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The Value of Management and Leadership Qualifications July 2012

Margaret Bradley, Patrick Woodman and Paul Hutchings

Page

Foreword 3

Introduction 4

Methodology 5

Key findings 7

Chapter 1: Drivers of Management and Leadership Qualifications 9

Chapter 2: The Impact of Management and Leadership Qualifications on Individual Managers 15

Chapter 3: The Organisational Impact of Management and Leadership Qualifications 21

Chapter 4: Maximising the Returns from Management and Leadership Qualifications 26

Conclusions and Recommendations 33

Appendices 35

Case study 1: BGL Group 35

Case study 2: Greenwich Leisure Limited 37

Case study 3: Leeds Leadership Centre (NHS) 39

Case study 4: Sanctuary Housing Association 41

Case study 5: Synergy Health plc 43

Survey demographics 44

References 45

Acknowledgements 47

Contents

Copyright Chartered Management Institute ©First published 2012

Chartered Management Institute2 Savoy Court, Strand,London WC2R 0EZ

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA CIP catalogue record for this report is available from the British Library

3

Foreword

Getting qualified is a vitally important part of becoming a true professional in all walks of life. I believe it’s every bit as important for managers as for lawyers, accountants or doctors.

Too many managers remain unqualified, however. It’s been estimated that at best only one in five managers have any qualification in management itself. The evidence is that organisations’ performance suffers as a result. This report aims to highlight the benefits of management and leadership qualifications as seen by the very people who have direct experience of them: managers and employers across the economy.

It’s clear that many managers are deeply committed to their professional development, with the simple aim of being a better manager far out-stripping financial gain as a motivation for studying. That’s reassuring at a time when the abilities and ethics of many organisations’ top managers are challenged almost daily in the headlines.

The resulting impact on performance is clear. Many employers are reaping the rewards. In particular, those that have implemented internally-run courses are able to help their managers learn in the context of their jobs. Real benefits can be achieved by building work-based projects into the assessment process and exposing managers to the big challenges faced by their organisation, giving them the ability and the confidence to step up.

Of course, the benefits to employers of having managers who can see the bigger picture, make better decisions, and better manage their people, are obvious. But too many employers aren’t giving newly-qualified managers the opportunity to put into practice what they’ve learned.

A step-change is needed to place qualifications at the heart of management training and development. I am sure this report will help more employers to realise the potential benefits of having qualified managers. I hope it helps you get the return on investment that you rightly demand.

Ann FranckeChief Executive, Chartered Management Institute

4

Earlier this year CMI published a major piece of research on the business benefits of management and leadership development. It showed that organisational performance and management abilities are clearly correlated, with effective management development linked to a 23 per cent variance in organisational performance (McBain et al 2012). The research revealed that qualifications, in particular, hit a ‘sweet spot’, with managers rating business school and professional body qualifications as the most effective forms of MLD.

This project builds on these findings to explore and evaluate the impact of management and leadership qualifications (MLQs) on UK managers and employers.

A 2007 report by CMI, The Value of Management Qualifications, highlighted the national picture of an under-qualified management workforce compared to other professional occupations (Wilton et al 2007). Just 38.5 per cent of managers and senior officials were qualified at level 4 or above, compared to 80.9 per cent of those in other professional occupations. Moreover, relatively few managers actually hold specific management or leadership qualifications. It has been estimated that the proportion of managers with management-related qualifications will not get much above 20 per cent in the longer term at the current rate of achievement.

The most recent data from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, the Government’s official advisory body, shows that managers are now the least likely occupational group to receive training. Unskilled managers represent 11 per cent of the UK’s skills deficit (UKCES 2012). At a time when there is a well-documented skills shortage amongst managers, there needs to be a clearer picture about what makes for the most effective use of MLQs. With training and development budgets being squeezed due to the current financial climate, this research aims to examine the business case for individuals and organisations considering investing in MLQs. What is their effect on business performance and how can employers and individual managers both make the most of their investments?

Introduction

5

In order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the impact of management and leadership qualifications (MLQs), the research adopted a multi-method approach, combining a quantitative survey with employer case studies.

An online survey was sent to 20,000 CMI members, selected on the basis of having a management qualification – one of the criteria for full CMI membership. A total of 1,185 responses were received, making a 6 per cent response rate; a profile of respondents is provided in Appendix 6.

The survey examined managers’ general perceptions of MLQs and the impact of such qualifications upon both the individual manager and their organisation. Respondents were asked to think specifically about the most recent MLQ they had undertaken and answer particular questions about their experiences. Fifty-three per cent of the sample reported that their most recent qualification was with CMI, while 47 per cent were awarded by another provider. The survey also asked about the design and delivery of the course, line manager support and ability to transfer learning into the workplace.

Statistical significance testing was undertaken on the survey data. Where differences between groups are highlighted the result was significant at least to the p < 0.05 level. Percentages have been rounded to full numbers; where tables or charts do not total 100 it may be due to rounding.

Employer case studies were adopted to complement the survey. Five organisations which run accredited MLQs internally were recruited:

• BGL Group – one of the largest personal lines insurance groups in the UK

• Greenwich Leisure Limited – a social enterprise that provides community services, especially leisure and fitness facilities

• Leeds Leadership Centre (NHS) – a partnership organisation involving three of the NHS organisations in Leeds: the Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust, Leeds Community Healthcare and NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds

• Sanctuary Housing Association – providers of general rented, sheltered and home ownership accommodation across England and Scotland

• Synergy Health plc – providers of specialist outsourced services to healthcare providers and other clients concerned with health management.

There were three parts to the work within each organisation. Firstly, managers who had completed a qualification were invited to complete the survey. Focus groups were then held with a selection of managers from across the respective businesses, hosted on-site by the employer, and finally interviews were conducted with senior human resource/organisational development representatives. The focus groups centred on the perceived impact of the MLQ at the individual, team and organisational level, while the HR interviews explored the organisational and strategic aspects of implementing MLQs within an organisation.

The qualitative data from the focus groups and interviews supplemented the survey data by providing a rich account of the implementation and impact of MLQs within organisations. It has made it possible to triangulate the findings from the perspective of the individual (focus group participants) and the organisation (HR representatives). Findings from the case studies are integrated throughout the report and are also presented as a whole in the Appendices.

Methodology

6

Within the survey, respondents were asked to think about management and leadership qualifications in terms of “a range of management, leadership and business qualifications”, including:

• Vocational qualifications such as awards, certificates and diplomas in management, leadership, coaching and mentoring

• Academic qualifications including management, leadership and business related degrees, post graduate and other higher education qualifications.

Such qualifications may be delivered through a variety of methods, be it in the workplace, through home study or online, via a further or higher education institution or through a private training provider. This research does not seek to assess the value of different methods of learning or course delivery. Rather, it focuses on the value of qualifications for both the individual manager and the employer in terms of their impact on workplace outcomes.

Defining management and leadership

qualifications (MLQs)

7

• Improved performance – 90 per cent of managers surveyed say their management qualification improved their performance at work. The top areas of impact included:

– improved confidence and self awareness – increased strategic awareness and awareness of the external environment – more effective decision-making – improved performance management and change management

• Managers’ motivation – the fundamental aim of becoming a better manager is a more important motivation for managers embarking on qualifications than the prospect of pay increases or promotion.

• Lasting change – 85 per cent of survey respondents say their qualification helped them make lasting changes to the way they manage and lead.

• Improved productivity – professional management Diplomas and MBAs are both widely seen by managers as resulting in improved productivity, by 84 and 86 per cent respectively.

• Ripple effect – 81 per cent of managers were able to pass on their new skills to others following their qualification and 79 per cent improved the performance of their team, suggesting successful transfer of learning to the workplace.

• Accreditation provides quality assurance for customers – in addition to performance improvements, the research found that employers value MLQs because they provide independent assessment of management capability. This provides a form of quality assurance to customers – something which 78 per cent of survey respondents also agreed was a benefit.

• Accreditation benefits – other key benefits of accredited qualifications include:

– having a recognised and transferable indicator of management competence – assessed elements, which ensure that participants are active in the learning process.

• Return on investment – 79 per cent of respondents agree that the employer benefits of MLQs outweigh the level of time, money and effort invested in obtaining them.

• Funding – 62 per cent of respondents reported that their most recent MLQ was fully funded by their employer. Nine per cent were part funded and 22 per cent were fully funded by individuals.

• Ability to attract staff – funding MLQs such as MBAs or Diplomas improves an employer’s ability to attract staff, according to 87 and 77 per cent of managers respectively.

• Staff retention – employers felt that managers who had taken employer-funded qualifications were more committed to the organisation – managers value the investment in their development.

• Creating a management community – management qualifications can deliver value by helping to build a ‘management community’ within organisations, based on the shared experience of the qualification, a common management language and common use of management tools.

• Supporting organisational change – management qualifications can support change, both cultural and structural, by providing managers with new skills and behaviours to help steer an organisation in a new direction.

The impact of management

qualifications on performance

Supporting the business case for

employers

Key Findings

8

• Return on investment – 89 per cent of managers surveyed say the benefits they gained from their qualification outweigh the time, money and effort invested in it.

• Professional recognition – over half of learners suggest that their MLQ has helped them achieve a promotion (53 per cent), but 80 per cent say that taking a management qualification has resulted in increased professional recognition.

• Professional managers – 84 per cent of respondents believe that becoming qualified is a critical part of being a professional manager. A similar number (78 per cent) say that employers prefer qualified managers when recruiting.

• Spreading the word – 93 per cent of managers surveyed say they would be likely or highly likely to recommend their most recent management qualification to others.

• Further development – 49 per cent of respondents say they would take another management qualification and 10 per cent are already studying for their next qualification.

• Growing importance of being qualified – 71 per cent of respondents say MLQs have become more important over the last five years. Key drivers are:

– the need to show evidence of transferable skills – the need for broad-based business knowledge – because management is increasingly being regarded as a profession.

• Line manager support – three quarters of respondents agree that their line manager was supportive while they were studying. When it came to using the new skills or behaviours developed through their qualification, 60 per cent agreed that they had their line manager’s backing – although for 40 per cent this represents a clear area for improvement.

• Supporting junior managers – junior managers were substantially more likely than senior managers to be frustrated about being unable to implement what they had learned (48 per cent compared to 19 per cent).

