Research shows 43% of managers are thought to be ineffective

People Management have written the following article relating to findings released today from research carried out by the Chartered Management Institute and Penna along with Henley Business School.  They found a strong link between management abilities and organisational performance. Only 39 per cent of managers in low performing businesses thought their line managers were effective, compared to 80 per cent in high performing organisations. 


Accredited learning and qualifications were rated by survey participants as having the best impact on management performance, yet the majority of organisations relied on short courses and on-the-job experience as their main training method.


Does this explain why we have been experiencing an upturn in qualifications?  In such a volatile business environment organisations are experiencing the benefits and those completing the qualifications feel more motivated, have higher performance levels and something to show for their efforts.


Read the full article: http://tinyurl.com/7tjk3tn 

No Room for Loafers

The virtues of team work for the individual, the team and of course the organisation are well documented: offering a sense of belonging, cohesion and well-being.  High performing teams, work seamlessly together, putting the maximum effort into the task in hand and minimising the levels of energy expended on themselves and their personal anxieties (Tuckman).

Research undertaken by the Tavistock Institute relating to group size and dynamics indicated that the optimum size for a group is between 2 and 6, with groups between 7 and 12 starting to require stronger leadership and role allocation.To achieve the advantages that come with synergy, sometimes described as 1+1 = 3, many organisations have re-structured into teams, often led by a team leader and with the expectation that individual and group performance levels will increase, and in many cases it does.

But will performance levels automatically remain high within a group? 

At the start of the last century a French agricultural engineering professor, Max Ringlemann identified a social phenomenon which he observed over and over again. What he detected was that collective group performance regularly reduced when compared with their individual efforts.  In other words exactly the opposite of the synergistic effect.

In his experiments Ringlemann arranged for participants to pull on a rope attached to a strain gauge.  When only two individuals pulled on the rope, they exerted 93% of their individual efforts.  A group of three individuals exerted 85%, and groups of 8 exerted 49% of their combined individual effort.  This level continued to decrease the more people pulled on the rope, with each person exerting a little less effort.

This phenomenon has been termed ‘social loafing’.  To quote a Billy Connolly joke: "There were 400 Clydeside dockyard workers pulling on a rope.  When the rope snapped, no one fell over". 

So when organisations are putting together a dedicated team, taking synergy and social loafing together, underpinned by the Tavistock’s work on group size means that performance is likely to be optimal with a small enough group to ensure that everyone has to work hard to achieve the end result, and not so many that there is any scope for ‘loafing’.  

That sounds to me like 6.

Soup of the day

A really good insight into an engaging style of leadership.  Doug Conant CEO of Campbells soup is interviewed about the ways in which he approaches staff engagement.  http://blogs.hbr.org/video/2012/01/get-your-employees-engaged.html

Ping Pong Ball or Bat?

The volume of emails received on a daily basis has been described by managers as a significant cause of stress, a sense of loss of control, and a reduction in productive performance levels.

In 1964 Eric Webster wrote ‘How to Win the Business Battle’ in which he established that managers:

•  Spend less than an hour alone each day;
•  Get interruptions on average every 8 minutes;
•  Spend around 18% of their time being ‘creative’;         
• Spend more time talking than thinking;
• Allow the business to run them, rather than them run the business – being reactive rather proactive, and
• Have as much mastery over their environment as a ping pong ball.

These observations were made before the advent of the internet and the introduction of the blessed email – so what, if anything, has changed?  Nothing.

On a daily basis, at any point where we break for ten minutes, almost as one person everyone reaches for the mobile phone, and checks their voice mails and email messages.  Every break is the same and at the end of a stretching day where concentration has been demanding, people go off to their rooms not to relax but to ‘catch-up’ with the emails they feel they have to respond to.

In an article by Graham Allcott ‘Trainer’s tip: How to take back control of your email inbox’ http://tinyurl.com/6zpvwvw  he points out that research carried out by the Universities of Glasgow and Paisley discovered that one third of email users get stressed by the heavy volume of emails they received.

