Most managers in the UK believe they are not up to the task of managing and feel overwhelmed and underequipped.
This was revealed in a recent survey of 2,000 white collar professionals by the global recruitment agency Robert Walters which found that 66% of managers can be defined as ‘accidental’, referring to a person who has been promoted into a management role without formal training or even a desire to hold a management position.
In many cases, the accidental manager has excelled in their previous role, being a top performer in sales, vocational or technical fields, but lacks the management skills needed for their new managerial responsibilities.
This eye-opening survey also revealed that in addition to the huge number of ‘accidental managers’, a further 22% said they were ‘quietly promoted’, meaning their new managerial role was not formally acknowledged and did not come with a pay increase or even a change in job title.
In summary, the survey shows that a staggering eight in ten managers in the UK are on the back foot, finding themselves in managerial positions that they are not prepared for or trained to take on. Just over a third said they had repeatedly asked their bosses for management training.
The rise of the accidental manager
“This has become a very common challenge that I frequently hear about from our customers,” says Impellus Sales Executive, Bradley Dawson. “There are a number of causes for the rise of the accidental manager, including a reliance on traditional promotion practices that focus on technical and vocational skills and experience rather than leadership potential. It’s often not appreciated that successful and effective management requires a completely different skills set.”
“The problem is compounded, as we have found and as this survey has also revealed, by a lack of formal management training programmes as well as the fact that organisations often need to fill management roles quickly, especially if they are going through a period of rapid growth. Without careful consideration or adequate preparation, the accidental manager is thrown in at the deep end, which can have disastrous consequences for the individual concerned, their team members and the organisation as whole.”
Challenges faced by the accidental manager
“Accidental managers will find themselves dealing with a number of challenges that require solutions that are outside their current knowledge and experience,” says Bradley.
“Accidental managers may lack vital people management and communications skills and be inexperienced in strategic planning and decision-making. As well as being detrimental to the organisation and their immediate teams, accidental managers can also be personally impacted, suffering from stress, burnout and job dissatisfaction.”
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Take the time to review your approach to promotion and training for new managers and invest in proper leadership development to reduce the number of ‘accidental managers’ in your organisation and foster a more capable leadership team. This is critical to ensure your organisation can survive and thrive.
Impellus offers a range of Level 3 training courses that are targeted at team leaders and newly promoted managers, enabling them to analyse, understand and apply key management skills.
Courses can be taken as standalone modules or as part of an ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management or an Impellus Level 3 Certificate of Learning in Leadership and Management.