• Terms and conditions – 34 per cent of managers have been required to remain with their employer for an established period of time as a condition of employer funding for their qualification. One in five were asked to show how they achieve certain objectives as a result of their study, while 16 per cent are required to train other staff.

• Improving the evaluation of qualifications – the most common way for employers to evaluate a MLQ programme was by reviewing the number of qualifications successfully completed (a measure used by 71 per cent). Other forms of evaluation include informal feedback (34 per cent) and formal feedback forms (27 per cent). Only 17 per cent of organisations evaluated against measurable success criteria identified at the outset of the qualification programme.

Individual managers’ perspectives on

management qualifications

Maximising the impact of qualifications

9

This chapter explores the issues which drive the uptake of management and leadership qualifications (MLQs). It begins by exploring learners’ motivation and desired outcomes, before considering funding arrangements and key factors which influence the selection of a particular qualification.

What were the desired outcomes for managers when they decided to embark upon a qualification? As shown in Figure 1, the survey results suggest that most participants were seeking, primarily, to become a better manager, through improved skills and knowledge of management tools and techniques. These were substantially more important than securing extrinsic rewards such as pay and promotion. This would indicate that managers are motivated to learn, which is a critical element of successful training and the transfer of training into the workplace (Goldstein and Ford 2002).

Figure 1 Desired outcomes from MLQ

The survey results were consistent with findings from the focus groups, in which the majority of participants stated that they made the commitment to take a qualification primarily in order to enhance their management abilities. There was a clear desire to acquire new behaviours, skills and techniques to help them in the workplace.

These results are reassuring for organisations that fund MLQs. They suggest that managers are undertaking the qualifications to help them in their role and improve their performance at work, rather than for personal advancement or to move out of the organisation.

Unsurprisingly, there were different motivations for managers who had funded their own qualifications: these managers were more likely to be motivated by outcomes such as promotion or career progression. Those who had been funded by their employer reported a desire to address a skills gap in their organisation.

There were also differences between managers at different levels of seniority. Figure 2 shows a clear linear relationship between seniority level and the importance of career progression/pay increases, outcomes which were more highly valued by junior managers.

1.1 Motivation for undertaking

qualifications

1Not important

at all

2 3 4Very

important

To improve my skills

To improve my knowledge of tools and techniques

To gain professional recognition

To develop key behaviours

To improve my performance at work

To gain a promotion/career progression

To address a skills gap in the organisation

To gain a pay increase

3.69

3.56

3.46

3.34

3.32

3.06

2.57

2.39

Chapter 1: Drivers of Management and Leadership Qualifications

10

Figure 2 Desired outcomes from MLQs by seniority

Just over half of the managers surveyed reported that their qualifications were fully funded by their employer (62 per cent), with a small number reporting part employer funding (9 per cent). Around one in five learners completely self financed their MLQ.

Figure 3 Source of funding for MLQs1

Figure 4 shows that employers were more likely to fund the shorter vocational options (i.e. Certificates, Awards, Diplomas) as opposed to academic qualifications, although there was still a high level of funding for the academic qualifications.

1Not important

at all

2 3 4Very

important

CEO/MD2.08

1.75

Director/Senior Manager2.90

2.14

Middle Manager3.05

2.37

First Line Manager3.12

2.49

Aspiring Manager3.53

3.85

To gain a promotion/career progression

To gain a pay increase

1.2 Funding of management and

leadership qualifications

0 20 40 60

Fully financed by employer 62

Part financed by self and employer 9

Fully financed by self 22

Fully financed by government

Part financed by self andpart financed by government

5

2

Percentage

1 Fourteen per cent of the sample was unable to identify how the qualification was funded, so the following results in this section are based on the sample of participants that gave a clear answer to how their qualification was funded.

11

Figure 4 Employer funding of qualifications: fully-funded or part-funded

Public sector managers were more likely to have been fully funded by their employer (69 per cent), compared to 58 per cent in the private sector and 57 per cent in the not-for-profit sector. This result is consistent with recent CMI research which found that the public sector had a higher spend on management and leadership development compared to the other sectors (McBain et al 2012). It remains to be seen whether cuts to public sector funding over the coming years will have an impact on this.

In addition, there was a linear relationship between organisation size and levels of employer funding. Managers from small organisations less likely to have their qualifications fully funded (45 per cent) than those in large organisations (69 per cent).

Survey participants were asked to rate the importance of certain practical factors in their decision to take their qualification. As shown in Figure 5, the most influential factors were the qualification’s reputation, the option to study part time, and teaching methods.

Figure 5 Factors that influence qualification choice

0 20 40 60 80 100

Apprenticeship 42

Doctorate

Fully financedby employer

45 9

Masters Degree 49 15

Bachelor Degree 39 13

Foundation Degree 38 38

Diploma 72 8

Award 60 5

Certificate 76 6

Percentage

Part financed byself and employer

1.3 Influential factors in qualification choice

2 3

Reputation of qualification

Option to study part time

Teaching method of qualification

Recognition of qualification within my organisation

Duration of the qualification

Location of qualification provider

Option to achieve qualification in stages

Price

All sample

Self funded

Employer funded

1Not important

at all

4Very

important

12

The findings demonstrate that price was the least important consideration out of the options available. Although it was significantly more important for those self-financing their qualifications, it was still a relatively low consideration compared to other factors, especially the qualification’s reputation. This suggests that MLQ providers should not compromise quality too much in the interests of cost.

Employer-funded learners were also more concerned about the reputation of the qualification within the organisation.

1.3.1 Influential factors in qualification choice and type of qualification

The factors driving the choice of qualification were analysed by the type of qualification taken, revealing a number of statistically significant differences. Price was a more influential factor for managers choosing Master degrees than Certificates or Diploma. Similarly, reputation and teaching methods were also more important for Masters degrees – factors which a learner would doubtless considered alongside the price when evaluating the potential return on what could be a substantial investment.

1.3.2 Management seniority differences

Junior managers were more concerned by the recognition of qualifications within the organisation than more senior managers. Reputation may be particularly important to junior managers as they lack the work experience of more senior managers and, therefore, rely on qualifications more heavily to establish their credentials within the organisation and build their careers. In some organisations, particular qualifications may also be regarded – explicitly or implicitly – as a prerequisite for advancement to more senior levels.

Another finding was that cost was less important for lower level managers than senior managers. It is not possible from the results to say why this is the case but one reason may be that senior managers are more likely to undertake Masters level qualifications: as seen above, price was more of an issue for these qualifications than for shorter, more vocational – and cheaper – ones.

The overwhelming majority of managers (84 per cent) believe that taking an MLQ is a critical part of becoming a professional manager. With past research estimating that as few as one in five managers have a management qualification (Wilton et al 2007), there is a significant gap between the expectation that professional managers should be qualified, and the reality of an under-qualified management profession. There is also a widespread view that being qualified improves employment prospects, with nearly four out of five managers reporting that employers prefer managers with MLQs.

A similar number – 78 per cent – report that MLQs provide quality assurance to customers about an organisation’s management capability. The ability to demonstrate independently-verified evidence of management quality to potential clients through the qualification profile of staff is one of the key benefits of MLQs over other unaccredited forms of management and leadership development.

1.4 Attitudes to MLQs

13

Figure 6 Attitudes towards MLQs

With five years elapsed since CMI’s previous study on this subject, we asked managers whether they felt management qualifications were more or less important than five years ago, both for individual managers and for employers. As Figure 7 illustrates, 71 per cent of managers reported that they have become more important for individuals and 62 per cent that they have become more important for employers.

Figure 7 Importance of MLQs compared to five years ago

Those managers who reported that MLQs had become more important were asked why they felt that was the case. As shown in Table 1 below, many managers see the value of MLQs in supporting mobility between sectors, by providing evidence of transferable skills. It also suggests that a commitment to professionalism and a need for broad based business knowledge are important drivers.

Table 1 Why have qualifications become more important?

Agree

Management qualifications are too expensive 5644

Managers undertaking qualifications requiretoo much support from their employer 1288

Managers undertaking qualifications are too distractedfrom their day to day work 1882

Management qualifications provide customers with qualityassurance of an organisation’s management capability 7822

Individual managers receive more benefitsfrom their qualification than their employer 50 50

When recruiting, employers prefer managerswith management qualifications 7822

Becoming qualified is a critical partof being a professional manager 8416

DisagreePositive %Negative %

1.5 General perceptions: growing importance

of MLQs

0 20 40 60 80 100

More important71

62

About the same26

32

Less important3

6

For managers

Percentage

For employers

%

Managers need evidence of transferable skills to move across business sectors 71

Management is increasingly becoming viewed as a profession 61

Managers need more broadly based business knowledge 60

Managers are more concerned about professional development 55

Employers are demanding more qualifications 53

There is more international competition for jobs 31

14

The focus groups corroborated these findings. Participants in all the case organisations discussed the importance of developing management skills to manage in volatile economic conditions and to deal with organisational change. On an individual level they also saw the value of having demonstrable evidence of their skills in a highly competitive labour market.

1.5.1 Differences by management seniority

Junior managers were more likely to report that employers demand more qualifications: 65 per cent agreed with this viewpoint, compared to 51 per cent of middle managers, 48 per cent of senior managers and 56 per cent of directors. Previous research has showed that junior managers value training and related activities more highly than senior staff, and that they are more likely to use qualifications as proof of competence (McBain et al 2012).

1.5.2 Sector differences

Public sector managers were more likely than those from not-for-profit and private sector organisations to think that management qualifications have become more important for managers over the last five years (75 per cent public, 69 per cent private and 66 per cent not-for-profit). Tellingly, at a time of upheaval and job losses in the sector, public sector managers were also more likely to report that managers need evidence of transferable skills to move across business sectors.

Although less pronounced, there were similar sector differences related to the importance of MLQs for employers (65 per cent public and 60 per cent for private and not-for-profit).

