HRM326 UOPX Development Plan: Developing Managers

Organizations need to have a pool of managerial talent to take on jobs from senior managers and new management jobs that may be created. One way is to hire from outside, another way is to “grow your own” from within.

Your organization has said they would like to “grow their own managers.” This could be from identifying existing non management staff and training them up to be managers. Equally it could be from hiring new staff into a manager training program and investing in training them to become managers in a few years.

Prepare a 700 to 1,050 word plan for developing new managers for your organization. Include the following in your recommendation to senior management:

• Competencies: What competencies do managers need in your organization? (Hint: remember Week One Needs Analysis.)
• Recruiting: Where should the company start in terms of their recruitment of candidates? existing staff? new college grads? both?
• Selection: From your recruiting pool, how would you select the best candidates for your manager training program? How would you ensure that the selection process is fair and objective? (That it does not discriminate.)
• Development: Once the manager candidates are hired, what different experiences and formal training should they have so that at the end of say 2 years they are ready for a manager job? e.g. required job rotations, formal training courses, mentoring.
• Monitoring: how should the organization monitor their growth and development to be sure they are ready for a manager job in say 2 years? How would you ensure this process is fair and objective? (That it does not discriminate.)
• Summarize how this development plan will produce a group of managers that is ready to take the organization into the future.

Cite any sources according to APA formatting guidelines.

Notes: To develop candidates into managers, start with a training needs analysis. Analyze the career paths and think through needed succession planning.

The action starts with a recruiting and selection plan – who to recruit, how, and how many. The selection process will be crucial. The company will invest a lot in these individuals; there should be a high degree of confidence that these recruits will make it. At the same time the selection process must not unfairly discriminate against candidates – whether from internal or external candidates.

The next step is to plan the range of training and job development that give them the necessary skills, behaviors and tools to assume a management position and really make a significant difference within the company.

Typically a Management Development Program is a series of training modules and job activities delivered over anywhere from 3 months to 2 years, depending on what needs to be learned and tested. This will include

• training in both content and skills;
• job rotations, assignments, and projects that will expose candidates to important functional areas as well as test their strengths and weaknesses;
• mentors and coaches to support and provide guidance;
• and finally a robust method for evaluating progress and determining readiness to move to the next stage. Again, you need to make sure the decision making process for promotion does not unfairly discriminate.

Here are examples of some management development programs. Note that the descriptions are just an overview. The actual programs will be very deliberately designed, implemented and evaluated. These programs are typically aimed at new college grads – hey, that could be you!

Aetna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf9XjNMgLKs

Geico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4u8BT-Q0Wo

Hilton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYcqOzE1Flo

Nestle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Q7PcoXFS4