My answer to Is the current poor state of the UK economy caused by poor British management skills?
Answer by Desmond Last:
I was reading an article this morning in the Daily Mail. A convicted Polish rapist almost beat somebody to death 48 hours after arriving in the U.K. He was sentenced to 12 years at cost to the UK Taxpayer of half a million pounds plus the Hospital care for the victim and his trauma. At the end of the 12 years he will be extradited to Poland unless he appeals through the European Court which will cost the UK more money.
How does this relate to your question? It illustrates one of the effects of EU bureaucracy and labor movement versus economic and legal sovereignty. It shows the effect on the Police and the Justice system. The effect per citizen is reduced because the system is overcome with an effect it was never designed to absorb.
The same for UK Management. Both Labour and Conservative have built the modern UK Economy on the influx of cheap Labour to provide a low-wage workforce. The consequent investment in new business is then subsidized by the same tax-payer it removes value from by supporting that investment through the tax credit and corporation subsidy that they receive. Osborne ‘s living wage does not take into account indirect taxation, the removal of essential services and the cost of the infrastructure that is needed to cope with the 2 million plus EU citizens living the UK. We may have an above average living wage but the cost of living in the U.K is high.
This means the UK jobs miracle is made up mostly of low-tech service and secondary manufacturing ie sub-assembly work so too the level of management needed is also low tech and its training. It consists mostly of managers glued to cost per unit, length of toilet breaks, ringing staff on zero-hours contracts and making sure the Polish Gang boss gets his ‘under the counter payment’. So over the last 20 years the management skills have declined.
As I am not recognized as a writer by anybody in the UK including the BBC & ITV, whose ideas can improve the world I have had to work in several low-tech jobs in the U.K. The simplest of efficiencies were ignored and verbal bullying was rife. I did make my own changes, none of which were seen as an ability to improve profitablity. I found the management were simply incapable of reorganizing the simplest of systems and were not interested or did not know how to change them.
The system of management authority is still stuck in the 1980’s a very vertical arrangement with workers seen as nothing more than production fooder with no interaction between them and management.
I know how to run a business, every business I have owned or run has been successful.
I have not seen one company in the UK that I have had to work for that I would call cutting-edge when it came to managent technique. Even DHL Bicester , a major multi-national (who I am taking to court for Human Rights abuses) made no attempt to involve the workforce, were dismissive of any co-operative means of working and had new staff start every week. There were no production incentives because they can get new staff any-day they want. This means the management are not concerned with production profitability only wage cost-cutting.
I worked as a Supervisor, and was given the job on merit with no (at Co-Pack within DHL) written information at all as to my responsibilities and not one second of company training. One morning I had to deal with an influx of 30 Polish Woman – which was their answer answer to low production figures. My re-organisation of the assembly line was met with grudging approval. Some of the women could not speak any English and valuable time was spent showing them then how to do the job. Instead of using management skills to make them more efficient it was spent trying to make them understand the job in cramped unsafe and poor working conditions.
The common theme to all the management I have experienced was bullying and threat of replacement. Of workers too afraid to complain and with little incentive to give loyalty and ideas. Yes poor management is one of the causes of the decline – as is lack of Pride. How can you be proud of your country and want to give ideas to make it better through the company you work when that country is no longer yours?
It is big question you have asked, because it goes to the root of Industrial decline in the UK and no Spaceport or Driverless Car – that is what buses and trains are for – is going to reverse the decline.
Nor will the weak and ineffective Government and Opposition the UK has to endure
who seem to think abusing the Human rights of a world-famous writer will not affect UK Exports.
Is the current poor state of the UK economy caused by poor British management skills?
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