Figure 8 Why qualifications have become more important, by sector

20 40

Managers are more concernedabout professional development

Managers need more broadlybased business knowledge

Managers need evidence oftransferable skills to move

across business sectors

There is more internationalcompetition for jobs

Employers are demandingmore qualifications

Private sector

Public sector

Charity/not for profit

0 60 80 100

Percentage of total sample

354444

252322

5157

54

464446

3946

38

15

This chapter will examine the impact that management and leadership qualifications have on individual managers. It will assess the value of MLQs both in terms of internal rewards, such as performance and ability, and external rewards, such as salary increases and higher earnings potential. The findings suggest that MLQs result in more effective and better-performing managers. The benefits are reported as growing rather than declining over time, indicating that while the cost is up-front (in terms of fees and human resource investment), the benefits for both employers and individuals continue to be felt over the longer term.

As noted in Chapter 1, the fundamental aim of becoming a better manager as a result of developing new skills and knowledge is a key driver for the uptake of MLQs. In this regard, the survey asked participants to assess the impact of their most recent qualification upon their performance and the quality of their work. Respondents were extremely positive, with 87 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing that it improved their performance and an even stronger majority (90 per cent) agreeing that it improved the quality of their work.

Figure 9 Impact of MLQ on performance and quality of work

Evidently, managers’ own evaluation is that taking a management or leadership qualification leads to performance improvements.

Respondents were also asked to rate the impact of their MLQ on their effectiveness across a range of specific management skills, knowledge and behaviours. These were based on the six areas of the National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership2: managing self and personal skills, managing resources, managing people, managing change, providing direction, and achieving results. The data suggests that MLQs have a broad impact on management skills, with the three most highly rated outcomes being greater confidence, increased self awareness and more strategic awareness.

2.1 Enhancing performance and

managerial ability

0 20 40 60 80 100

AgreeImproved my performance

at work 69 18

Improved the qualityof my work

55 36

Percentage

Strongly agree

2.2 Specific impact of MLQs on skills,

knowledge and behaviours

Chapter 2: The Impact of Management and Leadership Qualifications on Individual Managers

2 Available at http://www.management-standards.org/standards/standards

http://www.management-standards.org/standards/standards

16

Figure 10 Impact of qualifications on managers’ skills, knowledge and behaviours

2.2.1 Differences between types of qualifications

Participants were also asked to indicate their perceptions about how different types of qualifications could improve managers’ ability to deliver results (Figure 11 below). All qualifications were rated positively but Masters degrees and Diplomas were regarded as offering the most positive impacts.

Figure 11 Qualification type and ability to deliver results3

1Not important

at all

2 3 4Very

important

Improve my networks

Manage stress better 2.63

Delegate more effectively

2.79

Manage conflict more effectively

2.90

Increase innovation in my team

2.95

Improve working relationships

2.98

Manage resources better

3.01

Be more motivated and energised at work

3.02

Provide clearer direction for my team

3.02

Improve mentoring and coaching skills

3.03

Improve influencing skills

3.06

Develop my team better

3.13

Communicate more effectively

3.14

3.15

Manage projects better 3.15

Manage processes better 3.18

Manage change better 3.20

Improve performance management skills 3.21

Increase awareness of the external 3.21

Take more effective decisions 3.22

Increase strategic awareness 3.31

Increase self awareness 3.40

Be more confident in my approach to work 3.40

Diploma

Masters degree

Agree

8713

8911

Bachelor degree 8119

Apprenticeship 8119

Doctorate 7723

Certificate 7624

Foundation degree 7030

Award 6931

Disagree

Positive %Negative %

3 Percentages based on participants that felt able to answer the question: those who felt they did not know were asked not to respond to this question.

17

In the more fluid and open setting of the focus groups, participants were asked to discuss the perceived impact of their MLQ on their management skills. Reinforcing the survey findings, managers highlighted increased confidence, self awareness and strategic awareness as key outcomes. Other themes also emerged as key outcomes including improvements in people management, change management and the opportunity to network.

2.3.1 Increased confidence Not only was increased confidence the top-ranked outcome of MLQs in the survey: it was also a strong theme emerging from the focus groups. Increasing confidence is a very important concept in organisational psychology as it is closely linked to “self-efficacy”, a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. People with a high level of self-efficacy will readily undertake challenging activities and will be more motivated to persist in these activities (Wood and Bandura 1989).

For some managers, increased confidence was a result of reinforcement of what they already knew. One manager at BGL explained how his qualification had given him evidence to back up his thinking, instilling him with the confidence to challenge others when he disagrees with something. Others reported increased confidence as a result of acquiring new skills, with participants referencing improved people management skills as critical for managing confrontational situations.

2.3.2 Increased self awareness

Focus group participants described how their MLQs had provided the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour in relation to theory and best practice, and how they may be perceived by others. This was especially pertinent in relation to people management.

One NHS participant said that the qualification “taught me a heap about myself”. She now reflects more on her communication with others and her aim is to “seek first to understand, then be understood.” So, for example, she now avoids interrupting people with what she thinks they want to say. She felt changes such as this had directly led to improvements in her team’s performance.

2.3.3 Increased strategic awareness

Numerous participants described how their qualification had helped them to develop a broader outlook on their business, beyond the immediate concerns of their department. This helped them understand their role in the wider organisational context and gave them strategic awareness of the organisation’s aims, hence enhancing their effectiveness.

One manager at Synergy Health said: “The course helped me to be a better manager and to have a better understanding of the business – the bigger picture – understanding all about the business, not just me and my unit.”

Increasing strategic awareness was a particularly strong theme to have emerged from the BGL focus group, as the MLQ undertaken by participants was the Level 7 CMI Certificate in Strategic Management. See Appendix 1 for more information on BGL Group.

2.3.4 Enhanced people management skills Managers in all focus groups reflected on improvements in their people management skills. Several participants spoke of how they had learned to manage people in a manner that is sensitive but yet “gets the best out of others”, and spoke of how they had developed a “coaching style” when managing people.

Many managers felt their course had enabled them to manage conflict and confront poor performance more effectively – two areas that can present particularly difficult conversations.

2.3 Focus group findings: impact on

skills, knowledge and behaviours

18

One of the participants explained how he had applied a leadership model in practice:

“I didn’t used to try and understand other people’s perspectives or weaknesses. Now I try to have more empathy of their schedules and always suggest to them when is a suitable deadline, so they’re setting the deadline. I always try and check that they’re happy and confident doing it, if they need any help, things like that. That was one of my biggest things – not because I’m a horrible person, but because of time pressures – I’d just say what needed to be done and not really consider anyone else.”

These enhanced people management skills are evidence of an engaging transformational style of leadership, which is known to not only increase employee engagement and motivation, but has also been shown to enhance team performance (Alimo-Metcalfe at al. 2008; Alimo-Metcalfe and Alban-Metcalfe 2011).

2.3.5 Managing change more effectively

Many of the focus group participants described how undertaking their MLQ had equipped them to manage change better, a particularly relevant benefit given the prevailing economic conditions. This increased effectiveness was largely attributed to enhanced people management skills, which enabled them to communicate change more positively and in a way that engaged staff rather than de-motivated them.

A Leeds Leadership Centre (NHS) participant spoke of the constant changes in the NHS and the demands they place on staff. The qualification gave her the skills to talk to her staff pragmatically about the implications of change. Instead of being negative, she was able to help people accept the changes by keeping the vision of service quality at the heart of the discussion.

2.3.6 Improved networks

Focus group participants also valued the networking opportunities which their MLQ provided. Undertaking courses gave participants the opportunity to meet people within the organisation that they would otherwise not have met; they valued the opportunity to build relationships with their colleagues and have a wider network of “friends” internally to call on when needed.

The survey aimed to understand how effectively the skills and behaviours learned during MLQs were transferred to managerial practice in the workplace. Some 85 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that the qualification helped them make lasting changes to the way they manage and lead, with just 15 per cent disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.

Managers who completed their qualification more than five years ago – the upper band in this question – gave significantly more positive responses than all other groups who had completed their qualification more recently (apart from those who undertook their MLQ one to two years ago). This suggests that the benefits of becoming qualified are long-lasting and may grow with time. Indeed, this trend was apparent in the focus groups, with participants discussing how real life situations helped reinforce and develop their learning long after they had completed the qualification.

The survey asked respondents how far they agreed that their most recent MLQ had contributed to a series of external rewards. Figure 12 below shows that over half of those managers surveyed felt that the qualification had helped them achieve a promotion or career progression. More than one in four reported that their MLQ had contributed to a salary increase, whilst 80 per cent agreed that it had resulted in increased professional recognition.

2.4 Lasting change to managers’ skills,

knowledge and behaviours

2.5 External rewards

19

Figure 12 Outcome of MLQs on external rewards

Extrinsic rewards appear to be proportionate to the type of qualification undertaken, with the longer and more involved qualifications, such as doctorates or MBAs, resulting in higher rewards.

Figure 13 External rewards by type of qualification

There was a small but significant difference between sectors in relation to external rewards. Participants in the public sector were less likely than those in the private and not-for-profit sectors to gain a promotion/career progression, salary increase, bonus or increased professional recognition following their MLQ.

2.5.1 Long term extrinsic rewards

A linear relationship exists between time passed since completion of the qualification and participants reporting they had received an external reward. Figure 14 below shows that managers who had completed a qualification over five years ago were more likely to report it had resulted in a salary increase and career progression. This suggests that external rewards may be more likely to be realised over time, which is perhaps to be expected given the findings in this survey about embedding learning over time.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Agree

A salary increase 25 9

A bonus 11 3

Increasedprofessional recognition 59 21

A promotion/career progression 39 15

Percentage

Strongly agree

1Strongly disagree

2 3 4Strongly agree

Certificate2.05

2.42

Diploma2.21

2.53

Foundation degree1.8

2.0

Bachelor degree2.27

2.62

Master degree2.55

2.79

Doctorate3.75

3.42

Apprenticeship2.22.33

A promotion/career progression

A pay increase

The qualification helped me achieve...

20

Figure 14 Time since qualification by influence on external reward

A number of focus group participants described how they had experienced some form of promotion/career development since they had undertaken the qualification, which they credited at least in part to having undertaken the MLQ.

A useful example of how this impact worked was provided by one focus group participant who explained that her MLQ involved presenting a work based improvement project to the senior management team in her organisation. She felt this exposure gave her the opportunity to “shine” and was largely responsible for enabling her subsequent promotion.

A total of 89 per cent of managers surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the benefits they gained from their qualification outweighed the level of time, money and effort invested. Just 10 per cent disagreed/strongly disagreed.

