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Management Advisory Service Article Library

The Management Advisory Service provides organisations with services and information to improve their performance through the creation of a positive work culture and by improving the behaviours of their managers which will enhance the performance of both people and organisation.

We have created this article library for you - it contains both the work and papers of Professor Derek Mowbray and articles of interest around the subject areas of:


  • MAS Codes of Management Practice
  • Leading and Managing for Wellbeing and Performance
  • Organisational Wellbeing and Performance and Positive Work Culture
  • Individual Resilience, Wellbeing and Performance

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MAS Codes of Management Practice

TitleDescriptionOriginator
The MAS Manager's Code of Conduct The aim of the MAS Manager's Code pf Conduct is to help build and sustain a Positive Work Culture as the context in which staff thrive, perform at their optimum, are engaged with their organisation, are energised to contribute, and derive personal and professional fulfilment. Professor Derek Mowbray
Background paper to the Manager's Code of Conduct This 19-page paper by Professor Mowbray, which includes Powerpoint Slides from his recent Conference presentations, explains the background ideas and thinking behind the Code. Professor Derek Mowbray
The MAS Code for Ethical Leadership Ethical leadership is about the motivation of people living their leadership lives according to an internal sense of morality and ethics. The ability to live these lives without personal distress relies on an ethically based cultural context. Professor Derek Mowbray
The MAS Code of Conduct for Psychological Health and Wellbeing The need for a Code relating to psychological health and wellbeing arises from the widespread anxiety that issues of psychological distress are not being taken with the degree of seriousness the condition deserves. Psychological distress costs organisations £bn’s per annum in lost concentration, under-performance, errors and accidents, diverted management resources, sickness, absence and staff turnover.
Professor Derek Mowbray
Manager's Code adopted by the IHM for application to the management of the NHS This Manager's Code of Conduct is referenced in the report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on Quality Assuring NHS Managers,  commissioned by the DoH to explore methods of regulating NHS managers. The Code of Conduct was initiated by Professor Derek Mowbray, sponsored by the IHM and supervised by a group originally chaired by Dame Carol Black and comprising the principal professional organisations (IHM, MiP, RCN, BMA, RCGP) and including the DoH, HSE,  Welsh Assembly Government and The Health Foundation. Professor Derek Mowbray
Prof Derek Mowbray - Narrative at the Launch of the IHM Managers Code The Application of the IHM Code of Conduct to the Workplace. Narrative of a talk given to the Institute of Healthcare Management at its launch of the Code of Conduct for Managers in Health and Social Care January 2012 Professor Derek Mowbray

