Firms out of step with management

Men and women in management are becoming more equal, and the real gap is between managers, companies and the way their organisations operate, a survey claimed yesterday.

The Institute of Management said its survey of 1,800 people showed that companies were generally "out of step" with their managers. Only 15 per cent of those surveyed said their firms encouraged staff participation, while one in three complained that their organisation was too bureaucratic.

The survey showed that 80 per cent of managers believed they received equal treatment regardless of their sex and the "old boy network" was less of a barrier to promotion for women than in the past. A spokeswoman for the institute said it was "pleasantly surprised" at the apparent equality between men and women managers in the workplace. Michael Streeter