As discussed in the focus groups, the independent recognition provided by a qualification was highly valued and considered to be an additional benefit, alongside the learning. Several participants felt that in tough economic times in particular it was very beneficial to have an MLQ, which demonstrated to current and potential employers the skills they have obtained.

1Strongly disagree

2 3 4Strongly agree

Less than 6 months ago2.09

2.36

6 months to 1 year ago2.10

2.45

1 to 2 years ago2.15

2.41

2 to 5 years ago2.29

2.51

More than 5 years ago2.50

2.63

A promotion/career progression

A salary increase

2.6 Overall cost/benefit

21

This chapter will assess the impact and return on investment of MLQs for the organisation. It begins by discussing the challenge of establishing evidence of impact at an organisational level. It then goes on to assess the transfer of learning from individuals to wider teams and the impact of MLQs on organisational culture, particularly at times of change. Finally, it explores the influence of MLQs on staff retention, employer brand and the wider benefits they can offer employers.

Establishing the organisational-level impact of any training and development activity, including qualifications, is particularly difficult. It is not easy to establish cause and effect, given how many other potential factors could also have an impact, such as cultural or structural changes within the organisation at the same time. The issue is also exacerbated by a lack of systematic evaluation within companies (Goldstein and Ford, 2002; later non-academic studies also report this finding as consistent).

Nevertheless, gathering qualitative information about how individuals have applied their learning can yield valid data that indicates the impact of the intervention upon organisational performance.

This study considers the impact of MLQs on organisations in terms of a chain of impact, through which an individual manager’s increased effectiveness has a positive impact on their team and, in turn, their organisation. As one focus group participant summarised from their own experience: “all the benefits that accrue to the individual and the team also accrue to the organisation as a whole.”

The survey asked participants to think about the impact of the full range of MLQs from an employer’s perspective, in terms of the impact on productivity, ability to attract staff, and professional reputation. It can be seen from Figure 15 that all qualifications were perceived very positively in relation to these areas. The highest-scoring qualifications in terms of impact on productivity were Masters and vocational Diplomas, rated by 86 and 84 per cent respectively.

On the whole, the rewards to the business appear to be proportionate to the resources organisations would be investing in staff if they were to provide these qualifications. Masters level qualifications were perceived more positively than Awards and Certificates, for example.

3.1 Establishing impact on an organisational

level

3.2 Value of qualifications from an employer perspective

Chapter 3: The Organisational Impact of Management and Leadership Qualifications

22

Figure 15 Value of qualifications by employer perspective

The transfer of skills to team members was a key theme explored in this research. When asked whether they had passed on new skills to team members, 81 per cent of respondents agreed that they had. A similar number, 79 per cent, agreed that they had increased the performance of their team.

Table 2 Transfer of learning to the team

At Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), where qualifications were focused on coaching and mentoring skills, one participant spoke of how these skills and behaviours had cascaded through his team, with team members either consciously or unconsciously adopting a mentoring style. When reviewing the impact on team performance, focus group participants from across the organisations spoke of the value of a more coherent “management toolkit”. This included realising the importance of managing at an individual level, where different employee needs are identified and dealt with constructively without disengaging staff. In particular, learning how to deal with “difficult conversations” was highly valued.

Agree

Improved Productivity 6931

Ability to attract staff 919

Professional Reputation 955














Ability to attract staff

Foun

dat

ion

deg

ree

Dip

lom

aC

erti

ficat

eA

war

dB

ache

lor

deg

ree

Mas

ters

deg

ree

Do

cto

rate




Ap

pre

ntic

e-sh

ip

6733





Disagree


3.3 Transfer of learning

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree % % % %

I have been able to pass my new skills on to others 1 18 60 21

I have increased the performance of my team 1 19 61 18

23

Another key skill described in regard to people management is the ability to take into account differences in individuals and situations that require different management styles. One participant from Sanctuary Housing said they had learned that, “you need to take the right approach to particular people, not one size fits all”.

Qualifications and training can form a central component of a cultural change programme in organisations. GLL is an excellent example of this.

In the midst of a period of rapid growth and expansion in 2007, GLL were warned by a Investors in People (IiP) report that they had neglected the ‘people agenda’. Leaders at GLL took this criticism seriously and sought to address the issue. Lorraine Patrinos, Head of Skills Development at GLL, explains:

“One of the things about our organisation at that stage was that we were rapidly growing and were very task focused and our natural management style was very autocratic. So we were looking for a way to educate our managers on different management styles, including a more collaborative style of management.”

GLL decided at the outset that in order to change the organisational culture, there would need to be a large-scale approach to educating managers in a coaching and mentoring style. They decided to run a series of MLQs in coaching and mentoring offering the CMI Award, Certificate and Diploma to staff at different levels. In addition, as part of a whole-systems approach to culture change, they introduced a robust appraisal system and are currently rebranding and redefining their behavioural competencies to ensure the people agenda remains an organisational priority.

These policies were discussed at length in the focus group, with a very positive response from participants. Managers now felt empowered to make decisions and that the organisation had become more “people centred”. Their views were backed up by the most recent IiP report which referred to the positive influence of coaching and mentoring practices on staff at GLL. This provides a very compelling ‘before and after’ example of how culture change can be achieved through an integrated approach combining MLQs with wider organisational policies.

Having managers who can adapt to and manage change within their team is very important for organisations, given that a typical pattern following change programmes (even when they are designed specifically to enhance performance) is a drop in performance levels due to the disruption caused. One theme that emerged from the focus groups was that providing managers with management and leadership skills through MLQs helped them support their organisation through change programmes.

Enhanced people management skills enabled managers to bring others on board with organisational changes, rather than disengage them – which can be a typical result. Indeed, imminent organisational change was one of the main reasons for use of the MLQ programmes by the NHS employers in Leeds. Staff across all the NHS Trusts involved valued their new skills, drawing on them at times of difficult negotiation with internal stakeholders and when communicating troubling messages to wider team members.

Similarly, participants from Sanctuary Housing spoke of how their CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership had given them the generic management skills to work flexibly and to adapt to different situations. This, they felt, was very valuable given constant changes in their business, which they needed to absorb while maintaining performance levels.

3.4 Change in organisational

culture

3.5 Supporting organisational change

programmes

24

A clear theme that emerged from the focus groups and the HR interviews was the positive benefit of MLQs in terms of staff retention. Many participants described how the commitment the organisation was showing to their personal development made them feel more positively about the organisation. One manager from Synergy Health illustrated this well:

“I felt quite special when my line manager decided to send me on the course. It wasn’t cheap and I felt that they wanted me to progress in the company and I’m happy about that”.

Participants from the GLL focus group described how having the opportunity to undertake the Coaching and Mentoring qualification reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to staff. One commented that “it makes me want to stay here”.

There was a general feeling in the HR interviews that investing in people’s development displays how committed the organisation is to their staff and that this will help with staff retention. Rob Reed, the Senior Manager for Group Learning and Development at BGL Group, said: “If you develop staff they do tend to stay. They can see our commitment.”

Nicola Hirschle, Senior Learning & Development Partner from Sanctuary Housing, added a further dimension to the potential benefits of MLQs in retaining staff. She commented on how investing in peoples’ learning and development is a positive reward for staff at a time when there has been little movement in salaries.

Organisations that invest in managers are perceived more positively by their employees and wider stakeholders. Focus group participants also discussed the impact that MLQs had on an organisation’s external image, the positive impact this has on both staff recruitment and customer relationships. It was possible to identify two key themes on this topic.

The first theme was that investment in staff enables the organisations to position themselves as an employer-of-choice with proven management capability. Lorraine Patrinos from GLL believes that they achieve strong recruitment because the organisation is an industry leader in terms of its learning and development.

The second theme was connected to the positive presentation of the organisation by more engaged employees. Employees are more likely to reflect positively on their employer following the funding of an MLQ, presenting a more positive image of the organisation to external audiences in both formal and informal settings.

Another narrative coming from the focus groups was the value of having managers that have all been on the same course. It was described as leading to a ‘management community’ based on a common language where members understand each other and have similar ‘toolkits’ to draw upon. There is likely to be cumulative benefit for the organisation when a large group of managers are equipped through an MLQ to question, challenge and manage using similar tools and language.

When asked to consider whether the total investment from an employer in an MLQ, including the level of time, money and effort invested, is outweighed by the benefits that the qualification brings the employer, 79 per cent of respondents agreed.

3.6 Enhanced staff retention

3.7 Creating a positive image and the

attraction of staff

3.8 Creation of a management

community

3.9 Overall cost/benefit to employers

25

Table 3 Benefits gained from my qualification outweighed the level of time, money and effort invested by my employer

Analysis of the data showed no difference between the type of qualification undertaken and the balance between the cost and benefits for the organisation. This suggests that the level of investment the organisation makes in funding qualifications will reap proportionate rewards. Directors were more likely to respond positively than junior and middle managers, suggesting that the benefits of qualifications are perceived most strongly by those at the top of the organisation.

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree % % % %

The benefits my employer gained from my qualification outweighed the level of time, money and effort invested 5 16 50 29

26

This chapter will explore how employers can increase the effectiveness of management qualifications in their organisation. It brings together findings from the case studies with factors cited in training and development research.

In order to maximise the effectiveness of management and leadership qualifications, employers should ensure the right people are given the opportunities to pursue courses. Organisations need to consider employee motivation and skill levels, and also seek to manage learners’ expectations about course content and impact.

Learners who are primarily motivated by the learning experience are more likely to remain committed to the course. Suitability should also be assessed in terms of whether employees have the required skills and knowledge to complete the programme. This will help identify whether the participants are capable of completing the MLQ, and also whether the qualification is at the right level for the learner.

A good example of a robust selection process was provided by Nicola Hirschle, Senior Learning & Development Partner at Sanctuary Housing:

“Once people have put forward their request to do the programme, they have to get the approval of their Director and then they are invited to an introductory workshop. It’s aimed at identifying the right people for the programme – we look for those people that are going to be committed and seek to identify why they are there, and also assess whether they have the skills and knowledge to complete the programme.

“Part of that initial selection process is that they have to write a short piece, a one page document, in terms of what the benefits are going to be for themselves, the team and the organisation. That then sets the objectives clearly but also helps to identify whether people can actually write. This process enables potential participants to reflect on whether they would like to take the course – it is better people drop out at this stage than later down the line.”

