Full STEAM ahead for closing the UK's productivity gap

1 Jan

You will undoubtedly have heard much discussion about the productivity gap which exists in the UK. It is so depressing to hear politicians casually slagging off UK workers behind closed doors. Instead of talking frankly, constructively and passionately as intelligent adults about what the issue is and how we resolve it.

Let’s be clear. There is absolutely a productivity gap. It started around the time of the great financial crash of 2008, and has got steadily worse ever since.

Governments of the last twelve years allowed themselves to be manipulated by education “influencers” and lobbyists who have been pushing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as their Holy Grail.

But more recently a wider range of actual educators - people doing the job - have been pushing STEAM instead.

The A?

Arts.

Why? Because the arts are about PEOPLE. Made by people, for people. Because the arts give an appreciation and understanding of creativity, they allow creative expression. Enjoyment of and participation in the Arts makes people feel better. Studies have proven this, time after time after time.

In the UK workforce, there has been a sharp decline over the past 20 years in Management training, more and more staff are expected to learn on the job. Further, managers are now more likely to be hired for their technical skills as opposed to their people skills. For managers this makes their job considerably harder. This then means they struggle to get the best out of their staff. Staff may feel demotivated, unheard, disconnected. The manager does not have the skillset or the tools to empathise with the staff. And there’s the reason for our productivity gap. The so called “soft skills” – connection, communication, empathy, etc – are not being taught or practised. They are the key to better relationships, and to a happier, more productive workforce.

Encouraging training and opportunities in, appreciation of and participation in Arts, whatever they are, makes for a happier, healthier, more interested and engaged public - and workforce. Exposure to the Arts gently, carefully, from an early age, teaches people valuable life lessons about communication, empathy, connection, kindness, as well as helping them give voice to feelings they may not otherwise have felt strong enough to explore. The arts explore, debate and celebrate what it is to be human. In short, the arts allow us to understand each other better. And that helps us create better relationships, which is the most complicated thing that humans can do so well – if they are encouraged, supported and shown examples of what this looks like in action. Which then means that they can work better and enjoy their lives more fully. And that is the golden gift from the arts. They teach people how to be people. Better people. Happier people. And hopefully how to feel better about themselves and how to connect with others.

That’s how you close the productivity gap.

Invest in the Arts. The benefits are incalculable. All we need now is to get on with it…

Gary Donaldson is Business Manager for Placemaking London, and a Theatre and Business Consultant with Anthony Field Associates, as well as writing a wide-ranging theatre blog, unrestrictedtheatre.co.uk and a regular Theatre Preview feature for Barbican Life magazine.

Gary Donaldson

Having known both Anthony and John professionally for over twenty years, Gary joined Anthony Field Associates Ltd in 2008.

Gary began his career as a freelance designer/copywriter and worked for a range of companies in IT, retail and theatre (Royal Court Theatre, The Bush Theatre, Soho Poly, and Sebastian Born’s Parallax Productions). He also lectured in design and advertising writing at HND level.

In 1985 Gary was invited to join the Perrier Award panel for Cabaret and Comedy (overseen by Nica Burns) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which fuelled his desire to work in the industry. In 1986 he joined Stoll Moss Theatres as a Theatre Manager and worked at all of the company’s twelve West End Theatres, beginning at Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s as it opened, then a long period at Theatre Royal Drury Lane with 42nd Street, then on to the Victoria Palace where he was part of the team that opened Brigadoon and Buddy. He was invited to return to be a House Manager on the 1991 Royal Variety Performance at the Victoria Palace. Whilst at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Gary collaborated on specialist group marketing initiatives for 42nd Street producer Helen Montagu.

Keen to diversify, in 1991 he became House Manager at Terence Conran’s Design Museum, which had grown out of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Boilerhouse Project. He steered the Museum through its biggest attractions, including the Raymond Loewy exhibition, attracting over 15,000 visitors per week.
Lured back to the theatre in 1992, Gary accepted an offer by Titan Productions’ John Gore to create specialist group marketing for his very popular Thunderbirds FAB at the Ambassadors. Accepting Tony Field’s invitation, he also lectured to students at London City University’s Arts Management Degree Course.

After a career break, Gary returned as a charity fund-raiser for the UK’s leading telephone agency, Pell and Bales. Again drawn to the increasing number of arts fund-raising projects, he became a mainstay of these accounts and one of the most consistently successful fund-raisers for, amongst others, the Oxford Playhouse, the RSNO (Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and the rebuilding fund for the Manchester Royal Exchange. In the year that he became Recruitment Manager for the firm, they were voted Fund-raising Agency of the Year by the Institute Of Charity Fund-raising Managers.

Leaving in 1999 to become a freelance recruitment consultant, he immediately began a major contract for the international Sanderson interior decoration group, where he developed the customer relationship and experience (resulting in an independently-audited 32% increase in sales), and trained in new computer relationship management (CRM) software across the company.

Since then, his clients have included major banks and other financial organisations, mobile phone companies, airlines, airport operators, call centres and graduate recruiters, assessing and advising on all aspects of people selection and retention.

Having maintained a strong theatrical connection throughout his many projects, Gary is delighted to be contributing to the success of our (and our clients’) businesses.

Full STEAM ahead for closing the UK's productivity gap

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Fundraising in a time of crisis