The Value of Management and Leadership Qualifications

The findings demonstrate that price was the least important consideration out of theoptions available. Although it was significantly more important for those self-financing theirqualifications, it was still a relatively low consideration compared to other factors, especiallythe qualification’s reputation. This suggests that MLQ providers should not compromisequality too much in the interests of cost.Employer-funded learners were also more concerned about the reputation of the qualificationwithin the organisation.1.3.1 Influential factors in qualification choice and type of qualificationThe factors driving the choice of qualification were analysed by the type of qualification taken,revealing a number of statistically significant differences. Price was a more influential factorfor managers choosing Master degrees than Certificates or Diploma. Similarly, reputationand teaching methods were also more important for Masters degrees – factors whicha learner would doubtless considered alongside the price when evaluating the potentialreturn on what could be a substantial investment.1.3.2 Management seniority differencesJunior managers were more concerned by the recognition of qualifications within theorganisation than more senior managers. Reputation may be particularly important to juniormanagers as they lack the work experience of more senior managers and, therefore, relyon qualifications more heavily to establish their credentials within the organisation andbuild their careers. In some organisations, particular qualifications may also be regarded– explicitly or implicitly – as a prerequisite for advancement to more senior levels.Another finding was that cost was less important for lower level managers than seniormanagers. It is not possible from the results to say why this is the case but one reasonmay be that senior managers are more likely to undertake Masters level qualifications:as seen above, price was more of an issue for these qualifications than for shorter, morevocational – and cheaper – ones.1.4 Attitudes to MLQsThe overwhelming majority of managers (84 per cent) believe that taking an MLQ is acritical part of becoming a professional manager. With past research estimating that as fewas one in five managers have a management qualification (Wilton et al 2007), there is asignificant gap between the expectation that professional managers should be qualified,and the reality of an under-qualified management profession. There is also a widespreadview that being qualified improves employment prospects, with nearly four out of fivemanagers reporting that employers prefer managers with MLQs.A similar number – 78 per cent – report that MLQs provide quality assurance to customersabout an organisation’s management capability. The ability to demonstrate independentlyverifiedevidence of management quality to potential clients through the qualification profileof staff is one of the key benefits of MLQs over other unaccredited forms of managementand leadership development.13