Employers should manage expectations about the commitment required to complete a MLQ, including clarity on the provision of study time and whether learners are expected to complete the learning in their own time. Managing expectations in terms of the outcome of the qualification is equally important. Learners can become frustrated if they are not able to apply new skills.

An important theme in the focus group discussions, echoing the survey findings, was the frustration experienced by some managers – particularly junior managers – at being unable to transfer their skills and management knowledge into the workplace. Line managers need to be aware of the potential for causing frustration and should seek to support changes that can help improve performance. More widely, MLQs should be implemented within the context of a talent management strategy that ensures the right people are selected for the courses and that they are helped to develop their skills.

Avoid a negative ‘tick-box’ image of management qualifications by framing the opportunity to learn as a positive benefit for employees. The framing of training has a significant impact on participant motivation (see, for example, Salas and Cannon-Bowers 2001). Employees who perceive a course as an opportunity are more likely to experience positive learning outcomes leading to better performance.

Whether a qualification is voluntary or compulsory is an important distinction. The case study organisations had different approaches. At Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) a MLQ qualification was compulsory for some levels of management, as it was explicitly being used in a strategic manner to instigate a large-scale cultural change in management style across the organisation.

4.1 Identifying the right people

4.2 Managing employee

expectations

4.3 Building motivation

Chapter 4: Maximising the Returns from Management and Leadership Qualifications

27

Whether the qualification is voluntary or compulsory, it remains important to engage staff in their training from the outset. Rather than using a dictatorial approach (“you have to do the course”), a more engaging style of communication would be more effective, such as presenting MLQs as a development opportunity that reflects the organisation’s commitment to investing in the individual.

A number of factors influence the successful design and delivery of a MLQ programme. When selecting which qualifications to fund employers should reflect on: the relative merit of externally accredited in-house programmes; the training methods use to deliver the programme; and, the level of learning and development support required.

4.4.1 The value of in-house MLQ programmes

In this study all the case study organisations used external providers to run in-house MLQ programmes. The HR interviews showed the perceived value of this approach from a strategic perspective. It meant organisations had greater control over the development of the programme and were therefore able to align the MLQs to wider organisational goals.

Nicola Hirschle, Sanctuary Housing, outlines the advantages of this approach from her organisation’s perspective:

“If we sent people out of the business then we wouldn’t get the return on it – it would be too separate. It would be signed off by their managers and I wouldn’t be able to say “how is this piece of work going to be useful to the business?”

Another advantage of having an MLQ run internally is that organisations have more control over the course in terms of content and delivery, and are able to tailor this to their business needs. Rob Reed, BGL Group, described how the organisation had worked in partnership with the external provider to design their programme: “We’ve found that CMI is very good at working with us rather than telling us what to do. They tailored the programme very much to what it is we’re looking for”.

4.4.2 The value of accredited learning

The focus groups showed that qualifications are valued by individuals and organisations over non-accredited options for several reasons. They provide a recognised and transferable accreditation of competence, the assessed elements ensure participants are active in the learning process, and they can be used as evidence of an organisation’s management capability and human resource investment.

Lisa Fischer, Group Talent Manager at Synergy Health, summarises why she values accredited learning:

“From an organisational point of view and also from a delegate point of view it adds the edge. It ensures discipline. When you’re doing accredited learning you have to do your assignment – so from that perspective I would always say that accredited learning is better. Accreditation makes you do more, achieve more as you have to achieve more and you have the discipline of meeting the deadline and the discipline of writing an assignment.

“It enables you to bring back all those skills into the business. Accredited learning is very good because you have a tendency to remember what you’ve done, rather than have eight hours in a session, enjoy it, you might pick things up occasionally but I just don’t think from a long-term perspective that you’re going to embed that unless you learn it as part of an accredited process.”

4.4 Course design and delivery

28

4.4.3 Teaching and training methods

A wide variety of teaching methods can be used to deliver qualifications. The average number of teaching methods used per management qualification is between six and seven, showing that there is a blended approach in the delivery of MLQs, in line with best practice. Table 4, below, shows the methods experienced by survey respondents.

The most common method, written assignments, often distinguish qualifications from other forms of management and leadership development. The HR interviews highlighted their value in ensuring that participants are active in their learning, while a number of focus group participants said the assignments had served as a focus for the learning – and compelled them to invest more personal time and effort to ensure they passed. It also provides organisations with an indication of how their employees are performing on the programme. Evaluate the progress of learners can enable organisations to tailor extra support for under-performers and identify high-flyers for further development.

Table 4 Learning and teaching method used

Work-based projects, often cited as effective in the transfer of learning into the workplace (Goldstein and Ford 2002), were completed by 54 per cent. Focus group participants and HR interviewees both saw the benefits of applying new knowledge to ‘real world’ business issues. For example, as part of the Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management, BGL Group asks managers to undertake group and individual projects based on business issues. For the group presentation, participants are given a topic by the Board, based on a real business need. Participants work together to find a solution to this issue and then present their findings to the Board. This exposure to senior management is an excellent opportunity for individuals to “shine” in front of the Executive Board. One focus group participant felt the experience allowed her the opportunity to demonstrate her commitment to strategy, and to “get noticed”. Her project has now been taken forward within the organisation.

Just 45 per cent made use of online resources, whilst around one in five had coaching or mentoring support during their qualification, despite the benefits these methods offer (as discussed in the following section).

Overall, courses were found to be relevant, informative, up-to-date, and provide the right level of challenge to the vast majority of learners, as shown in Figure 16 below. This was echoed in the focus groups, where a key theme was the importance of flexible content,

%

Written assignments 76

Group work 65

Seminars/workshops 61

Books/journals 57

Lectures 56

Work-based projects 54

One to one advice from the tutor 52

Online/web resources 45

Learning from peers 41

Distance learning (e.g. independent study) 41

Self assessment (e.g. profiling tool) 24

Coaching 21

Action learning sets 20

E-learning (e.g. online modules) 20

Mentoring 18

29

with participants able to apply their learning experiences to their own role and in some cases select which modules they chose to complete.

Figure 16 Satisfaction with content

4.4.4 Course Satisfaction

Ninety-three per cent of managers surveyed say they would be likely or highly likely to recommend their most recent management qualification to others. This remained consistent across qualifications and levels of management seniority. When asked whether they would consider studying for further management qualifications, 49 per cent said yes, 25 per cent said they might, and just 12 per cent said they would not. One in ten were already studying for their next qualification.

Organisations which actively support learners beyond the classroom are more likely to see positive results. In some of the case study organisations, coaching and mentoring schemes provided a powerful source of support. For instance, Sanctuary Housing uses a ‘flexible’ mentoring scheme for people going through the course, as described by Nicola Hirschle:

“It’s entirely up to people how they want to make that work. We have some mentors that are really on the case – asking to see workbooks and assignments – whereas others say ‘come to me when you need me’. One person chose not to use the mentor and that was fine, he didn’t need the input.”

It was clear from focus group discussion that a mentoring system depends on the engagement of mentors, as well as learners. Mentors who had previously completed the course were cited as particularly well placed to take on the role.

Online learning support tools were also generally found to be an effective method for supporting learners. Focus group participants enjoyed the flexibility they offer, as learners could complete assignments in their own time and draw on resources when they see fit.

Line manager support is a critical precursor to transferring what is learned from the classroom to the workplace (Goldstein and Ford, 2002). As shown in Figure 16, a relatively low 6 out of 10 survey respondents reported that they received support from their line manager for using their new skills/behaviours in the workplace following a MLQ. A similar number were given the opportunity to discuss their learning with their line manager, whilst three quarters agreed that their line manager was supportive when they were studying.

Dull 694

To theoretical 1288

Too practical 496

Informative 982

964Up to date

946Enjoyable

928Challenging

Relevant to my job 955

AgreeDisagree


4.5 Supporting learners: mentoring and online support

4.6 Line manager support

30

Figure 17 Line manager support for MLQs

Despite some positive results here, employers still need to do more to address the substantial minority of managers who are not offering support to those undertaking MLQs.

The experiences of focus group participants were mixed, with some reporting positive experiences. One of the Synergy Health participants described a particularly supportive line manager, who would discuss the course at quarterly appraisals, including how it could be implemented in the workplace. However, other participants had very different experiences.

Organisations should have systems built into the design of the programme to try and maximise line manager support. BGL Group provides a best practice example of how this works. The line manager is involved at multiple stages throughout the qualification process, including:

• input at the selection stage in identifying the suitability of the programme for the participant

• reviewing a learning log which each participant is required to complete

• having a quarterly three-way discussion with the course participant and the Programme Director to discuss performance to date

• meeting with the Programme Director once the work-based project has been set, to help plan it and to make clear the project requirements

• involvement in the group and individual presentations (as discussed above).

Transferring learning to workplace should be a key aim of all MLQ programmes. As such, the survey asked participants if they felt frustrated about not being able to apply their skills to the workplace; 69 per cent disagreed that they felt frustrated, whereas 31 per cent agreed. This indicates that the majority of learners felt they were able to transfer learning into the workplace.

There was a clear relationship between management seniority and frustration at not being able to transfer skills to the workplace, with junior managers being more frustrated than senior managers (see Figure 18). The case studies support this narrative of higher frustration among junior managers.

Figure 18 Frustration with learning transfer by seniority

I was supported by my line manager to use mynew skills / behaviours in the workplace 6041

I had the opportunity to discuss what I waslearning with my line manager 6040

My line manager was supportivewhilst I was studying

7624

AgreeDisagree


4.7 The transfer of learning to the

workplace

3565

Junior Manager

Middle Manager

Senior Manager

Director

4852

2377

1981

AgreeDisagree


31

Organisations need to provide better opportunities for junior managers to transfer their learning into the workplace. This is critical for maximising the benefit from investment in the qualification and also helps to improve employee motivation and engagement, avoiding a potential source of deep frustration.

The survey asked respondents whether employers who had funded qualifications made any formal requirement of learners. It was found that 36 per cent asked participants to remain in the organisation for a certain period of time while 21 per cent required learners to achieve specific work objectives. Sixteen per cent asked participants to train or teach other staff.

