Business driven management development in rapid growth

In a high employment economy spurred by the current high price of oil, it appears that there are two polar extremes in terms of staff attraction and retention. It is evident that many firms are experiencing rapid growth and demand for qualified staff at all levels. There are those companies who choose to “buy-in” talent and hope to retain the new recruits by paying them well. On the other hand there are those companies who focus more on providing a highly developmental experience and retain employees through the acquisition of transferable skills and demonstrable achievements. A further dimension is that many of the companies that we deal with are also concerned with staff development in overseas facilities. It is against this backdrop that this article has been written and the focus is on those companies who invest in developing their staff.

Typical business development needs in periods of rapid growth

One of the key pressures on companies in the supply chain to the main producers is ramping up delivery through reducing lead times. In sustained growth, short-run capacity management techniques will only deliver a level of improvement that is dictated by how well the key constraining resource is managed. In other words we are not simply dealing with an engineering problem but an engineering and management problem. Typically, the production units of companies in this sector are staffed by a mixture of graduate engineers and time-served skilled and semi-skilled shop floor workers. Given this context the key needs tend to be in the realms of more generic soft skills and a range of functional management skills and knowledge. The softer skills include:

- leadership
- inter-personal communications
- communications (intra and inter-company)
- teambuilding
- coaching and mentoring
- negotiation skills and managing conflict
- change management

The functional management skills and knowledge tend to be in the areas of:

- operations management
- supply chain management
- quality management
- business environment (the strategic context)
- human resource management
- economics
- finance
- planning and decision-making

Delivering effective solutions

The main attributes of an effective solution are: that any provision is contextualised and integrated with the company’s performance management system; delegate selection is a considered process as it is key to generating commitment; peer support and challenge are important in sustaining momentum; teambuilding is reinforced through real work-based projects; there is a degree of flexibility in studied modules to enhance relevance; a blended learning approach is used to minimise time away from the workplace; and there is demonstrable commitment and interest from senior management. A key aspect of commitment is in protecting the time of staff at the workshops. From our point of view it is also important to schedule times when contact can be made with the office and to manage expectations clearly about when these times will be. Management buy-in is also relevant in selecting the work-based projects and in sustaining interest in delivery.

Assessed work offers the chance to obtain a University validated qualification which provides additional status for engagement in the process.

One of the other attributes of contextualisation is that a rapport is built between the company and the University, which helps to create the proverbial “three-legged” stool. The mutuality of interest built, therefore, facilitates on-going improvements in the overall process.

Contextualisation

In being able to respond quickly to a range of corporate clients we have devised an approach, which addresses all of the above issues. Work conducted with the client prior to the launch is central to managing expectations and in developing a contextualised approach. Contextualisation is achieved through use of company specific information within the course, presentations by senior management and in the design of the work-based projects. Projects tend to be based on business improvement and depend on cross-functional involvement to generate options. The approach is therefore very much “learning by doing”. Where possible, part of the process is for the teams to present a business case to senior management for approval. Clearly work-based projects provide an opportunity to apply knowledge gained from the educational input and draws on the experiential learning that the delegates already have either with the company or from previous employers.

Due to time pressures, most managers feel they require “just enough development” at the precise moment when they need it. This may appear to be in conflict at times with any distinction one might make between management education and management training. Management education will have a wider application than simply the current problem and opportunity set that faces the organisation. Another tension that often arises due to the time pressure is that managers want the best practice solution which of course may work in a particular context and not in their own one. Part of the value of management education is in being able to develop best practice in the context that the managers are working in. The work-based projects also provide an opportunity for the delegates to reflect on their practice.

Building a “learning set” and providing flexibility for individual learners

We take an approach where the first module is compulsory and this provides a platform for building self-awareness, enhancing awareness of the key business drivers and consequences of these drivers, and in developing bonds between the delegates that will support them in addressing work-based projects. These bonds will provide the peer support and challenge throughout the whole course and have a significant impact on modifying behaviours in the workplace. Subsequent modules (a total of 4 successful modules will constitute a Graduate Certificate in Management) are selected from a list that has been previously agreed with the company. The modules provide a link to business and individual development needs.

The learning set approach is facilitated by electronic discussion boards in the overall blended learning and complements the activities undertaken at the workshops. Clearly the use of distance learning also assists in supporting students based remotely.

Prof Ken Russell
Associate Dean
Aberdeen Business School
The Robert Gordon University