Leading and Managing for Wellbeing and Performance

Mental Health and the Workplace Poor mental health in the workplace is detrimental to individuals and businesses. This note from both Houses of Parliament summarises how the workplace affects mental health and vice versa. It describes the barriers to gaining and retaining employment and looks at ways of tackling mental health in the workplace and through healthcare services. Aiysha Malik in Post, Houses of Parliament
15 Tips for Upping Performance in Others Good managers attract exceptional staff; they make the organisation a preferred employer; they help to increase market share and enhance profitability; they reduce costs. Their staff are engaged, committed and ‘go the extra mile’. They are able to persuade the workforce to do things they might otherwise not do without causing a hint of psychological distress. Professor Derek Mowbray
Staff engagement – 16 Tips for Managers Strengthening engagement requires a systemic approach involving the culture that promotes and reinforces engagement, adaptive and effective manager behaviours, resilience against adverse events, and a lifestyle@work that support staff and helps maintain their health and wellbeing. Here are 16 tips for managers to encourage greater attachment to the organisation and their work. Professor Derek Mowbray
The route to high level employee engagement The antidote to a disengaged workforce is to create and sustain a healthy organisation where the workforce feels that personal values align with those of their employer; where the leadership style is adaptive; where the manager behaviours are focused on promoting and sustaining commitment and trust, and where staff feel the organisation is facilitating their own resilience in coping with adverse events. Senior management need to pick up on the risks and threats, and seek ways to reverse the potential slide into decline. Professor Derek Mowbray
Management Standards for Effective Managers These management standards provide the benchmarks to be attained by managers seeking to be effective in promoting consistent high level performance from their staff without the costs of distress. Professor Derek Mowbray
Management Standards for A Healthy Organisation Standards provide something to aim for; they provide the steps towards a specified aim, in this case, the achievement of high performance through strengthening corporate resilience, embedding wellbeing and high performance into the workplace culture and preventing stress at work. Professor Derek Mowbray
How to define an employee wellbeing strategy In the first in a series of articles for Occupational Health magazine, Dr Bridget Juniper, an employee wellbeing specialist, offers practical advice on how to develop and deliver effective wellness initiatives. Dr Bridget Juniper writing in Occupational Health Magazine
Making the most of employee wellbeing initiatives Wellbeing specialist Dr Bridget Juniper looks at how employee wellbeing is an important factor in organisational performance and how it can be used to maximum advantage. Dr Bridget Juniperwriting in Occupational Health Magazine
Who should manage employee wellbeing? In the third in a series of articles for Occupational Health magazine, wellbeing specialist Dr Bridget Juniper considers who should take responsibility for the development of employee wellbeing within an organisation. Dr Bridget Juniper writing in Occupational Health Magazine
Evidence-based management - Proof of Concept In the fourth in a series of articles on wellbeing for Occupational Health magazine, Dr Bridget Juniper considers considers evidence-based management and the role it can play in developing an effective employee wellbeing strategy. Dr Bridget Juniper writing in Occupational Health Magazine
Engagement versus wellbeing Dr Bridget Juniper reveals why employers should shift their focus from engagement to wellbeing when investigating efforts to improve workplace performance. Dr Bridget Juniper writing in Occupational Health Magazine
Leadership and Trust 2011 Trust isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s an essential component of effective leadership at all levels. Trust drives engagement and motivation, and is therefore criticalin enabling higher organisational performance. So while any rise in trust levels is good news, we can see there is still real room for improvement for CEOs, and line managers in particular. Institute of Leadership and Management and Management Today
Compendium Of OECD Well-being Indicators The ultimate objective of this work is not just measurement per se, but to strengthen the evidence-base for policy making. Better measures of well-being can improve our understanding of the factors driving societal progress. Better assessments of countries‟ comparative performance in various fields can lead to better strategies to tackle deficiencies. OECD
Wellbeing and Performance - Action Plan The implementation of The Wellbeing and Performance Strategy requires an Action Plan to embed into the organisation a culture, attitudes and daily behaviours that result in high levels of wellbeing amongst all staff (managers and employees) which, in turn produces the high level performance dividend that can be measured as lower sickness absence, staff turnover, presenteeism and HR/Manager time on conflicts, disputes, tribunals and other features of presenteeism. Professor Derek Mowbray
Leadership ebook - 7 Qualities of Leadership The Business Link has produced this useful ebook that sets out to define the essence of leadership. The have identified 7 key qualities of leadership that they believe make a great leader - everyone can work to develop these qualities. Business Link
Mental Capital and Wellbeing Mental Capital and Wellbeing: Making the most of ourselves in the 21st century.  Encouraging and enabling everyone to realise their potential throughout their lives will be crucial for our future prosperity and wellbeing. Government Office for Science