In a number of the case study organisations, learners were asked to pay back the course fees if they left the organisation within a set period of time (often on a sliding scale basis). Lorraine Patrinos explained why Greenwich Leisure adopted this approach:

“It is about protecting our investment because we do not want to invest in people and then they leave. If people leave and they have recently done the qualification, then they will have to pay some of it back”.

This also helps to ensure the programme is attracting committed staff.

Evaluating the impact of MLQs enables organisation to understand and improve their effectiveness. Table 5 shows that the most common form of evaluation experienced by learners was by simple monitoring of whether the qualification was completed, followed by informal and formal feedback mechanisms.

Table 5 Evaluation of Qualification

4.9.1 Quantitative feedback

To meet best practice organisations should think about how they are going to evaluate the return on investment of the programme at its outset and identify quantifiable measures which establish a baseline. Measures might assess change at the individual level (e.g. career development tracking, or changes in scores on 360 degree feedback) or they may be at the business level (e.g. cost savings, staff retention, or changes in staff survey results).

Leeds Leadership Centre (NHS) asks participants to identify their own metrics to assess impact and to calculate the financial gain. Neil Wood, the Centre’s Senior Development Manager, explains:

4.8 Formal requirements of

programme participants in the

workplace

4.9 Evaluation of management and

leadership qualifications

Evaluation of Qualifications %

Achieving qualification 71Informal feedback from me (e.g. anecdotal evidence) 34Formal feedback from me (e.g. documented in 1:1 performance review) 27No evaluation took place 26Achieving the success criteria identified at the outset of the qualification 17Tracked my career development 13Skills / behaviour assessment (e.g. skills audit, competency framework, 360 degree feedback) 12Informal feedback from my colleagues (e.g. anecdotal evidence from my manager, peers, direct reports) 9Formal feedback from my colleagues (e.g. formal assessment by my manager, peers, direct reports) 6Link to hard financial measures (e.g. cost savings, performance targets, staff retention data) 3

32

“If they can come up with good quality data that’s meaningful for them and helps connect the learning and the impact then we’ll not come up with anything better than that. It’s about giving them ownership of it.”

From this data, the Centre has developed a Return on Investment Metric, accumulating the data from all programme participants to provide an overall assessment of RoI.

4.9.2 Qualitative feedback

In addition to quantitative measures, the case study organisations all gathered qualitative feedback on the impact of their programme. A mix of formal and informal approaches was employed. For example, Nicola Hirschle from Sanctuary Housing explained the three stage assessment they use for their development programme:

“First, we ask staff to review the course they’ve been on through a written form. Second, we have a telephone conversation about elements of the programme – what they’re now doing differently and so on. Third, we send an email which goes out about the benefits to the individual, team and organisation so then we can capture that information.”

Rob Reed from BGL Group explained how he reviews impact by informally asking what changes have been noticed by the line managers. Both BGL and Sanctuary ask individuals to demonstrate and discuss their learning through individual presentations (and group presentations in the case of BGL Group) to their wider teams.

Senior level support for management and leadership development has been shown to be a major factor in its effectiveness (McBain et al 2012). It was a clear theme among the employers studied in this research.

Rob Reed from BGL Group spoke about the Group’s priority of: “developing our people capability”. He described how the Executive Team are very supportive of the organisation’s MLQ programme, involved in identifying the need for the qualification, in developing the content, and also participating in certain elements (e.g. providing feedback on assessed presentations).

However in another organisation there was a perception that some senior managers lacked commitment to the qualifications and wider employee development. Participants spoke of incongruence between what they were learning on the course, which was how to engage and communicate with others in a positive and empowering manner, and the leadership style of a few senior managers in the organisation, which was felt to be directive and autocratic. This inconsistency caused resentment and clearly was clearly de-motivating for some learners.

Senior commitment to learning and development at a general level can be clearly demonstrated by the level of investment made in providing employees with an MLQ opportunity. However, this should be backed up by adopting the workplace behaviours that are taught as part of the funded qualifications.

Strategic planning of training and development, which links to wider business and HR strategy, helps maximise the return on investment at the organisational level (McBain et al. 2012). MLQs should fill an identified organisational development need, have clearly defined measures of success, and be linked to other organisational development and HR strategies.

In all of the case study organisations, MLQs were being implemented in response to an identified organisational need, with cohorts of employees being put through the qualifications. While the strategies were generally clearly defined, there remained a need among some to identify clearly defined measures of success.

4.10 Organisational support for

development

4.11 Organisational development strategy

33

The research shows that management and leadership qualifications can help raise managers’ performance and give them the confidence, knowledge and skills to succeed.

Clearly, many employers do invest in qualifications and reap substantial benefits. The challenge is to maximise the return on investment by adopting good practice, examples of which are demonstrated by the case study organisations in this research. The following recommendations aim to help employers meet that challenge.

MLQs were found to be increasing in importance as the need for transferable skills and broad based business knowledge grows, helping managers implement and adapt to organisational change.

Managers also desire MLQs to demonstrate their professional credibility, recognising that management is increasingly being regarded as a profession, and value qualifications that enhance their employability. Organisations need to respond to these trends, by regularly reviewing their training needs in order to identify what type of qualifications will deliver the greatest benefit in terms of employee engagement and organisational performance.

Learners consider reputation as the most important factor when choosing qualifications, implying that employers should invest in well-respected accredited courses to maximise employee buy-in and motivation to learn. Vocational qualifications are regarded highly, especially at Diploma level, and compare well with highly-regarded business school qualifications.

Managers also believe that MLQs provide quality assurance to customers about an organisation’s management capability. Employers should promote investment in MLQs by using accredited staff as a selling-point in their business development activities.

It was felt to be advantageous for accredited programmes to be run internally because of the additional control this can give employers over content. It also allowed organisations’ HR and learning functions to be more active in supporting managers’ development. Where possible organisations should try and use the flexibility available to them to tailor programme content to their needs.

Courses should be aligned to the organisation’s strategy, with clear goals and success measures defined at the outset. Learning should be embedded in work activities, with managers able to learn by undertaking work-based projects addressing real business needs. Organisations should have a robust selection process to ensure the right managers are offered the right qualifications. Participants should have an appropriate role, which the qualification will be relevant to, and into which learning can be transferred. Participant motivation and commitment should also be assessed.

Organisations should also make clear to potential participants what is involved in the course and what will be required of them – and what support they will receive from the organisation. Where courses are compulsory as part of a change process, employers should also ensure that the benefits of the qualification are made clear, ‘selling’ it to managers in terms of outcomes that they will value – and that matter to the organisation as a whole.

1. Management qualifications are

becoming more important

2. Reputation matters for learners

and customers

3. Internal courses can give flexibility

and ensure relevance to the employer

4. Good selection for qualifications

is crucial

Conclusions and Recommendations

34

In order to facilitate the transfer of learning to the workplace, organisations need to ensure there is strong line manager support for programme participants from the outset of the programme to its conclusion and beyond. Organisations cannot assume that participants have a developmental relationship with their manager; they need to provide formal guidance and support to line managers and programme participants on how they can work together to maximise the impact of the programme in the workplace.

If feasible, a system of additional support should be available in the form of a mentor to help participants reflect on and apply what they are learning. If organisations are to do this they should seek guidance on how to effectively implement a mentoring system, as there needs to be a good fit between the mentor and the mentee. Online support and virtual learning environments can also support study and the transfer of learning, both during and post-qualification.

Junior managers were particularly likely to report frustration at being unable to put their learning into practice, so employers should pay particular attention to this group. A balance may also need to be struck in managing expectations about the scope for implementing change, or the immediate prospects for career development, following completion of the qualification.

The findings suggest that most organisations lack robust systems to evaluate the impact of qualifications programmes. Organisations should examine how they can evaluate the return on investment from the programme and identify quantifiable measures to assess this at the outset, so that a baseline can be established.

At a time when many training and development budgets have been squeezed, it is especially important to have a business case for training. Good evaluation data will provide organisations with vital information to add to this business case.

If individual managers are seeking financial support from their organisation to undertake an MLQ, they also need to provide a business case. Consider at the outset what impact the qualification will have and how this can be evaluated, providing evidence of impact.

Despite examples of good practice, many organisations do not plan their learning and development in a strategic way, which would help to ensure a positive return on investment. As part of this strategic approach, MLQs should relate to an identified organisational need, should have clearly defined measures of success and should be linked to other organisational development and HR strategies. Qualification providers should, where possible, give advice and support to organisations on how to most effectively do this.

Where possible, organisations should facilitate the development of a management community. This will be created through the shared learning experience and the development of a common management language and ‘toolkit’, and can be encouraged through action learning sets, group events and work-based projects. Individual managers should also be aware of, and seek to cultivate, such networks. There is likely to be a ripple effect as change is implemented in teams across the organisation, with cumulative benefits when a cohort of managers is equipped, through an MLQ, to manage and lead in a consistent manner.

5. Line manager support is crucial to get value from what

has been learned

6. Build the business case by evaluating

the impact of qualifications

7. A clearer strategic vision

for implementing MLQs is needed

8. Creating a strong management

community

35

BGL Group is a privately owned insurance group based in Peterborough. It employs more than 2,400 people across the UK and is rapidly growing, thanks to both organic growth and various acquisitions. BGL is now one of the largest personal lines insurance groups in the UK.

BGL runs CMI’s Level 7 Certificate and Diploma in Strategic Management, with the aim of developing senior managers’ strategic awareness. The company has put approximately 40 people through the Certificate to date and is intending to put more through in the future. Once delegates have completed the Certificate they are given the opportunity to progress to the full Diploma.

BGL identified the need to develop strategic awareness by talking to senior managers about the development areas they would benefit from, as well as an analysis of common themes emerging from the company-wide appraisal system. Having considered various development options, BGL decided to go beyond an in-house development programme because it wanted to give staff a tangible qualification, recognised throughout the business world.

BGL and CMI worked closely together to shape the content of the course to meet the particular needs of the organisation. An internal working party made up of company executives helped to identify what senior managers needed to be able to most effectively develop in their roles. BGL and CMI continually assess the course to ensure it meets the organisation’s needs.

The course is designed to facilitate the transfer of learning to the workplace, by incorporating work-based individual and group projects that participants are required to present to the Board. As well as facilitating transfer of learning, this level of support from senior management emphasises the importance of the course at an organisational level and the ongoing commitment to “Developing our people capability”. It also gives managers exposure to the Board which they may not have had previously.

