Accidental Managers
“Accidental managers” can be found in virtually every business. You can probably think of a couple you know right off the top of your head, or you may even consider yourself to be one.
There’s no shame in being an accidental manager, after all they are promoted for impressive performance in a particular role. The problem is that they are never equipped with the critical skills that they need to extract equally impressive performances from others.
Instead, they either SINK or SWIM as managers, under the false assumption that leadership abilities are ingrained, inherited or organically collected along the way.
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has been warning of the danger of accidental managers for years, and its research has estimated that as many as four out of five managers fit the criteria. This could be as many as 2.4 million managers nationwide and is having a serious negative impact upon performance and productivity.
This build up of accidental managers has happened because 71% of companies are failing to offer training to first-time managers, despite evidence that organisations with management development programmes achieving 32% more productivity per employee.
Now more than ever, organisations need managers that, rather than feeling burdened with (or overwhelmed by) the responsibility of management, have the skills and confidence to do it brilliantly.
How else will they cope with ever-increasing levels of change, pivoting market needs, increasing customer expectations and modern workplace challenges like dispersed teams, digitisation and the advent of automation?
Don’t Panic
By far, effective training for your accidental managers is the most easily surmountable barrier to improving performance and productivity problems. And, there is a shiny new weapon in the battle against the Accidental Manager: Management Apprenticeships.
The Level 3 and Level 5 Management Apprenticeship standards have been designed in collaboration with business to deliver the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to thrive in leadership roles.
Furthermore, only 19% of employers are aware that existing management roles could be occupied by apprentices, allowing their existing staff to access comprehensive training in the critical management skills they need.
The training costs of these programmes can be covered with your Levy funds, or 90% funded by the Government if you’re not a Levy payer.
There is a world of confusion surrounding the new Apprenticeship opportunity, so contact us now for an informal, no-obligation consultation that will answer all of your questions surrounding funding, off-the-job time, qualifications and more.
