Institution news
Management and leadership are similar in many respects, but differ in their application in the business world. Basic definitions of the two suggest that management is the process of dealing with, or controlling resources (including people), whereas leadership is about providing people with a sense of direction and taking them on a journey. This implies that management gives us the authority and know-how to be in charge, yet leadership gives us the more diverse understanding of people and resources to make appropriate decisions and influence others in the most effective and positive ways. To be successful in a managerial role therefore, requires both management and leadership qualities.
Warren Bennis summarised the difference as “Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing” which again toys with the idea of managers simply making things happen, whereas the addition of leadership qualities will consider the impact on others and overall productivity when it comes to making decisions.
Why is this important?
- A Government paper: Leadership & Management in the UK - The Key to Sustainable Growth indicated that an estimated £19 billion per year worth of working hours is lost in the UK due to ineffective management.
- There is a concerning correlation between line manager effectiveness and qualification, with 43% of UK managers believing their line manager is ineffective and 1 in 5 being qualified for the position they are entrusted to fulfil.
- Almost three quarters of UK organisations reported a lack of management and leadership skills within their organisation.
These concerns are reflecting on direct reports, whereby employees are identifying one of the primary reasons they move on from a role is due to poor, or unenjoyable management qualities.
- A study of 7,272 US adults by Gallup found 1 in 2 left to improve their life by getting away from a particular manger, or management style at some point in their career.
- It’s estimated that a mid-level employee’s departure from a company can cost up to 150% of their salary when factoring in potential future contributions to the company and training new staff.
These statistics alone paint a picture of the vast differences between expectations and reality when it comes to managerial capabilities of UK organisations. It suggests that there are many managers who lack leadership capabilities, they are simply getting things done – without consideration for the impacts on their staff, team morale or whether they are actually making the correct, intellectual decisions.
So as an institution, what are we offering?
IMechE has identified two management factors that are unique to the engineering field:
- Transitioning from an engineering technical role to a managerial position demands a significant skillset modification, both at the personal and practical level. In a management position it's not sustainable to develop solutions and make decisions for each problem as an individual, but requires the ability to coach and direct colleagues to help them develop solutions themselves. The focus of technical vs. management roles, as well as the overall goals relevant to the position can create uncertainty without proper preparation.
- Managing in engineering is significantly different to other industries – it requires making decisions that balance cost, quality and time, within complex working systems. Resource constraints are a common factor in decision-making, and the requirement for commercial success means management in engineering requires extensive problem-solving capabilities and forward thinking.
A significant proportion of IMechE’s professional engineers declare themselves as leaders and managers and IMechE takes its responsibility to support you seriously. We offer a leadership pathway to support you at a variety of career transition points, utilising off the job training, performance diagnostics and peer support. The intention is to offer a pathway which engineers are confident they can use as their career progresses to ensure they don’t become part of the statistical problem
We recognise that while a large proportion of managerial know-how comes from hands-on experience, a toolkit of management concepts, methods and transitional guidance not only make the job easier, but also increase the confidence that direct reports hold in the ability for said manager to satisfy their expectations. There are three tiers to this leadership pathway.
The Tiers
It’s important that managers continue to be exceptional, and this is why we have three tiers to the progression model. They’re designed to help prepare engineers for the next step in their career and drive forward thinking and adaptability. Our courses are highly interactive and require participation from attendees. By doing this, participants are able to question decision-making and strategy to determine where their weak points are, how to increase productivity and how to make a more cohesive engineering workplace. The experience also tackles some of the more challenging aspects (such as dealing with confrontation) as a means to improve managerial confidence heading into a new role.
As the tiers progress, so too does our exploration of how to be an adaptive leader, and which tools are needed to help get there. This is especially important for managers moving into higher level senior roles. It provides a platform to reassess their management style before commencing a new role, to ensure bad habits they’ve developed are left behind.
Our courses are a perfect tool to address the issues we’ve identified with leadership & management. Our intent is to advance the skills of current engineering leaders to ensure they provide a sustainable & adaptable environment for developing engineers. The career progression opportunities that stem from our courses are twofold: developing leaders that create positive and effective working environments, and helping young engineers develop their leadership skills to be the change they want to see in engineering.