BGL Group has various systems in place to ensure high levels of line management support for participants going through the programme. This helps to maximise the benefit of the course for the individual and the organisation. This is facilitated by the Senior Manager for Group Learning and Development.

Rob Reed, Senior Manager for Group Learning and Development, felt it was difficult to quantify the exact impact of the qualification, as the aim has been to increase strategic awareness and understanding. As he explained:

”The success of this learning initiative isn’t something you can quantify with a statistic or a few facts. But feedback in general has been extremely positive. The programme has given managers the awareness to take a leading role in their day-to-day tasks, meetings and interactions. Their learnings also help them to identify the leadership styles of people in more senior roles, and gain an insight into how they achieve their goals.”

There are, however, specific and tangible outcomes for the organisation in terms of individual and group projects completed which have been taken forward within the organisation.

Rob has also sought input from participants’ line managers about the impact of the programme:

“They [the line managers] may see behavioural changes in course participants. For example evidence of a broadening level of thinking. They don’t just give a yes or a no answer and have a much clearer understanding as to why things are happening.”

About the qualification

Impact: organisational

perspective

Appendix 1: Case Study 1: BGL Group

36

More flexibility of management style among the qualified participants has also been evident.

“The candidates who manage a team are now tailoring various approaches to different people – it’s not just a one size fits all management approach. They understand leadership theory and how to apply this in their day-to-day roles They also now have a strong understanding of information management, for example when they are given access to a report they know how to decipher the key information and confidently question its meaning.“

Rob also felt that offering the qualification had a positive impact on staff retention because:

“If an organisation demonstrates a strong commitment to its employees then they are generally happier, more fulfilled in their roles and tend to stay.”

The impact reported by individual managers at BGL is consistent with the perspective reported at an organisational level. Managers felt better equipped to question, challenge, manage change and manage people, with the course providing them with a toolkit to do this. They felt more able to think at a strategic level, understanding the way the organisation operates and being able to see the bigger business picture. They also expressed an appreciation of the differences between leadership and management.

Some managers had experienced positive career moves as a result of undertaking the qualification.

Many of the key findings from the survey carried out within BGL (n=28) were in line with the overall survey results. There was clear recognition of the benefits to the organisation of the qualifications that had been undertaken, with 88 per cent agreeing that the benefits to BGL had outweighed the time, money and effort invested in providing the qualifications.

Impact: individual managers’

perspectives

Survey metrics

37

Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) is a young, vibrant, dynamic, staff-led social enterprise that operates public leisure centres across London on behalf of local authorities. They proudly call themselves London’s most successful social enterprise. They are a rapidly growing organisation and currently have over 6,000 staff.

Lorraine Patrinos, Head of Skills Development and the HR representative for GLL, explained that as a worker’s cooperative GLL are deeply committed to staff development. They are particularly committed to accredited qualifications because it means they can offer their staff training that is nationally recognised. As Lorraine explained “It is about giving something back to staff”.

GLL run CMI’s Award, Certificate and Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring as part of a wider strategy to develop a coaching and mentoring culture within the organisation. They have been running the courses for 18 months and so far 66 people have undertaken the Award, 34 people the Certificate and 11 people the Diploma.

GLL decided at the outset that in order to change the organisational culture, there would need to be a large scale approach to educating managers in a coaching and mentoring style. As Lorraine explained:

“Rather than us sending one or two people on a course, whatever that course might be, we decided to train in bulk in order to initiate a period of change”.

As such, all general managers and lead department managers were required to undertake the Award. Those who were interested in coaching and mentoring progressed to the Certificate, and those who really showed a flair for the coaching and mentoring style undertook the Diploma. The courses are practically based and all have coursework, which ensures that participants have to apply their coaching and mentoring skills in the workplace. The organisation is currently embedding mentoring support for the course participants.

GLL have adopted a whole systems approach to culture change and, in addition to the Coaching and Mentoring qualifications, have introduced a robust appraisal system. They are also rebranding and redefining their behavioural competencies so that a “people agenda” remains an organisational priority.

This whole systems approach is having a very positive impact. Objective evidence of the change in culture has been documented in the most recent Investors in People (IiP) report, which continually makes reference to the coaching and mentoring practices that exist within the organisation. It compares the management culture favourably with the culture in 2007, when an assessment pointed out that GLL had neglected the ‘people agenda’.This provides a compelling ‘before and after’ example of how culture change can be achieved through an integrated approach.

There have been similar results in the annual staff engagement survey, which demonstrates improvements on items such as “my manager supports me”. As Lorraine pointed out, considering that the organisation has undergone major growth and changes in recent times, these results are very positive.

The GLL focus groups found the organisation’s changing culture to be a strong theme, with participants really feeling that there had been a change in management style from the top down. The current culture was felt to be much more people-centred than it had previously been. This was evident in, for example, the way meetings are conducted, the way managers have more time for people and the tone of email communication.

About the qualifications


perspective


perspectives

Appendix 2: Case Study 2: Greenwich Leisure Limited

38

This was reflected in a feeling among the focus group participants that the coaching and mentoring skills they had acquired through their qualifications had enhanced their people management skills, helping them empower and motivate staff, increasing staff confidence and personal ownership. For example, one manager in the sales team felt he had developed a coaching style of feedback through the course. He now encourages staff to reflect on their own performance and identify the areas that need development. He felt that staff had responded more positively to this approach, the “carrot” rather than the “stick”, which is what he may used more often in the past.

One notable finding of the survey of managers within GLL was that 78 per cent agreed that they had been supported by their line manager to apply their new skills and behaviours in the workplace – compared to the overall survey result of 60 per cent. This positive result is likely to reflect the concerted effort by GLL to develop a coaching and mentoring style across its management community.

Survey metrics

39

Leeds Leadership Centre is a partnership organisation involving three of the NHS organisations in Leeds: Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust, Leeds Community Healthcare and NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds. The Centre’s purpose is to provide leadership and management programmes across the health economy, enabling the city to achieve its objectives around improving health and improving lives. These organisations are embarking on a period of change and want to make sure staff have the skills and knowledge to support this change.

Leeds Leadership Centre undertakes Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Certificates and Diplomas in Leadership and Management at Levels 3, 4, 5 and 7. The Centre was founded in 2007 and since then they have put over 400 people through the courses.

One of the goals of the Centre is to develop a common approach to leadership and management across the city, enabling leaders and managers to interact and have a common understanding. They wanted flexibility from their qualification provider to be able to dip into specific topic subject areas to meet the learning outcomes of the different stakeholders (the local NHS organisations, the Strategic Health Authority and the Department of Health).

To enable the development of a ‘management community’ across Leeds NHS, people from the different NHS institutions attend the programmes. Neil explained that “this rich tapestry enables people to have the best possible learning experience.” The Centre wanted to develop a hierarchy of learning and development from first line managers, to middle managers and then senior managers. The different levels of qualification are therefore targeted at different management groups, from introductory management and leadership development for first line managers to strategic leadership and development for senior managers. Common themes run through the content of each level.

The programmes have been designed around organisational need, with the resulting qualification being regarded as a value-added element. They contain a rich mixture of development options for participants over and above the taught elements, including action learning, coaching and 360-degree feedback. The courses also include innovation projects, where participants choose and develop an area of improvement for the workplace.

For Leeds Leadership Centre, the key to the transfer of learning to the workplace is through the programme participants’ line manager. It is felt that line managers should support and hold participants to account for transferring learning to the workplace. Neil Wood and others at the Centre facilitate this process by meeting with the participants and their line managers.

The Centre seeks to follow best practice in evaluating the impact of the courses, aware of the need for an evidence base about the impact of training, especially in tough financial times when training is often the first thing to be cut. To this end the Centre collects qualitative and quantitative data about the impact of the programme. With regards to quantitative data, they ask line managers and programme participants to think about an area where there has been a contribution from the participants, and then to calculate the resulting financial gain.

Using this information, the Centre has developed a Return on Investment Metric, accumulating the data from all programme participants. Last year the Return on Investment Metric was calculated at 182 per cent.

The Centre has also asked participants to look at sickness and absence rates in their service, as well as the number of disciplinary cases. They have found small positive movements in both these areas in some parts of the organisation. Line managers and participants feel that, as a direct result of being on the programme, they have been able to have a positive impact on reducing sickness, absence and disciplinary issues.

About the qualifications


perspective

Appendix 3: Case Study 3: Leeds Leadership Centre

40

Managers from the participating NHS organisations spoke of increased confidence, self awareness and an improved management skills tool kit following the qualification. Their qualifications had given them a broader perspective, enabling them to see beyond their own service area.

With the organisations involved in the process of major organisational change, it was clear that participants felt better able to manage change having improved their people management skills. They used these to communicate more effectively with others, understanding the need to tailor communication style to different people and situations. In particular, many felt they had developed more of a coaching style with staff, which was felt to have had a positive impact on team members and on the wider organisation.

The survey of managers through the Leeds Leadership Centre received 90 responses. As with Greenwich Leisure, line manager support was higher than the survey results overall, with 83 per cent agreeing that their line manager supported them in using their new skills and behaviours. There was also a high level of agreement about the benefits of the qualification for the employer.


perspectives

Survey metrics

41

Sanctuary Housing is a provider of general rented, sheltered and home ownership accommodation across England and Scotland. The company manages more than 80,000 homes UK-wide through a network of offices. Sanctuary also operates nursing homes and home care businesses through its subsidiaries through Sanctuary Care and Sanctuary Home Care. Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association, another wholly-owned subsidiary, provides housing services in the south and central regions of Scotland. Sanctuary Housing was established in 1969 and is run as an exempt charity.

Sanctuary decided to implement a CMI accredited course in order to improve the general performance of their managers and to give staff the opportunity to gain a higher level qualification. This was a move away from an internally-run unaccredited course. Nicola Hirschle, the Senior Learning & Development Partner at Sanctuary Housing, believed that participants should get a qualification for all the hard work they were putting in. For the last 10 years, the organisation has been running CMI’s Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership annually, with approximately 100 people having now been through the programme.

Sanctuary have a robust selection process for the course to ensure that participants have the ability and commitment to successfully complete the qualification. Participants receive support from the learning and development department and also have a mentor in the workplace to discuss their learning and development with.

