Most managers only take on responsibility because they want greater involvement in company decision-making and to move up the career ladder, not because they are interested in helping manage and develop staff, according to a survey by HR consultancy Cubiks.

The research found that 48% of respondents said that they spend less than 10% of their time discussing and developing the performance of their staff, and almost half felt their own manager had not contributed to their career development. Only 36% believed that managers should be responsible for ensuring that staff act on development suggestions, with the majority surveyed placing the onus on employees for personal development.

However, only 7% said that their main motivation for taking on a managerial position was the promise of a higher salary and benefits such as a company car.

David Lawton, UK country manager of Cubiks, says: “It is so important for organisations to ensure that new managers are given adequate training before they are asked to assume responsibility for staff, and why the performance of existing managers must be reviewed constantly. Most managers will not be intrinsically interested in developing people or naturally inclined to invest their energies in staff development activities, so the benefits of good talent management must be continually communicated.”

The survey also revealed the growing popularity of 360 degree feedback tools which gather the views of an individual’s managers, peers and direct reports for performance management purposes.