Management Development Programs primarily focus on skills development training. However, many Management Development programs fail to bring out desired results. This happens because the concerned stakeholders have not been involved in the change process. Also, a thorough diagnosis is usually missing.
What Management Development Programs Need
Every program needs a thorough understanding about the current situation in the organization, called the organizational climate. Detailed analysis of the current culture can happen through sensing and systemic understanding of the organizations functioning. Interviews, surveys, group discussions, detailed analysis and observation of the business and its departments are used for the same. This preparatory work helps in determining if the gaps can be plugged by training alone. Or if other interventions have to be looked upon.
Diagnosing the Organisational Climate Together
Usually training as standalone solution is never effective. However, training programs are used as scape goats many a time. And are used as a replacement for longer and deeper interventions which require more effort and time. Which is also the biggest reason why training interventions fail miserably.
What also typically happens with internal and external consultants is that they decide the pill before doing the diagnostic as they feel that the tools they know and have learnt are the best approaches for the given problem. This usually leads to disaster.
What may be required is a thorough fact finding and brainstorming post the diagnosis about more long term sustainable changes using the right leverage points along with training interventions.
Training, once established as the correct solution, the next step is to look at a strong supportive environment, called the transfer climate. This will help the participants practice the learning’s.
This has to be provided by the HR, top management and the bosses. Without which, the training program can become ineffective. In fact most successful interventions carried out so far have a strong buy in and involvement of the HR and the business.
Post Learning Implementation
Another aspect required is action planning with regular follow up and refreshers courses apart from individual and group coaching.
Follow up on the action planning by the HR and the Business Heads/Managers is important. It ensures that there is seriousness in applying the learning once the training program is complete. It also helps participants in keeping the learning ready with them. They may then action it as and when required.
Learning also looses its essence if not repeated. Participants forget in some time what they learnt. The role of refreshers therefore becomes important. This is the reason why one-off managerial skills development programs never bring desired results. It is only a measured systemic development which helps in bringing the desired change over a period of time. And when an organization focuses on quick fixes and overnight change, the results are usually poor and fruitless.
At The Yellow Spot, we strongly feel that it’s not only the participants that should be considered a part of interventions. We must consider their seniors, customers, peers and support functions too. This is important as they are the ones who also facilitate change by providing a transfer climate.
Management development program should therefore not limit their focus to just the participants. They must also include the respective stakeholders.
To get the most out of your Management Development Programs, come visit us at https://www.theyellowspot.com/