Management development is one of those buzzwords that you will invariably hear in a typical HR board room setting.
The fact is that HR employees are right to believe that there should be special focus placed on management – both upper and middle.
After all, it is the managers who will basically decide the direction in which a company is headed. It is the managers who often make or break the decision to hire a new employee, and it is also the managers who are the ones that clean up mistakes made. Managers, in summary, are a major, major part of any company organization model.
A company is definitely wise to not only pay attention to the managers that it hires, but also do their best to mold them into better versions of themselves.
Back in the 1970s, management development generally meant helping managers understand the goals and policies of the company that they worked for a little bit better. It also meant updating them on local and federal laws that were put in place that directly affected the company and its employees. While this is still a primary goal of all HR departments, it is not really considered to be management development by many anymore.
These days, companies realize that the need for good managers goes above having typical code enforcers and people who just made sure others did their job.
Good managers, as well as top level executives, are now just as much their own unique brands as the companies that they work for!
Having managers that are well known in the business world is, in fact, a bragging right for many companies.
Many companies also noticed that managers that are considered role models tend to perform a lot better than managers who are just “bosses”. So, it only makes sense that companies would do their best to train and mold managers that they hire who are truly amazing at what they do, and inspirational for fellow employees.
Most top level HR firms these days will focus on managers who can lead. They will do everything from giving them exercises in team building, trusting one another, and goal setting to help them network with people who they want their managers to be like.
HR will even go so far as to get involved in management education and help them develop themselves within the company’s culture. The result is that many organisations refocus on goals in the management development arena.
It sounds like many HR teams are trying to mold a manager’s personality, and that is partly the case!
Certain behaviours and personalities are better suited for leadership and management, and many people-centric HR professionals understand this.
Trends in management development continue to evolve every day, and smart teams are beginning to realize how much of an impact the amount of work and money they invest in management really has.
As the years continue to unfold, both HR and the organisation can expect a continuation of the goals of Management Development; managers become more involved, more dynamic and personal – than ever before.
© New To HR