Management / Executive
Development Program
Dr. Nilanjan Sengupta
Management Development
Long-Term Focus
of Management
Development
Appraising
Assessing the Developing the
managers’
company’s managers and
current
strategic needs future managers
performance
8–2
10-4
Features of executive development
It is a planned effort to improve executives’ ability to handle a variety of assignments
It is not a one-shot deal, but a continuous, ongoing activity
It aims at improving the total personality of an executive
It aims at meeting future needs unlike training, which seeks to meet current needs
It is a long- term process, as managers take time to acquire and improve their capabilities
It is proactive in nature as it focuses attention on the present as well as future requirements of both the
organization and the individual
Executive Development
10-5
Importance of executive
development
Invaluable investment in the long run as it helps managers to acquire requisite
knowledge, skills and abilities needed to handle complex situations in business
Enables executives to realise their own career goals and aspirations
Helps executives to step into superior positions easily
Assists executives in enhancing their people-management skills, taking a
holistic view of various problems.
Executive Development
10-6
Executive Development
Programmes: Steps
Steps in the organisation of an
executive development programme
Analysis of organisational development needs
Appraisal of present managerial capabilities
Inventory of executive talent(in terms of age, service, education, experience etc
Planning of individual development programmes
Devising appropriate development programmes
Evaluating results
Executive Development
10-6
Executive Development
Programmes: Steps
Steps in the organisation of an
executive development programme
Analysis of organisational development needs
Appraisal of present managerial capabilities
Inventory of executive talent(in terms of age, service, education, experience etc
Planning of individual development programmes
Devising appropriate development programmes
Evaluating results
Executive Development
10-7
Methods/techniques
Various methods are employed to develop managerial skills and knowledge,
such as:
Methods of executive development
Executive Development
10-7
Methods/techniques
Various methods are employed to develop managerial skills and knowledge,
such as:
Methods of executive development
Executive Development
10-8
Methods/techniques
In-basket: The trainee is asked to look into a number of papers such as
memoranda, reports, telephone messages that typically confront a
manager and respond appropriately.
+Trainees learn quickly, as they have to do everything within a time frame
+Creates healthy competition between participants allows them to grow
-The method is somewhat academic and removed from real life situations.
-Participants rarely respond to such imaginary situations in an enthusiastic manner
Case-study: The participant is asked to take up a simulated business
problem and take appropriate decisions.
Executive Development
10-9
When is a case study most appropriate?
When the problem requires problem solving, thinking skills
The KSAs are complex and participants need time to master them
Active participation is required
The process of learning is as important as the content
Tem problem solving and interaction are possible.
Executive Development
10-10
Merits and demerits of the case study
method
Executive Development
10-11
When using case studies
Be clear about learning objectives and explore possible ways to realise the
objectives
Decide which objectives would be best served by the case method
Find out the available cases that might work or consider developing your own
Set up the activity – including the case material, the room and the schedule
Observe the principles that guide effective group interactions
Provide an opportunity to all trainees to participate meaningfully and try to keep the
groups small.
Stop for process checks and get set to intervene when interactions go out of hand
Allow for different learning styles
Clarify the trainer's role as a facilitator
Bridge the gap between theory and practice
Executive Development
10-12
Methods/techniques
Business games: It is a learning exercise representing a real-life
situation where trainees compete with each other to achieve specific
objectives.
Merits and demerits of the business
game method
Executive Development
10-13
Methods/techniques
Role play: This is a technique that requires the trainee to assume
different identities to learn how others feel under different circumstances
+ Participants develop interpersonal skills
+ They learn by doing things actually
+ The competitive environment compels participants to listen, observe, analyse and improve
their own performance by exploiting their potential fully
__lack of realism in this method comes in the way of enthusiastic participation
--not easy to duplicate the pressures and realities of actual decision making
--most trainees may not be very comfortable in role playing situations
Executive Development
10-14
Trainer’s responsibilities in role
playing situations
Ensure that members of a role playing group get along with eachother
Select and prepare the participants by introducing a specific situation
Ask participants to actually come out with potential characters
Realise that volunteers make better role players
Prepare observers by giving them specific tasks such as evaluation, feedback etc.