How centered leaders achieve extraordinary results Centered leaders can achieve extraordinary results, and can thrive at work and in life, by adopting a leadership model that revolves around finding their strengths and connecting with others. Five capabilities are at the heart of centered leadership: finding meaning in work, converting emotions such as fear or stress into opportunity, leveraging connections and community, acting in the face of risk, and sustaining the energy that is the life force of change. McKinsey Quarterly - Joanna Barsh, Josephine Mogelof, and Caroline Webb
Changing manager behaviour There is everything to be gained from manager behaviour that persuades others to do things they might otherwise not do without causing psychological distress. This has the effect of building trust and commitment which leads to emotional engagement between the employee and the manager. This, in turn, aids concentration on work, and results in improved performance and productivity through the elimination of presenteeism. Professor Derek Mowbray
Adaptive Leadership So vast is the complexity of the world in which organisations have to survive that a different idea of leadership is being applied that draws on the experience and expertise of everyone in an organisation to contribute to the survival of the organisation. This is known as Adaptive Leadership. Professor Derek Mowbray
An investigation into sickness presence in the workplace Spells of absence are arguably the one factor within absence performance most keenly affected by the attitude and behaviour of line managers and employees. As one of the first studies investigating the links between sickness presence (attending work when self-perception of health justifies taking time off) and individual performance, a number of findings highlight the importance of better understanding and addressing the issue of sickness presence. The Work Foundation and AXA PPP Healthcare
Managing poor performance Managing poor performance and how to avoid the set-up-to-fail syndrome. Research has confirmed that poor performance at work is often the result of negative behaviour by managers themselves, which is then mirrored by employees. This is the 'set-up-to-fail' syndrome - whereby otherwise effective managers can inadvertently cause good employees to fail. Social Care Institute for Excellence
Seven steps to a Happy and Productive Workforce Happy employees are more productive, friendly and successful at work. This isn’t just positive psychology, it’s scientific fact. To prove to your board that good people policies really do make good business sense, follow these steps to make your workforce happy. CIPD
Happiness and Productivity
 Happy people really do work harder! A team of economists led by Andrew Oswald, professor of economics at Warwick Business School, has produced research showing that happiness raises productivity,with important implications for politics and business. The team said “We find that human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity, Positive emotions appear to invigorate human beings, while negative emotions have the opposite effect." Andrew J. Oswald, Eugenio Proto and Daniel Sgroi Department of Economics, University of Warwick
Interview in Director Magazine with Gore’s Chief Executive Terri Kelly
 Famous for tearing up the management rulebook, WL Gore operates without bosses in an environment where trust, freedom and innovation are prized. Little surprise then that the hi-tech pioneer's staff are so loyal.A workplace without managers, where no one tells you what to do and everybody is expected to voice their opinions may sound like utopia for employees. But at US engineering giant WL Gore it has been reality for more than 50 years. Director Magazine
Can sickness absence be prevented?
 How can we change manager behaviour? It’s simple really, common sense ....... but sadly, not common practice. It’s about changing the way we behave towards each other and using the behaviours known to reduce psychological distress. These are behaviours that promote commitment and trust between people. Professor Derek Mowbray
Andrew Davidson Interview with Vineet Nayar
 Andrew Davidson of the Sunday Times interviews Vineet Nayar, the businessman who has transformed the Indian IT giant HCL by making employee satisfaction his primary focus. Now he wants the world to follow suit. Andrew Davidson, The Sunday Times
Exceeding Expectation: the principles of outstanding leadership Outstanding leaders combine a drive for high performance with an almost obsessive focus on people as the means of achieving this. What is striking is that the research has uncovered clear differences between good and outstanding leadership.Well worth a read! The Work Foundation
Engaging for Success Engaging for Success - enhancing performance through employee engagement. This report looks at the evidence and business case for the link between employee engagement and performance. It covers the what, why and how of engagement, the evidence, the barriers and what has to happen to make engagement work. A report to Government by David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, Winter 2009
Creating Engaged Workforces Creating an Engaged Workforce – a CIPD report with findings from the Kinston Employee Engagement Consortium Project. It covers Employee engagement in the UK, Strategies for engagement, Engaging different employees along with Outcomes of engagement and some interesting case studies. CIPD
Employee Engagement - A review of current thinking Engagement can affect employees’ attitudes, absence and turnover levels and various studies have demonstrated links with productivity, increasingly pointing to a high correlation with individual, group and organisational performance, a success measured through the quality of customer experience and customer loyalty. Gemma Robertson-Smith and Carl Markwick

