British managers branded indecisive

Nearly half of British employees, or 46 percent, think their bosses are poor decision makers, with incompetence and a lack of confidence key reasons why, according to a poll of almost 3,500 people by research firm YouGov Plc published yesterday.

Of those who say the bosses don't know what they are doing, some 83 percent said they thought that management's poor decisions damaged morale, 51 percent said it hurt productivity and 19 percent said it handed rival firms an advantage.

Some 61 percent of those critical of their managers said they felt frustrated, angry or had lost respect for them after what they regarded as bad decisions.

"When questioned about the reasons behind their managers' indecision, half (51 percent) of employees who think their managers are indecisive point to lack of competence and a third (34 percent) to the lack of confidence," said the poll.

The survey was conducted for Investors in People UK - an organization which works with companies to help improve their performance.

"This is a worrying problem for UK organizations - indecisive managers are a drain on the company and a major frustration for their teams," said Simon Jones, acting chief executive of Investors in People UK.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/07/2007 page16)