England’s Investment Principle dynamism.
This concept, applied to the English arts sector, ACE says it wants ‘Cultural organisations and individuals [to be] dynamic and able to respond to the challenges and opportunities of the next decade. This principle outlines a flexible and adaptable approach to business. It includes the need for innovation in business models; for developing leadership, talent and wellbeing within the workforce; for appropriate use of technology across activities and for using evidence and data in decision making’.
Which interestingly is approached differently by Arts Council Wales under one of their 6 principles - ‘Transformation: it is about supporting the potential for arts organisations to transform. Don’t be afraid to take risks or to change – and, above all, to become relevant to the communities of modern Wales.’
The funders see this, they see what needs to be done and have done for some time as these principles as part of their current strategies were written a few years ago now. Way before CMI commissioned YouGov to undertake surveys. Just as the arts require adaptability, innovation, and a fresh perspective, so does management and I would argue vice versa. Stagnant and outdated approaches can only lead to the consequences highlighted in the CMI-YouGov study.
From a recent training day I led (see images above of me in action on said training day!), which was based on the Dynamism principle, the slide example below taken from my training deck that gives a more elaborate view on what I think is ‘wrong’ with the arts sector. Of course, this is my personal opinion but isn’t it interesting that alot of these factors can be put right by decent management?
A Way Forward
With the stark reality presented by the CMI-YouGov research, the need for change is evident. And, with the high proportion of leaders in the arts in the UK being founders. As the report says they are ‘accidental managers’ - with no formal route in or training in management or leadership.
In the report’s concluding comments it talks of the cost of getting it wrong. The risks of poor management manifest themselves in staff wellbeing, retention and the ultimate success of organisations - be it the bottom line
for companies or the smooth delivery of public services for taxpayers. The research has also brought to the forefront the sheer volume of managers who are coming into the job without adequate training. Promoting people based on placing a higher value on technical skills for a role over the series of behaviours that can power a team to greater success both carries added risk and stymies opportunity.
CMI says that people with good managers feel more valued, are more satisfied and are more motivated to do a good job and I believe them, I’ve been that person who’s felt like I had to leave a job because of poor management.
They’re calling for action saying it is time for managers and organisations to take responsibility and commit to identifying where their knowledge and skills gaps lie. Only through this commitment can we turn the page to deliver long-term growth, improved productivity and relegate accidental managers and toxic work cultures to the past.
I’m asking…. in the UK arts sector - can we get on with this ASAP to protect the future of our sector?!
Of course, the challenges in the arts sector aren’t wholly down to poor management and leadership, there’s more to it than that. And, in some instances people in management roles who I’ve spoken to genuinely want to do better (they also feel frazzled) but because of the systemic pressures to deliver (why is it always yesterday that sh*t needs to get done?!)… where it’s down to a lack of capacity, a lack of resources or a lack of care (or a combination of all of those): can we start to be the change?
I’m a member of CMI and actively studying for their Level 7 in Strategic Leadership & Management Diploma. It’s been an enlightening learning journey so far to learn about and read widely around best practice in this field. You can read more about some early insights from my studies in this blog and this blog.
Work with me
By aligning with consultants like myself and seeing to build awareness and then actions around the above, I can help organisations to transition from toxic workplace environments to thriving, engaged, and motivated places where people love going to work.
The journey to improved management begins with acknowledgment and action. Let this study serve as the wake-up call we need, pushing us towards management practices that are not just effective but exemplary.