What Is Management Training and Development?
Once an employee becomes a manager, it is important that their training and career development does not stop. Continuing education becomes even more important because not only will an effective manager succeed in their own career, they will also positively impact the performance of the employees they supervise. This means that the upfront investment into training for a manager will have valuable ripple effects throughout the organization. Before a company is able to create or implement a management training program, they will need to understand exactly what is included in such a program.
Management training curriculum can cover a wide variety of topics and can change based on the level of experience and the industry they work in. However, almost any course of training will include communication skills, effective employee motivation, performance management, and project or team management. Other topics can be included as needed or desired. These are usually more specific to a manager's needs, like time management, conflict resolution, or coaching staff.
A management development course is often comprised of a variety of different training methods. Incorporating the different information delivery techniques will create a more successful learning experience. This is because some topics are best conveyed via written information like books or pamphlets while others require face-to-face interactions with an instructor. Technology allows for the use of even more options like webcasts or online video conferencing. Using this type of technology can significantly reduce the costs of training, which will allow a company to train additional people or send managers to more classes.
Though much of this type of training will be conveying information to managers from instructors or written materials, there is also a great value in live interactions and practicing skills being learned. This is why a very important piece of management development programs will involve the participants working through problems or practice exercises with each other or in small groups. Many training sessions will also ask participants to bring along actual questions or problems they are facing in their current positions. This not only allows a person to immediately apply what they are learning to their jobs, but they can also get feedback and brainstorm ideas with other managers.
Another component of many management development courses is an element of team building. Depending on the composition of the class, this can serve different purposes. If the entire class is made up of employees from one company, an effective team building exercise can build camaraderie and help employees connect. For a group of managers from a number of different companies, a team building exercise before the class can serve as a great way to break the ice and get participants ready to work together in the classroom environment.
The final component of a management development program is the involvement of the manager in creating their career plan. By connecting a manager with an appropriate career mentor or counselor to develop a short-, medium-, and long-term career plan. This plan would encompass professional goals of the manager and chart out a desired career path. The counselor will serve a crucial role in providing guidance, suggestions and even a reality check when needed. This will help the manager create not only a robust and ambitious plan, but also one that is achievable. Once this plan is developed, a manager can utilize it to help make career decisions over the long-term and also make short-term choices like what types of continuing education they will need to reach their goals. Finally, when a manager feels that their employer is taking an interest in their success and providing them the tools to have a great career, they will be more engaged and perform better in their job.