Organisational Wellbeing and Performance and Positive Work Culture

TitleDescriptionOriginator
Mental health and wellbeing at the workplace – What psychology tells us The workplace is not just a setting in which mental health manifests itself, but also one that profoundly influences mental health. It can harm, heal, and protect; leaving long lasting effects. Personal vulnerabilities of employees may exacerbate negative workplace impacts but are not a prime cause of mental health problems at work. European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations
Health at work – an independent review of sickness absence Nov 2011 Sickness absence from work is often unavoidable, but when unduly prolonged it is wasteful and damaging – to individuals and their families, employers and our wider society. The aims of our Review were to minimise the loss of work resulting from ill health and to find ways of reducing the burdens and costs. Dame Carol Black and David Frost CBE
Psychological distress at work – Taking the Prevention Approach Psychological distress at work is expensive. The expense comes in two forms - the loss of performance of people attending work but unable to concentrate effectively due to established stress triggers, and the costs associated with sickness absence and staff turnover. Professor Derek Mowbray
Research Insight into: Preventing stress; Promoting positive manager behaviour Why manager behaviour is important. This report looks at the importance of employee well-being/mental health and effective line management; Research evidence of the links between management behaviour and employee well-being/mental health; Management competencies for preventing and reducing stress at work - the story so far. Emma Donaldson-Feilder, Rachel Lewis and Joanna Yarker of Affinity Health at Work, HSE, CIPD and IIP
Line management behaviour and stress at work – Updated advice for HR Why are line managers important in the context of stress management? The Management Standards initiative is driven from Health and Safety; however, much of the responsibility for its implementation will fall on HR professionals and line managers. This means HR professionals and line managers need to understand what stress is and what constitutes a ‘healthy’ workplace, what skills, abilities and behaviours are needed to manage employees in a way that minimises work-related stress. HSE / CIPD
Line management behaviour and stress at work - Refined framework for line managers This refined management competency framework for preventing and reducing stress at work was developed during the first two phases of a research programme sponsored by the HSE, CIPD and IIP. The programme aimed to identify and develop the management behaviours necessary to manage stress in others. HSE, CIPD and IIP
Stress at work - Updated guidance for line managers Why is stress management particularly important to me as a manager? The Management Standards initiative is driven from Health and Safety; however, much of the responsibility for its implementation will fall on line managers. This means managers need to know what stress is; and also understand what skills, abilities and behaviours are necessary to implement the Management Standards and manage employees in a way that minimises work-related stress. HSE, CIPD and IIP
Stress at Work – A report prepared for The British Academy This report examines evidence for trends in work related stress in UK and comparatively across Europe, within the context of growing unemployment and job insecurity. In particular, it identifies the main determinants of work stress within the context of a recession. The report reviews the health, social and economic costs of work stress; and discusses what can be done to reduce it in the individual, organisational and legal contexts. Professor Tarani Chandola
The impact of mental health on business and industry –an economic analysis This study assesses the importance to employers of mental health problems in the workforce, looking at both the scale and the financial implications. The Financial implications include Sickness absence, reduced productivity at work (“presenteeism”) and staff turnover. Michael Parsonage, The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
Equality Act 2010: What do I need to know? This summary guide, produced by the Chambers of Commerce and the Government Equalities Office, is intended to help businesses understand their new obligations under the Equality Act 2010 as providers of goods, facilities and services. British Chambers of Commerce
The Equality Act 2010 - ACAS Guide to What is New for Employers? This guide covers the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. As an employer, your obligations remain largely the same. The Act harmonises and replaces previous legislation (such as the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) and ensures consistency in what you need to do to make your workplace a fair environment and to comply with the law. ACAS
Work-related stress - What the law says This guidance summarises the legal duties that employers have to reduce and where possible prevent work-related stress impacting on the health of their employees. It provides a starting point to help understand the legal requirements, and suggests actions that employers can take to help to not just comply with the law, but improve the working conditions for all employees. CIPD Sept 10
