‘Firms need return to Victorian values’

BUSINESSES need to make a return to Victorian values following the damaging recession, says a Huddersfield management training expert.

David Broadhead, a former Huddersfield University lecturer, said self-improvement and the skill of getting more for less held the key to future success as the global crisis marks an end of the era of “easy money” for both public and private sectors.

Mr Broadhead leads a social and economic think-tank, The Forum, that predicts unemployment may rise to 4m and that the UK economy will not return to meaningful growth until 2011.

He said: “There needs to be a return to Victorian values that are very much centred around self-improvement and the creation of things that are going to last. The era of throwing money at something for short-term gains has gone.

“The current economic crisis represents a failure of management, emanating from the consultancy-led, analytical, target-driven mentalities that have developed over the last 20 years.

“What we need in this next decade of austerity is a new breed of manager that can innovate and deliver sustainable growth in an ethical way – in truth to be able to deliver more with less.”

Mr Broadhead, who heads training and coaching business Partners in Management, runs Entrepreneurial Management courses at the Media Centre for middle and senior managers from local government, manufacturing, the health service, financial services, education, media and not-for-profit organisations.

He said: “Being at the Media Centre has been really beneficial in that it offers a tremendous venue with great facilities and good transport links.

“It also provides an inspirational networking community that is actively supporting us in developing and promoting our courses.”

Completing the Level 7 Masters course will lead to the Chartered Management Institute’s Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership qualification.

Mr Broadhead said: “Accreditation and recognition of the course design was an essential ingredient and we are proud to be working with the institute in this way.”