What makes a good boss?

We can probably all think of examples of bad bosses – the so-called leaders who we love to gossip about with our colleagues outside work. And if you’re lucky enough to have had good experiences of management at work, you may be familiar with bad bosses from popular culture. There’s no shortage of those, from the ‘mockumentary’ The Office to the film 9 to 5.

But what makes a good manager? What's the secret to being able to organise systems and inspire people at the same time?

It’s a question that’s been debated since the Industrial Revolution, when rapidly expanding companies needed a way of controlling their workers. From there developed various theories of management, including those of Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henri Fayol, Max Weber and Peter Drucker, some of which drew on aspects of sociology and psychology.

Rajan Datar is joined by guests including Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute in the UK, to find out what it takes to encourage people to reach their potential. The programme will analyse the ways bosses can manage a workplace effectively, and explore how that has evolved over time. We’ll also present a selection of comments and experiences sent in by Forum listeners.