Upswing or recession. Economic takeoff or stock market crash. Regardless of the current economic situation, an input in good management and leadership is always an investment and pays off at all times.
MPS’ questionnaire for people in the process of changing jobs reveals the fact that there is much room for improvement in managerial skills: almost half of the respondents felt that their current employer’s management culture was inadequate and only nine percent of the respondents perceived the management culture as very functional.
- Albeit in the current market situation, recruitment might not be the greatest worry for most companies, it is good to bear in mind that this is not a permanent state. MPS Finland Consulting’s Managing Director Mia-Riitta Kivinen reminds us that in the future we still have to face a lack of competent personnel.
For preventing the lack of resources Kivinen offers a simple recipe:
- It is important to take care of the employer image, since according to the results of the questionnaire, a company’s internet pages, along with the stories heard through the grapevine, are the two most important factors in forming a company image. Caring for the current staff is the most effective way to influence the message passing through the grapevine.
The recipe is quite simple, but its implementation during these challenging times naturally requires dedication and thorough contemplation. In the long run, an investment in improving your employer image will surely not exceed the expenses of any short-sighted solutions carried out in hurry and haste.
Developing management and leadership cultures can lead to increased commitment
Many organizations worry about the commitment of its personnel even during recessions since losing key personnel is costly for the company in various aspects.
One way to influence the commitment of the personnel is to offer them flexible ways of executing and diversifying their tasks, for instance by task rotation. For many respondents, one main reason for applying for a new position was in fact their desire for variety.
When asked about how the current employer might be able to keep the departing individual in question, 35 percent of the respondents singled out an alteration in their job description. From the same question derives a direct challenge for the management: all in all 41 percent of the respondents place leadership abilities and the development of the management culture in the top three factors that an employer could focus on and have an impact on in their decision to depart from a company.
- Consequently, one might be tempted to conclude that the content of the employee’s tasks might actually be secondary as long as the company has functional leadership and management. However, though Kivinen continues by stating, that the formula for success is by no means this simple, it is clear that the quality of management culture in an organization has a direct and significant connection to work well-being, to commitment and to motivation among personnel.
For further information, please contact:
Mia-Riitta Kivinen, CEO, MPS Finland Consulting Oy
tel. +358 20 7469 445
MPS survey was answered by 390 people looking for new jobs between the period of the 12th of December 2008 to the 14th of April 2009.
MPS is the preferred international partner in providing Leadership and Strategic Human Resource Solutions that correspond to our clients’ business challenges. MPS supports every person’s employment cycle upon entering, within and when leaving an organization. More than 30 years of experience with our customers has convinced us that “companies are made up of people