There is a common belief that one must respond to emails as though they are all urgent, but the impact of this response is reducing the quality of performance in other areas such as reflective thinking, creativity and quality of performance.

• Only 16% of managers have had training in how to use their email system effectively and how to manage their emails.
• Managers feel overwhelmed by the number of emails they receive every day with 84% stating that they receive unnecessary emails and dread looking at their inbox.

So what are the keys to more effective email management?  When we run email workshops we work on the following:

•         Reduce the amount of time you spend dealing with emails
•         Manage your inbox and reduce unwanted items
•         Reduce the stress you feel in managing your emails
•         Improve the quality of emails you send and receive
•        Reduce the number of emails you receive
•         Get better responses to the emails you send

If I had to pick one technique to help take back control and to reduce
stress levels it would be ‘manage your Inbox’.

Two simple actions:


Stop the system pinging to tell you that an email has been received. This is a constant distraction, you interrupt yourself and stopping and starting other work is very costly in time and performance quality.  So if you don’t know how to turn off the message that appears and constantly tempts you away from your work, on Outlook it works like this:

• On the top ribbon click on ‘Tools
• Select ‘Options’
• Select ‘ Preferences’
• Go to ‘E mail Options’
• Select ‘Advanced e mail Options’
• Under the heading: ‘When new items arrive in my Inbox’ Clear the tick box ‘Display a new mail delivery alert (default Inbox only)’
• Apply and then sit back and concentrate on your current piece of work

You decide when to take a look at the Inbox. Then ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I handling emails more than once?
2. Do I have an effective email filing system? Try the following: 

• Use an @sign at the beginning of a folder to bring it to the top of your list.
• Set up an @Action folder for items you need to react to and prioritise it using the system.
• Diarise when actions need to be completed.  
• To place an email in your calendar:

a) Highlight the relevant email

b) Go to edit, then Copy

c) Go to your calendar and select the relevant date and time

d) Paste email at the bottom of your calendar entry

e) Complete the subject line and timings

• Use flags for follow up
• Do not use your Inbox as a storage facility

There are so many ways you can manage your emails and take back control. Don’t allow yourself to be the ping pong ball, make yourself the bat.

Try Thinking of Yourself as an Aphid

Aphids probably appeared around 280 million years ago, in the early Permian period.  One of the keys to their evolutionary success is that they are parthenogenic - in other words they are asexual.

I’m not a feminist, but for the past thirty five years I have been told that very shortly women will be equal in the workplace.  The Equal Pay act was passed in 1970 and yet in September 2011, forty-one years later the dinner ladies at Sheffield City Council took their claim for equal pay to the Supreme Court. 

Equality means equal workloads; equal rewards and equal opportunities, and it's the equal opportunities that I want to talk about.

A report recently published by McKinsey & Co. found a positive correlation between higher levels of company performance and the proportion of women on the executive board, and they are not alone, there are numerous pieces of evidence which show that generally women bring balance and an effective leadership style into organisations.

The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) has just published a report entitled ‘Ambition and Gender Report'. http://tinyurl.com/3tdc6zu

Amongst other things the report examines the factors impacting on women's career progressions.  Here are some of the interesting findings:

• In 2009-10 57% of first degree graduates were women.
• 49.4% of the UK workforce are women.
• 12% of FTSE 100 directorships are held by women (Cranfield School of Management latest annual report).
• 22% of senior management positions are held by women.

The broad findings suggest that:

"Men have higher levels of self confidence than women; this was evidenced by more than 50% of the women interviewed admitting to feelings of self-doubt relating to their performance and career compared to 31% of men.  In addition women were described as being more cautious in applying for jobs and promotions.  20% of men said they would apply for a role even if they were only partially able to meet the requirements of the job description." 

