Responding to the new report from the Public Administration Select Committee, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has called on the Government to heed the Committee’s call for greater commitment to developing the skills of Ministers.
Petra Wilton, CMI Director of Policy and Research, said:
“At present, ministers find themselves in positions of extreme management responsibility, without the support for skills development that leaders in our best companies benefit from. The recommendations of PASC in the last Parliament looked at simple measures – systematic training, mentoring, coaching and assessment of ministers, along with better inductions – that would provide a grounding in some of the basics of good management and leadership, which can still be lacking in the complex world of government.
“With a Coalition presenting new management challenges, and the Government committed to major changes in public services, a focus on management and leadership skills – both in government and across the civil service – will be vital to our national success. It’s the effectiveness of ministers that counts, not simply their number.”
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For further information and interviews, contact:
Harriet Fitzgerald: 020 7010 0828/ 07866 922 350
Shona Matthew: 020 7010 0884
Email: harriet.fitzgerald@kindredagency.com / Shona.Mathew@kindredagency.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
* CMI is the only chartered professional body dedicated to raising standards of management and leadership across all sectors of UK commerce and industry. CMI is the founder of the National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership and sets the standards that others follow.
* By setting minimum professional standards – built into our qualifications, membership criteria and learning resources – we recognise individual capability and give employers confidence in their managers’ performance.
* As a membership organisation, CMI has also been providing forward-thinking advice and support to individuals and businesses, for more than 50 years. As the only organisation to offer qualifications from Level 2 (GCSE) to Level 8 (PhD), CMI is committed to equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge to be exceptional managers and leaders.
* Qualifications and accreditations such as Chartered Manager, combined with products such as CMI’s Continuous Professional Development scheme and the online support resource, ManagementKnow, support the development of management and leadership excellence across the UK.
* Through in-depth research and policy surveys of its 90,000 individual and 450 corporate members, CMI maintains its position as the premier authority on key management and leadership issues
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I don't know why anyone would think that MP's have any greater monopoly on management skills and/or need less training. The above call makes sense.
The CMI’s “Better Managed Britain” manifesto was launched by the All Parliamentary group on Management in Nov 2009 this called on Business managers, employers and policy makers to demonstrate commitment to management and leadership excellence by pledging support for the Manifesto.
Are MP’s not policy makers? Maybe they should download the Manifesto and sign the pledge. Or at least read the minutes of their own management group.
Marvellous call out but it doesn't actually acknowledge that there is a simple set of issues within govt that we never deal with
1. Make Up of Representatives
For anybody that took in a recent BBC documentary about the origins of the UK parliament it provided conclusive analysis that access to political power is no longer viable for the majority of the population. The shocking aspect to this is that this is common to all parties in the UK govt.
2. Best & Brightest ?
Whilst like a good percentage of the population the MP expenses scandal was distasteful if did highlight that we get what we pay for. An MP's salary would not get your more than a decent middle - senior manager from the private sector. This itself has to lead to us asking do we actually have the right people with the appropriate life experience and skills leading the country ?
When you take both of these points together and consider the content of this report quite plainly we should be heading back to the drawing board in terms of who is actually selected and what criteria they should meet. For the life of me I never ever have managed to understand the phrase "career politician".
Isn't the whole thing ripe for a shift? I mean more and more management books are advocating leaders devolving work and decision making to those more able to make sense of the complex environment in which we operate. These texts suggest that in such a complex world it is simply impossible for those at the centre to have a handle on what is actually going on, so their role should be merely to support those who do have a handle on it.
Yet in something as important as government we still have a centralised model where so many decisions are made by a small number of people in Whitehall.
So for me the biggest 'management' change MPs can make is to get the heck out of our way. They don't represent me, they don't have a clue about my life, and they don't have my mandate to make decisions on my behalf.
Tony your right about access to political power, the same argument can be used about social and upward mobility which has been going backwards. Politicians of all persuasions give us platitudes and tell us to be involved as individuals can make a difference. Yes they can but the instances of this happening are few and far between.
I am with you on “Career Politicians” I hate the term and I feel anyone entering politics should have some real business experience. The Government is talking about devolving power to locally elected mayors in 12 major cities. Will that be another 12 politicians along with Boris who have an eye on the PM’s job and then a euro gravy train job. Tony you’ve got me going now.