The course is designed to facilitate the transfer of learning to the workplace by incorporating work-based projects. Participants are also required to present to the Executive Team at the end of the course about their experience of the course and the impact it has had. As well as facilitating transfer of learning, this level of support from senior management endorses the importance of the qualification at an organisational level and gives managers the opportunity of exposure to the Board that they may not have had otherwise.

Nicola Hirschle explained in simple terms how important having a qualified workforce was for the organisation, saying that: “we’re not going to be a successful organisation if our people are not trained.”

She believes that providing staff with the opportunity to acquire qualifications makes them valued as an organisation and is a way of rewarding staff. In addition, one of the major benefits of accredited learning is the coursework involved, which requires participants to be much more active in their development than unaccredited routes, leading to better results for the organisation.

In order to understand the impact of the Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership, Sanctuary Housing conduct qualitative evaluation of the course. Participants are asked to think about its impact on the organisation. Nicola recalled how one manager explained how they implemented new management processes in their care home following the course.

Sanctuary also value the opportunity the qualifications provide for participants to present work based projects to the executive team, as it provides a valuable interface between the course and the organisation. On a number of occasions these projects have been taken forward.

Increased confidence was a key theme to have emerged from managers at Sanctuary Housing. The course enabled them to raise their self awareness and gave them the “building blocks” to manage better. By giving them a broader perspective, it enabled learners to see the bigger picture of the business as a whole, rather than just their own business area.



perspective


perspectives

Appendix 4: Case Study 4: Sanctuary Housing

42

Managers felt that being on the programme had given them the generic management skills to work flexibly and to adapt to different situations, which they believed was invaluable in a rapidly changing organisation. They also felt better equipped to manage people, having had a greater understanding of how to motivate and get the best out of their team and how to manage performance.

From a personal perspective, individual managers strongly valued the opportunity to acquire a recognisable qualification and the sense of achievement that comes with this. They felt that the coursework attached to the accredited option required them to be more focused and active in their learning compared to non-accredited options.

Sanctuary Housing managers were substantially more likely than the overall sample to agree that the employer benefits of the qualification outweighed the investment (93 per cent compared to 79 per cent). Sanctuary respondents were also a little more likely to agree that their personal investment was justified (91 per cent compared to 89 per cent) and that they had made lasting changes to the way they managed (91 per cent compared to 85 per cent). These positive results show that managers at Sanctuary Housing are able to clearly identify both organisational and individual benefits result from their MLQ programme.

Survey metrics

43

Synergy Health delivers a range of specialist outsourced services to healthcare providers and other clients concerned with health management. Their headquarters are in Swindon, but they have a global presence and employ over 4,000 people across the UK and Ireland, Europe and the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and the Americas.

Synergy’s graduates and junior managers generally come from a science background and it was recognised by the organisation that there was a need to equip this group of managers with the management and leadership skills necessary to become business people. They have been running CMI’s Certificate in Management and Leadership for the last four years and have put approximately 40 people through the programme. The course is part of Synergy’s Graduate Development Programme and is also offered to junior to middle managers if it has been identified as part of their personal development plan.

Synergy reports a positive impact from their qualifications programme. One of the particular benefits has been the development of work-based projects as part of the course. Lisa Fischer, Group Talent Manager, explained that the HR function has been involved in establishing these projects:

“We have been working with CMI to say that we want to be part of decision-making in terms of what projects are agreed with their line manager. We have to know that it will come back to the business and we want our employees to present their project to managers in the business. That’s the one thing that helps us and the business and also shows the commitment from the management team.”

Lisa is a strong supporter of accredited learning which she believes ensures learning in the classroom is embedded and transferred to the workplace. In order to maximise the benefits the programme delivers, Synergy are developing best practice processes that include:

• Reviewing the selection criteria for the course to ensure that the programme participants have a suitable role and will be able to transfer what they are learning into the workplace;

• Ensuring line manager support for participants, in order to promote a greater synthesis between the classroom and the workplace;

• Ensuring that coursework is based on business issues in the workplace.

Managers from Synergy felt the qualification has had a very positive impact on their management and leadership ability, providing them with the confidence and a “toolkit” to be better managers:

“The course helped me to be a better manager and to have a better understanding of the business – the bigger picture – understanding all about the business, not just me and my unit”.

Learners at Synergy spoke of a particularly important impact on people management skills. Some were now able to manage staff in a way which “empowered” and “motivated”, whilst others now had the confidence to manage confrontational situations without “being scared”.

Managers also valued having the opportunity to learn and appreciated the investment in their development. One participant said:

“I felt quite special when my line manager decided to send me on the course. It wasn’t cheap and I felt that they wanted me to progress in the company. I’m happy about that”.

There was insufficient survey data to produce survey metrics for Synergy Health.



perspective


perspectives

Survey metrics

Appendix 5: Case Study 5: Synergy Health plc

44

%

Seniority

Director 19 Senior Manager 29 Middle Manager 38 Junior Manager 14

Size

Small (1-50) 22 Medium (51-250) 11 Large (251-1000) 15 Very Large (over 1000) 52

Sector

Not-for-profit 12 Public sector 42 Private sector 46

Region

East of England 6 London 15 East Midlands 6 West Midlands 8 South East 17 South West 9 North East 4 North West 8 Yorkshire & the Humber 6 Northern Ireland 1 Scotland 9 Wales 4 Other 5

%

Industry

Agriculture, forestry & fishing 0 Business services 4 Central government 6 Construction 3 Consultancy 7 Creative/media 1 Defence 7 Education 13 Electricity, gas and water 2 Engineering 4 Finance, insurance 5 Fire and rescue 1 Health & social care 11 Hospitality, catering, leisure & tourism 2 Housing and real estate 2 IT 3 Justice/security 1 Legal & accounting services 1 Local Government 9 Manufacturing & production 7 Mining & extraction (incl. oil and gas) 1 Police 3 Sales/marketing/advertising 1 Telecommunications & post 1 Transport & logistics 3 Wholesale & retail 2

Appendix 6: Survey Demographics

%

Most recent qualification

Certificate 16 Award 5 Diploma 37 Foundation Degree 1 Bachelor Degree 3 Masters Degree 36 Doctorate 1 Apprenticeship 2

When did you complete your qualification

Less than 6 months ago 15 6 months to 1 year ago 13 1 to 2 years ago 14 2 to 5 years ago 23 More than 5 years ago 35

%

Education centre for most recent qualification

Further education 24 Higher education 47 Commercial training provider 24 In-house training 5

Method of study

Full time 9 Part time 91

Role in organisation at time of qualification

CEO / MD 3 Director / Senior manager 19 Middle manager 43 First line manager 23 Aspiring manager 11

45

Alimo-Metcalfe, B., Alban-Metcalfe, J., Bradley, M., Mariathasan, J. & Samele, C. (2008). The impact of engaging leadership on performance, attitudes to work, and well-being at work: A longitudinal study. Journal of Health & Organizational Performance, 22, 586-598.

Alimo-Metcalfe, B. and Alban-Metcalfe, J. (2011). ‘The ‘need to get more for less’: a new model of ‘engaging leadership’ and evidence of its effect on team productivity, and staff morale and wellbeing at work’ in Management Articles of the Year (2012). Chartered Management Institute.

Goldstein, I. and Ford, J. (2002) Training in Organisations, Wadsworth, California.

McBain, R. Ghobadian, A. Switzer, J. Wilton, P, Woodman, P, and Pearson, G. (2012) The Business Benefits of Management and Leadership Development. Chartered Management Institute and Penna.

Salas, E. and Cannon-Bowers, J.A. (2001). The Science of Training: A decade of progress, Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 471-499.

UK Commission for Employment and Skills. (2012). UK Commission’s Employer Skills Survey: UK Results.

Wood, R. and Bandura, A. (1989). Social cognitive theory of organisational management. Academy of Management Review, 14 (3), 361-384.

Wilton, P. Woodman, P. and Essex, R. (2007). The Value of Management Qualifications: the perspective of UK employers and managers. Chartered Management Institute and the Management Standards Centre.

CMI offers a range of qualifications and training development programmes for individual managers and employers. To find out more about CMI qualifications please go to: http://www.managers.org.uk/qualifications

Further resources

References

http://www.managers.org.uk/qualifications

46

CMI would like to thank the many people whose time, intellectual commitment and hard work has made this report possible. Firstly, we are grateful to everyone who took part in the focus groups and interviews and who completed the survey, whose participation was essential.

We would like to warmly thank the five organisations who agreed to participate in this research for their support in convening focus groups, distributing the survey and giving up their time to be interviewed about their experiences. We are particularly grateful to those individuals at each organisation who acted as our contact points and championed the research internally, namely: Rob Reed, Senior Manager for Group Learning and Development at BGL Group; Lorraine Patrinos, Head of Skills Development at Greenwich Leisure Limited; Neil Wood, Senior Development Manager at Leeds Leadership Centre (NHS); Nicola Hirschle, Senior Learning & Development Partner at Sanctuary Housing; and Lisa Fischer, Group Talent Manager at Synergy Healthcare.

The work of Margaret Bradley at the Real World Group is gratefully acknowledged, as is the contribution of Paul Hutchings, Patrick Woodman and Petra Wilton at CMI.

Acknowledgements

Chartered Management Institute2 Savoy Court, Strand,London, WC2R 0EZRegistered charity number 1091035Incorporated by Royal Charter© Chartered Management Institute, July 2012

4549 06/12

Chartered Management Institute

The Chartered Management Institute is the only chartered professional body in the UK dedicated to promoting the highest standards of management and leadership excellence. CMI sets the standard that others follow.

As a membership organisation, CMI has been providing forward-thinking advice and support to individuals and businesses for more than 50 years, and continues to give managers and leaders, and the organisations they work in, the tools they need to improve their performance and make an impact. As well as equipping individuals with the skills, knowledge and experience to be excellent managers and leaders, CMI’s products and services support the development of management and leadership excellence across both public and private sector organisations.

Through in-depth research and policy surveys of its 90,000 individual and over 800 Company Members, CMI maintains its position as the premier authority on key management and leadership issues.

For more information please contactthe Policy and Research Department on:Tel: 020 7421 2721Fax: 020 7497 0463Email: [email protected]: www.managers.org.ukor write to us at the address below.

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