According to our study released today, 44% of employees say that their bosses’ management style is the same as relegation zone Wolverhampton manager, Mick McCarthy, or dismissed Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson. Whilst over a third (35%) also admitted that their manager’s methods don’t get the best out of their organisations workforce.

Our report (Is Your Management Style Premier League?) analyses the management styles of 10 premiership managers, looking at how each would cope running a UK business in today’s economic climate. Whilst also interviewing over 100 leading HR and business professionals about their views on the premiership football manager’s leadership styles, as well as their own, and their MD or CEO’s.

Melanie Wombwell, Managing Director at Results International comments: “Like the football world, the business world is fraught with turmoil and change. It takes good leadership and a strong managerial style to overcome these challenges. Good management works at its best when there’s a fit between the management style of MDs/CEO’s and the teams they lead. However of those surveyed, most (23%) said that their bosses’ management style was like that of Mick McCarthy’s. Yet this is a style that none of those surveyed like to work under.”

Indeed, most of the business professionals surveyed wanted to work with either Harry Redknapp (28% stating this), or Ian Holloway (23% admitting this), and most (34%) likened their own management style to Ian Holloway’s.

Melanie says: “This makes for positive reading, as the ‘relationship’ method, which is how we like to refer to Holloway’s style, is one that would prove successful in the commercial world as it is today. Having a great relationship with your employees, where they want to go out and perform to the very best of their abilities, and enjoy what they do can be very powerful. Plus, for those financially-challenged businesses, this method of people management can be a fantastic way to keep salaries in check.”

Without doubt good management is a way to do this. When asked what motivates employees in their organisation, surprisingly money or bonuses were not top of the list. Instead it was and inspirational leadership (36%) and reputation of the company (34%).

So, good management can also save companies a fortune in salaries and bonuses. Melanie adds: “People make the world go round. Business is about people, be it running a football club, an accountancy firm, or a insurance company. Motivation and getting the best out of people is key to running a successful business in this current climate.”

Most definitely, so Results International’s top three premiership managers who they think would perform best if they were to be running a UK business in today’s world, and as stated in the report, are; Harry Redknapp, Ian Holloway, and Arsene Wenger.

Melanie concludes: “Football as a business is still pretty hard to grasp, as it often bears little relation to most other businesses. Contracts appear to count for nothing, whilst most clubs make a loss. However, people have probably got more to say about Sir Alex Ferguson or Ancelotti’s management styles than they have about their own or even their bosses’. So that’s why we’ve put this report together, because in whatever context, motivation and getting the best out of people is key to running a successful business, and to do that you need not only a good management style, but the right management style.”