In terms of learning and development, whether it's workshops, skills training, or facilitating senior management meetings, I consistently work with groups made up of a majority of men.  Naturally maternity breaks and childcare issues take their toll, but there is more to it than that.

I have never yet met a business woman who was in favour of positive discrimination or who did not want to be judged on their own merits.  So where are the women at a more senior level?

I often find women to be very self aware in their roles, and this level of awareness seems sometimes to make them question their ability to perform as effectively or as confidently as their male counterparts.  Frequently women seem very conscious of their gender comparing themselves unfavourably to men.

By comparison, men do not appear to me conscious of their gender - they simply get on with it!

Perhaps the aphid has something we can learn from:

• They are not concerned with their gender.
• They are soft bodied and generally have little protection, although they can excrete a fluffy coating which can stop predators getting dangerously close to them.
• They have a wide variety of predators and parasites, but by forming a mass they are less likely to be predated.

I strongly believe the opportunities are there - but women have to be more self-confident, be less aware of their gender and just go for it.

I suggest try thinking of yourself as a person (or an aphid) -  it has worked for me.

Further reading: http://tinyurl.com/6j7up44 'Women's promotion opportunities'

http://tinyurl.com/3ev7zas 'Four ways women hold themselves back'

A Leader without Followers is not a Leader

A great deal has been written about leadership styles.  For years psychologists have attempted to classify what, if any, are the traits that indicate leadership potential (Trait theory).  Unfortunately there have been few definitive indicators.

But what makes people become 'Followers' rather than those who simply acquiesce?

 According to Burns ‘Transactional’ leaders:

·         are aware of the link between effort and reward;

·         are responsive with their basic orientation dealing with present issues;

·         rely on standard forms of inducement, reward, punishment and sanction to control followers;

·         motivate followers by setting goals and promising rewards for desired performance

·         depend on their (position) power to reinforce subordinates for their successful completion of the bargain.

Whereas ‘Transformational’ leaders inspire followers to change their levels of personal motivation, perception and their expectations of themselves.  They do this through the strength of their vision and their personality. They inspire their followers to work towards organisational goals and ensure that each person is committed and wants to be a part of the whole.  Bill Gates and Richard Branson and would fall into this style of leadership.

Bernard Bass talked about the Transformational leader ‘garnering’ trust, respect and admiration from their followers.  He suggested that charisma was ‘necessary but not sufficient’.

How often have we experienced what has been described as ‘pseudo charismatic leadership’? Where the message is initially enticing, but it subsequently turns out to be underpinned by a lack of ethical values or morality.  Where one might have been temporarily a follower, you are later left with a sense having been inappropriately influenced.

Charismatic leadership?

This type of behaviour has resulted in the description of ‘charismatic leadership’ being seen by many as negative, superficial or manipulative.  Interestingly when searching for illustrations for this article I searched under the word 'charismatic leadership' and found the picture on the right:

But in my experience nothing could be further from the truth.  Sometimes people ask if I have ever met a truly transformational leader.  One who is charismatic, without being manipulative, a person you would willingly follow, trust and who made you feel valued?  The simple answer is: YES.

I have met two such leaders.  I have been lucky enough to have worked for one of them.  A man who met every one of the 11 criteria described by Valerie Stewart in her book ‘The David Solution: How to Reclaim Power and Liberate Your Organisation'.  In nearly 30 years I have never been disappointed, I always feel valued and inspired to push myself beyond what I thought I could achieve.

I wonder how many leaders there are like this in the financial services sector?

If you want to read a bit more about transactional and transformational leadership take a look at these web sites: http://tinyurl.com/6kuae2t     and   http://tinyurl.com/5rkaxa7

Iain McGilchrist: The divided brain | Video on TED.com

A fantastic and thought provoking video - a MUST for anyone who is interested in what makes our brains tick. 11 minutes of your life well spent.

Iain McGilchrist: The divided brain | Video on TED.com