Rising numbers of workers doubt their bossesí leadership abilities

Confidence in the leadership abilities of senior managers has declined since the start of 2005, the latest results of The Workerís Index, a bi-annual survey of employeesí feelings and attitudes towards work, reveals today.

Jointly sponsored by The Work Foundation, the think tank and consultancy, and Ipsos MORI, the independent research organisation, the third wave of the survey confirms that a quarter of British workers do not believe their senior management has a clear vision of where they are leading the organisation.

The survey, conducted in May 2006, reinforces a trend that was first visible in the October 2005 survey: around a quarter of workers actively doubt senior managementís leadership abilities and sense of strategic direction. While 57% overall claimed they agree with the statement ësenior management have a clear vision of where this organisation is goingí ñ exactly the same as when the survey was last conducted in October 2005 ñ 24% disagree. When those who disagree are subtracted from those who agree, the ënet agreesí amount to just 33% (see chart).



Public sector workers have less faith in their leaders than private sector workers. Although this repeats a trend from each wave of the Workers Index, our latest data show that net agreement with the statement ësenior management have a clear vision of where this organisation is goingí has decreased significantly among public sector employees. On balance, 40% of public sector workers had confidence in their senior management in February 2005 and by May 2006 this had decreased to 17%. In the private sector, the balance of opinion has also decreased but at a slower rate from 55% in February 2005 to 44% in May 2006.



Following on from lower levels of confidence in senior management in the public sector, it is consistent that public service workers also tend to be more critical of their organisation as an employer. Some 19% of public sector staff are critical of their organisation as an employer, compared with 11% in the private sector.



In the public sector, 63% agree with the statement ëmy organisation puts the needs of its customers or service users first.í This compares with 79% in the private sector. Nearly one in five (19%) public sector respondents disagree their organisation puts customers first. This compares with just 6% in the private sector.

In addition to senior management, faith in line management is also mixed. Just over half of all workers (54%) agree that ëmy line manager inspires me to do a better jobí.

The Workerís Index finds that overall workers remain committed to their jobs and to their employers. Workers who would naturally advocate their organisation as an employer outnumber those who criticise it - 60% to 14%. Slightly higher proportions (66%) of workers speak favourably about the services their organisation provides compared to just 10% who criticise.

Michelle Mahdon, researcher with The Work Foundation, and joint author of a new commentary on The Workerís Index, said: ìThe data points to an on-going leadership gap at the top of British organisations. Many senior managers appear to be failing to convince the people they lead that they are doing more than being buffeted by events, while being reluctant to take the necessary steps to steer their organisations in a strategic direction.

ìIn business circles, it is so common to hear talk of the importance of ëvisioní. But our survey indicates that these are visions leaders are singularly struggling to articulate. Whatever activities are going on in the heads of senior managers, they are failing to make the jump into real life and affect how people go about their daily work.î

Mark Gill, Associate Director at Ipsos MORI, said: ìThe gap between public and private sector employeesí views of their senior management is substantial and seemingly growing. And with one in five public sector employees disagreeing that their organisation puts the needs of customers or users first, there is much more to do for the government to achieve its vision of ensuring all public services are built around the needs of the consumerî.