Oxbridge elitism is 'bad for business'

      THE dominance of male Oxbridge graduates from
      independent schools in top jobs is endangering Britain's
      economic prospects, according to a two-year leadership
      inquiry to be published this week, which will provide
      much-needed backing for the Government's assault on
      elitism. 

      Most of Britain's rivals are tapping a wider pool of talent
      in leadership positions, the Management Charter Initiative
      (MCI) will report. 

      Narrow recruitment policies are seen as increasingly
      harmful in a world in which diversity, openness, innovation
      and creativity are crucial to economic success. 

      The study, which was jointly commissioned by the
      Department for Trade and Industry and the Department
      for Education and Employment, sought the views of
      leading figures in business, industry, the public sector and
      voluntary organisations. An e-mail survey, focus groups
      and in-depth interviews showed strong backing, especially
      among entrepreneurs, for broader recruitment to top
      management positions. 

      Professor Tom Cannon, the MCI's Chief Executive, said:
      "In Britain we seem to have a narrower, more elitist view
      of who should hold leadership roles. This poses problems
      when we need new types of entrepreneurs and innovators
      to drive our economy forward." 

      Professor Cannon, a former director of Manchester
      Business School, said there was general agreement among
      those polled that innovation and change were more
      difficult to achieve when leaders were drawn from
      pre-selected, traditional elites. The dominance of a
      middle-class, public school and Oxbridge elite was said to
      lead to white, male stereotypes of the right forms of
      leadership. However, rapid change in world markets
      meant that the traditional emphasis on hierarchy, control
      and position should be replaced with a greater emphasis
      on creativity, risk-taking and communication. 

      As one of the Government's National Training
      Organisations, MCI has to identify and spread good
      practice in management. A representative sample of 250
      chief executives and international management experts
      took part in the survey, and their views were analysed by
      academics and representatives of the public, private and
      voluntary sectors. 

      The project was overseen by a group chaired by Julian
      Richer, who founded the Richer Sounds group of hi-fi
      shops after taking A levels at Clifton College, Bristol. The
      results of the inquiry were reported to a conference at the
      Sandhurst Military Academy attended by Baroness
      Blackstone, the Education Minister, before the
      controversy over elitism blew up. 

      Among those featured in case studies were Rabbi Julia
      Neuberger, the theatre impressario Bill Kenwright, the
      Trades Union Congress General Secretary John Monks,
      Lord Taylor of Warwick and Sir Michael Angus, the
      chairman of Whitbread. 

      The report recommends the establishment of a national
      centre for leadership studies and calls for more work to
      identify and highlight the potential of women, ethnic
      minorities and the disabled. 

      BY JOHN O'LEARY, EDUCATION EDITOR
      "The Times" - English broadsheet.
      June 13 2000    BRITAIN

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