Chartered Management Institute Partners With Cognisco to Improve UK Management Skills

LONDON, June 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is to partner with Cogniso, a global provider of employee assessments, in order to launch ManagementInsight, a series of specialised assessments designed to improve the performance and leadership skills of managers in all industry sectors. The first two assessments 'Engage' and 'Perform' will focus on improving the way in which managers address employee engagement and performance.

Poor management is a growing problem for UK companies. Recent research from CMI revealed that half the UK workforce (47%) had left their jobs due to bad management, half believed they could do a better job than their boss and an equal number were willing to take a pay cut to work with a better manager. This lack of trust in managers also means that eight out of ten workers wouldn't turn to their bosses if they had a problem at work.

Additionally, the research revealed the root cause of some of the UK's poor management practices - 63% of managers claimed they had received no formal management training and many said they were 'accidental' managers who had not set out to manage a team.

To transform the skills of managers, CMI has engaged Cognisco to deliver a series of assessments that will measure accurately the skills, knowledge and confidence of managers and highlight their skills gaps and training needs. The initial assessments focusing on 'performance management' and 'employee engagement' will initially be rolled out to CMI's corporate clients.

Ruth Spellman, CMI Chief Executive says, "CMI's goal is to transform management and leadership. To do that, it is vital that managers review regularly their own performance and skills, understand their strengths and how they need to improve. We are delighted to partner with Cognisco to tackle this serious issue. Cognisco's intelligent assessments will enable companies to measure the performance of managers accurately and deliver targeted and relevant professional development programmes. We are confident this partnership will help to transform the skills of managers, and at the same time improve employee engagement and well-being."

"Using Cognisco assessments, companies will be able to benchmark the performance of their managers and compare them with managers in competitive organisations, companies from different industry sectors and even international companies," she added.

Mary Clarke, CEO of Cognisco says, "CMI is a champion of management best practice and we are delighted to partner with them to help transform management skills. Our assessments will provide organisations with vital insight into the skills, knowledge, competence and confidence of their managers and critically, will reveal how well they understand their job roles. Weak areas will be pinpointed so that companies can address these immediately with targeted training. Our assessments will not only improve managers' performance and understanding of their roles, they will boost their confidence, improve their interaction with their teams and also reduce the risk of them making mistakes, which could prove costly and damaging to business."

About Cognisco

Cognisco is a global leader in measuring employee knowledge and confidence, working with companies in more than 150 countries and 30 different languages. Headquartered in the UK with an office in New York City, its unique online knowledge development solutions enable customers, including some of the world's biggest brands, to accurately assess and measure levels of individual understanding and confidence. By combining human capital consultancy, online appraisal and learning, Cognisco provides its customers with critical data which enables companies to reduce risk and cost, while increasing operational performance and ROI. Cognisco believes in enabling individuals to reach their true potential by constantly placing them in a position to excel so that employers can continuously improve business performance.

About CMI

CMI is the only chartered professional body in the UK dedicated to promoting the highest standards of management and leadership excellence. As a membership organisation, CMI has been providing forward-thinking advice and support to individuals and businesses, for more than 50 years, and continues to give managers and leaders, and the organisations they work in, the tools they need to improve their performance and make an impact. Through in-depth research and policy surveys of its 86,000 individual and 450 corporate members, CMI maintains its position as the premier authority on key management and leadership issues

    For more information, contact:

    Kathryn Hughes
    [email protected]
    +44(0)203-142-6447 / +44(0)7801-823-839

SOURCE Cognisco