Taken from the Chartered Management Institute website www.managers.org.uk
Some of the UK’s best organisations and brightest individual managers have today been announced as finalists in the first ever CMI National Management & Leadership Awards.
The awards will celebrate those organisations which have achieved real success during the past 18 months, as a result of exemplary management and leadership. They will also recognise employers dedicated to support the professional development of future generations of managers.
A total of nine awards are up for grabs, among them the Change Management Award, which will recognise an organisation that has successfully implemented a substantial programme of change and the Management Team of the Year Award, which will go to a team that has achieved outstanding results in the past 18 months.
At the beginning of the year, organisations from across the UK were invited to enter the nine categories, irrespective of the size of the business or the sector in which they operate. Their applications underwent intense scrutiny by nine separate panels of experts tasked with choosing a winner. The judges considered aspects including how the organisations are structured, their integrity and sustainability, and their financial successes.
West Yorkshire Police is one organisation hoping to triumph, having been nominated for the Management Team of the Year Award and the Award for Change Management. Faced with budget cuts, managers within the force’s Criminal Justice Support department involved staff in decision making, encouraging them to suggest ideas that could reshape the service.
Ruth Spellman, chief executive of CMI, said: “The future wealth and prosperity of UK plc is dependent upon a competitive and determined mindset, executed through strong leadership and management. It is tremendously encouraging to see so many strong, tangible examples of the impact that excellent management and leadership has had on the success of these organisations shortlisted. The CMI National Management & Leadership Awards scheme is intended to raise the bar when it comes to management and leadership excellence. Those who have made it to this stage of the competition can feel justifiably proud that they are leading the field, and should be looked to as examples for others to follow.”
Mike Faulkner, awards director, said: “In today’s tough economic climate, management and leadership skills have never been more important, and it is encouraging to see that positivity and the winning spirit is still thriving among the business community, In the months that follow, those individuals and organisations on the NML Award shortlist will become the benchmark for companies to measure their capabilities, helping to drive up the management standards in the UK.”
Some of this year’s finalists include:
- Mitchells & Butler (The Green Leadership Award, The Outstanding Organisation of the Year Award {Large} and The Change Management Award): The nationwide pub and restaurant chain has reduced its carbon emissions by 15 per cent, despite increasing the number of meals sold last year by 20 million
- LV= (The Workplace Wellbeing Award and The Employee Engagement Strategy of the Year Award): Mike Rogers, CEO of the financial services provider, personally informs staff of changes via one-to-ones podcasts and company-wide roadshows
- Milton Keynes Council (Management Team of the Year Award): Through Lean Management Methodologies, the council have been able to cut waste, add value and deliver an excellent level of service
- Aurum Holdings (The Employee Engagement Strategy of the Year Award): The retail jewellery manufacturer has dramatically boosted employee engagement levels, resulting in achieving Silver Level Recognition from Investors in People
The winners will be announced at an awards dinner in central London, following CMI’s National Conference on Thursday 14 October. Further details about the competition and list of all the finalists can be found at http://www.nmlawards.com
