Nearly half of employees surveyed in the East of England (45%) believe their bosses are poor decision makers, with many blaming incompetence and lack of confidence as contributory factors for their indecision. In contrast, according to new research published today, 88% of bosses surveyed in the region say that managers in their organisation are in fact good decision makers.
The research, conducted by YouGov for Investors in People – the organisation that works with companies to improve performance – highlights the negative impact of poor decision-making on employees in the East of England. Of those who say their bosses are poor decision-makers, 65% report that it leaves them frustrated or angry and 60% say it causes them to lose respect for the manager.
These employees also believe that poor decision-making is detrimental to the performance of the business – 80% claim it damages morale, 52% say it reduces productivity and 16% say it allows competitors to get ahead.
When questioned about the reasons behind their managers’ indecision, more than half (53%) of employees in the East of England who think their managers are indecisive point to lack of competence and over a third (37%) to lack the confidence. 23% say managers are not sufficiently empowered by senior management and 18% believe that they haven’t had enough training.
Simon Jones, Acting Chief Executive at Investors in People UK, commented:
“This is worrying problem for organisations in the East of England. Effective decision making is a vital skill for any manager, and critical to the smooth operation of the organisation as a whole. Indecisive managers are a drain on the company and a major frustration for their teams, damaging employee motivation which can in turn undermine productivity and affect the organisation's progress.”
According to the research, when managers do make important decisions, employees feel that their views aren’t properly considered. Whilst 52% of senior managers surveyed in the East of England thought that management sought the views of others in their organisation before making a decision, only 19% of employees believe this is true. In fact, nearly half (43%) of employees claim that when bosses make a decision they simply inform others afterwards, and a quarter (25%) say bosses are secretive about the decisions they make.
Simon Jones added:
“There are clearly a number of factors which can lead to bad decision making but it is particularly worrying that managers in the region are failing to involve other people as they put plans in place. Without employee input it is difficult to ensure that the team as a whole buys in to what has been decided and is motivated to play their part. Equally, decisions made in isolation are unlikely to take account of the full picture and may well not be in the best interests of the organisation. A participative, inclusive culture is key and presenting 'fait accompli' decisions is not the way to achieve this.”
Ends
Notes to editor:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 345 East of England adults. Fieldwork was undertaken 14th - 25th June 2007. The survey was carried out online. The figures have not been weighted.
Investors in People:
· Investors in People is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.
· The Investors in People Standard provides a framework for improving business performance and competitiveness through good practice in human resource development.
· An organisation that has achieved the Standard has been successful in adopting and maintaining its three fundamental principles: Plan - developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation, from business goals to leadership strategies; Do - implementing those strategies, taking action to improve the performance of the organisation;
· The Investors in People Standard and Profile are promoted and developed by Investors in People UK – an organisation whose main stakeholder is the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
· The Investors in People Standard is delivered by a partner network:
1. In England, the network of Investors in People Centres.
2. In Scotland, Scottish Enterprise (SE) or Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
3. In Wales, the Business Skills Delivery Team at the Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Welsh Assembly Government.
4. In Northern Ireland, the Department for Employment of Learning.
Investors in People is available for further comment. Please contact the Investors in People press office 020 7544 3118. For more information on Investors in People please visit www.investorsinpeople.co.uk