Rules of the Game – 13 rules that lead to commitment and trust at work In this paper 13 rules are presented that relate directly to the building and sustaining of commitment and trust at work. These rules can be applied to the governance process of any business or service. They are developed with commitment and trust in mind, and are, therefore, enabling rules rather than policing rules. Professor Derek Mowbray
Model of Organisational Design and Development This paper is about identifying the key components of more permanent organisations, and provides a model that may be used to help develop such organisations to be more successful in achieving their purpose. The model is adaptable and flexible, and may be applied to reviewing existing organisations, as well as providing a template for the construction of new organisations. Professor Derek Mowbray
Managerial culture change – the emergence of The Manager’s Code Psychological distress is largely caused by people and, in the workplace, by the controllers of organisations, and is, therefore, preventable in many workers. The focus on prevention is feasible and essential. The Managers Code is a framework within which a cultural change is possible if all managers adopt and apply the Code in their daily activities. The outcome will be commitment, trust and engagement between staff and their organisations as represented by the controllers – the managers. Professor Derek Mowbray writing for Health and Care Management
Positive outcomes from an engaging idea An organisation's greatest resource is its people, David MacLeod tells Alison Thomas of Public Service, and if you expect your organisation to succeed then you've got to listen to your people and treat them properly. A happy, engaged workforce gets better results than a miserable, demotivated one. Public Service Interview
Mind's Employers' Guide to Mentally Healthy Workplaces Conditions like anxiety, depression and unmanageable stress affect 1 in 6 British workers each year. This issue is costing businesses like yours up to £26 billion every year, including: £2.4 billion wasted on staff turnover due to poor mental wellbeing; £15.1 billion by staff coming to work and putting on a brave face, when in reality they are not coping; 70 million lost working days. MIND
BITC / MORI - Reporting on Health & Wellbeing raises Sharehold Return for FTSE 100 Companies that focus on employee health, wellbeing and engagement are likely to derive positive results from a more committed and productive workforce. The Ipsos MORI report demonstrates that the number of FTSE 100 companies reporting on these issues has increased and that many companies are reporting quantitative data to illustrate their performance. BITC
The X-Factor in wellbeing and performance Building and sustaining a Positive Work Culture as part of the organisational strategy for all organisations will improve performance and reduce the costs attributable to sickness absence, staff turnover and presenteeism. Professor Derek Mowbray
Accentuate the Positive Caught between the NHS bureaucracy and professionals on the ground, middle managers are under more strain than ever. Derek Mowbray explains how a new code of conduct can help managers promote a more positive working environment in the NHS. Professor Derek Mowbray in Healthcare Manager Spring 2010
How to create a strategy for employee wellbeing – a very brief guide Professor Mowbray's advice for creating a strategy for employee wellbeing that will build a high performing Positive Work Culture Professor Derek Mowbray
Wellbeing at Work Policy Document Wellbeing is more than simply the absence of illness, it allows employees to live a balanced life while taking a constructive role at work and in society. Although wellbeing can be affected by circumstances outside work, symptoms of a wellbeing imbalance, i.e. stress, are often displayed at work. It is therefore important that employees recognise this and confide in their managers; and that managers are able to recognise symptoms and are able to support employees. Professor Derek Mowbray
The Wellbeing and Performance Agenda The principal ways of influencing performance, in addition to ensuring the plan of action is clear, and the skills, knowledge and experience of the individual are up to the task, is to ensure a focus on the task. For this the individual needs to be able to concentrate and all elements of psychological distress need to be eliminated. Professor Derek Mowbray
A Positive Work Culture – essential for wellbeing and performance at work Promoting psychological wellbeing and performance at work relies on the creation of cultural foundations of virtuous intent that encourages a display of behaviours that lead to trust, commitment and engagement between individuals, their employing organisation, and their immediate working organisation which may be a team, a department, or something else. Professor Derek Mowbray
The Wellness Imperative - Creating More Effective Organizations Redefining wellness – as a state of being that is shaped by engagement and other workplace factors as much as by physical and psychological health – and making wellness central to business strategy opens an important new avenue to increasing organizational effectiveness. As the post-recession world economy slowly takes shape, those organizations that choose to follow this path are more likely to boost workforce productivity, drive business performance and realize core strategic goals. World Economic Forum
