Making the most of our managers

The Australian Institute of Management recently conducted a survey with Monash University which indicated that middle managers are stymying productivity. It seems that whilst middle managers think they're doing a good job, the majority of their colleagues disagree with 52% of respondents describing the people management skills of middle managers as average or below average. Communication and leadership skills rated even lower.

Middle management is one of the largest segements of the workforce, with about 500,000 in Australia. Yet, sadly they are one of the groups that are least invested in. According to AIM Victoria and Tasmania CEO Tony Gleeson “Middle managers succeed by surviving, not by strategy or investment by employers."

CEO of ANCA, Grant Anderson suggests that “It is senior management’s job to pick people who have the potential for leadership roles and to train them appropriately. Quite often people come up from the shop floor but have never had any management training." Mr Anderson's comments are reinforced by findings in the last Karpin Report which is a national review of management skills in Australia. The report found that Australia has many world-class managers, but there is a 'long tail of poor management performance, which is closely linked to low educational attainment'.

At Generative HSE, we are familiar with this predicament and have developed our HSE Professional Development Program to support organisations to address this issue. Our program is designed to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of HSE professionals, with the intent of assisting them to become better leaders within their organisations. It is a structured, experiential program designed to improve both the application of technical skills and the ability of participants to assist their organisation to drive towards a high performing safety culture. Please visit our website or call 1300 392 040 to learn more.