AN in-depth international study has revealed that poor management is costing European economies billions of euros every year. According to the study, 87 out of the 235 days that UK workers spend at work are unproductive, effectively a 63% productivity rate.

France performs even worse, with a 60% productivity rating, while Hungary is down at 59%. The blame can be placed squarely at the feet of management, according to Proudfoot Consulting. It accuses companies of insufficient management planning and control and of providing inadequate supervision to junior staff. In the UK alone, the estimated waste loses the economy £56 billion every year.

David Whitmore, Proudfoot's European president, said: 'The general standard of management in Britain has improved in recent years but the inescapable conclusion of our study is that there is still room for significant improvement if we want to become as productive and competitive as our major international competitors.'

In an accompanying Gallup poll commissioned by Proudfoot, most senior executives see poor management as the biggest cause of poor productivity. However, they consistently over or underestimate the importance of specific barriers to productivity.

Although poor management is highlighted as the most significant, it is not perceived to be as problematic as the study shows it to be. Similarly, barriers such as ineffective communication and IT problems are given greater weight than they deserve.

Globally, insufficient management planning and control is responsible for 40% of lost time and inappropriate supervision, 32%. Additional barriers to productivity are ineffective communication, a cause of 9% of lost time, poor morale (8%), unqualified workforce (8%) and IT related problems (4%).

The study, entitled 'Managing for mediocrity', is the fourth annual study on productivity produced by Proudfoot.

The report surveys workers across nine countries and comprises 1,668 detailed studies undertaken at projects in nine countries.

For further details, visit www.proudfootconsulting.com

FACT FILE
Productivity levels, by country
Australia: 63%
Austria: 60%
France: 60%
Germany: 64%
Hungary: 59%
Spain: 61%
South Africa: 61%
UK: 63%
US: 64%