Guide the role play enactment over its bumps, since it is not scripted
Keep it short
Discuss the enactment and prepare bulleted points of what was learned
Executive Development
10-15
Methods/techniques
Sensitivity training: This is a method of changing behaviour through
unstructured group interaction. (also known as T-group training, where T
stands for training)
Features of T-group training
T-Group consists of 10-12 persons.
A leader acts as a catalyst and provides a free and open environment for
discussion
There is no specified agenda
Members express their ideas, feelings and thoughts freely and openly
The focus is on behaviour rather than on duties
The aim is to achieve behaviour effectiveness in transactions with one's
environment
Executive Development
10-16
Benefits
Participants gain rich experience in getting along with people
The exclusive focus on each others' behaviour helps participants to
observe, analyse and then respond appropriately
Trainees can find out where they stand in comparison to others
The agenda less discussions encourages the participants to come out
more openly and share their opinions with others
The opportunity to take charge of the group is always inherently
present for the right candidate.
Executive Development
10-17
Costs
Considerable time is wasted in agenda-less, direction-less discussions
T-group leaders may lack the skills to instil enthusiasm and confidence
in participants.
There is an immoral and unjustified invasion of privacy, based on false
assumptions about the nature of human relationships at work.
The interchange of opinions in an open manner may be punished by
superiors at a later stage, using some pretext or the other
T groups may actually destroy team learning and team spirit as they
encourage participants to be hostile without feeling guilty during training.
Executive Development
10-18
Methods/techniques
On the job experience: This is a kind of class room learning where
the trainee learns by actually doing things under the supervision of an
experienced supervisor. Such methods are highly useful for certain
groups like scientific and technical personnel
Behaviour modelling: This is an approach that demonstrates desired
behaviour and gives trainees the chance to practice and role-play
those behaviours and receive feedback.
Coaching: This is a development activity in which a supervisor plays
an active role in imparting job knowledge and skills to the trainee. For
effective coaching, a healthy and open relationship must exist between
employees and their supervisors.
Executive Development
10-19
Merits and demerits of coaching
+ Trainees learn quickly by actually doing a piece of work and obtain feedback
+Where the trainer and the trainee interact in an open manner, there is tremendous
scope for the trainee to grow by seeking clarifications continuously and rectifying
mistakes
__ A lot depends on the interpersonal skills of the supervisor
---The learner, often, cannot develop much beyond the limits of his own supervisor
Executive Development
10-20
Methods/techniques
Understudy: This is a development method wherein potential
managers are given the chance to temporarily relieve an
experienced manager of part of hi job and act as his substitute
during the period, giving him vital insights into the overall job that
would make him the automatic choice in the succession
process.
Job rotation: Moving a trainee from job to job so as to offer
cross training is called job rotation. The idea behind this is to give
managers the required diversified skills and a broader outlook.
Multiple management: It is a system in which permanent
advisory committees of managers study problems of the
company (thereby gaining first hand experience of various
important aspects of business) and make recommendations to
higher management.
Executive Development
10-21
Methods/techniques
Special courses, meetings, readings: In addition to the above,
managers could also benefit by attending workshops organised
by academic institutions, attending special meetings organised by
various government and voluntary organisations and by reading
specific articles relevant to their respective fields.
Special projects: In this method, a trainee is put on a project
closely related to the objectives of the department.
Committee assignment: In this method, an adhoc committee is
appointed to discuss, evaluate and offer suggestions relating to an
important aspect of business.
Conferences: A conference is a meeting of people to discuss a
subject of common interest. The participants exchange notes,
opinions and ideas on the subject in a systematic and planner
manner.
Executive Development
10-22
Methods/techniques
Lectures: Lectures are formal presentations on a topic by an
experienced and knowledgeable person. The presentation is
generally supported by discussions, case studies, audio-visual
aids and film shows.
Group discussion: In this method, papers are presented by
two or three trainees on a selected topic, followed by thought-
provoking discussions.
Programmed instruction: This is a learner-oriented
technique which presents subject matter to the trainees in
small sequential steps requiring frequent responses from the
trainee and immediately offering him of their accuracy or
otherwise.
Executive Development
10-23
Selection Of A Suitable Method
While choosing a specific method, the following guidelines might be kept in
mind
Suitability of executive development
techniques
Executive Development