The Psychological Contract This factsheet from the CIPD gives introductory guidance and defines the Psychological contract. It considers what research into the psychological contract tells us about the changing employment relationship and looks at the strategic implications including the CIPD viewpoint. CIPD
Wellbeing and happiness The State of Happiness - Can public policy shape people’s wellbeing and resilience? A combined report from The Young Foundation and The Local Wellbeing Project which is a unique, three-year initiative to explore how local government can practically improve the happiness and wellbeing of its citizens. The Young Foundation and The Local Wellbeing Project
Building the case for wellness PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was commissioned by the Health Work Wellbeing Executive to: Review the wider business case for workplace wellness programmes in the UK; Consider the economic business case for undertaking wellness programmes among UK employers; Provide a framework for programme implementation and management. Their report covers the three components of workplace wellness - Health & Safety, Managing Ill Health, Prevention and Promotion. It supports the idea that wellness programs have a positive impact on intermediate and bottom-line benefits and that workplace wellness makes commercial sense. Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP
Promoting mental wellbeing through productive and healthy working conditions: guidance for employers Why work is important to employees’ mental wellbeing. Public health guidance on promoting mental wellbeing through productive and healthy working conditions. The following definition of mental wellbeing is used in this guidance: ‘Mental wellbeing is a dynamic state in which the individual is able to develop their potential, work productively and creatively, build strong and positive relationships with others and contribute to their community. It is enhanced when an individual is able to fulfil their personal and social goals and achieve a sense of purpose in society.' NICE
Promoting mental wellbeing at work - Quick reference guide This quick reference guide presents the recommendations made in ‘Promoting mental wellbeing through productive and healthy working conditions: guidance for employers’. It is for those who have a direct or indirect role in, and responsibility for, promoting mental wellbeing at work. NICE
Promoting mental wellbeing at work - The Business Case This business case report looks at the costs associated with mental wellbeing in the workplace and the potential savings achievable by implementing steps to improve the management of mental health in the workplace. It uses the most accurate data available and was produced in conjunction with the technical team at NICE and consulted on with external experts. NICE
Promoting mental wellbeing at work - Guide to Resources This is a support tool to help guide people to resources that may support the implementation of NICE guidance. NICE
Promoting mental wellbeing at work - Implementation Tool This resource is an implementation tool and should be used alongside the published guidance. The information does not supersede or replace the guidance itself. NICE
Managing the causes of work-related stress Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health, poor productivity and human error. It can result in sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance and a possible increase in accidents due to human error. The HSE’s Management Standards approach to risk assessment will help you, your employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress on your business. HSE
Improving health and work: changing lives The Government's Response to Dame Carol Black's Review of the health of Britain's working-age population. Government Response
A Positive Work Culture – essential for wellbeing and performance at work Promoting psychological wellbeing and performance at work relies on the creation of cultural foundations of virtuous intent that encourages a display of behaviours that lead to trust, commitment and engagement between individuals, their employing organisation, and their immediate working organisation which may be a team, a department, or something else. Professor Derek Mowbray

Individual Resilience, Wellbeing and Performance

TitleDescriptionOriginator
20 Tips to strengthen your Resilience at work Resilience is the capacity to cope with and become stronger as a result of experiencing and dealing with difficult events. Strengthening resilience combines building inner strength with applying personal strength to challenging situations. Professor Derek Mowbray
Resilience and strengthening resilience in individuals Resilience is about our capacity to tolerate and move on with strength after experiencing an adverse event. Through an understanding of how our resilience is built and expanded we are able to strengthen our resilience by taking certain actions. Professor Derek Mowbray

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