5LMS Developing Leadership & Management Skills

Developing leadership and management skills is a unit in level 5 of the CIPD course. Learners are expected to learn the scientific management concepts, the concepts of leadership, and the differences between leadership and management. The unit provides insights on the roles on how to develop leaders and managers within an organisational setting, and improve their roles in promoting the organisation. Learners pursuing the unit should be keen to ensure that they promote ownership and success of leaders and managers in developing programmes that support the employees in the workplace, the general organisation, and its performance. Learners get to understand their roles and responsibilities as HR and L&D practitioners, in developing the knowledge and skills of the leaders and managers.

Differences between leadership and management

Leadership is defined as the concept that identifies with the role of leaders in influencing, motivating, inspiring, and directing followers towards attaining a certain goal and completing a vision. The leaders create visions that are meant to direct the followers, and they also act as change agents to influence change of behaviours and attitudes among the employees. There are different leadership theories that support the leadership concept, and they include transformational theory, transactional theory, leader-manager contingency theories, and power theories. Management on the other hand is defined as the administration of people within the organisation, where they work towards ensuring that they promote coordination of organisational tasks. Managers are the final decision makers, and use power to facilitate how things are done in the organisation. Theories in management include autocratic theory of management, democratic theory, and laissez faire among others.

Approaches to developing leaders and managers

Developing leaders and managers is an important aspect that contributes to development of skills and awareness that prepare them for their future roles. The approaches involved in developing leaders and managers include coaching and mentoring, which enhance development of personal capabilities with the support of coaches and mentors. Advantages of coaching are that individuals adjust to their organisation, and get the support needed to complete their achievements. However, there may be development of negative relationships between the coach and coachee, or mentor and mentee, which is a disadvantage that may prevent successful development of the individuals. Another approach is education based programs, where educators tailor the needs of the learners, and then provide learning opportunities to the employees. The other approach is job rotation, where leaders and managers get new and unique skills needed in carrying out their roles. Job rotations are however costly and not all organisations can be able to implement the approach the workplace. The other approach is development assessment centres, where leaders and managers attend training in centres, where they get to acquire certain kinds of skills.

L&D functions that support leadership and management development

Examples of the L&D functions that support development of leaders and managers include needs assessment, where the needs of leaders and managers are identified, to create a platform where they would get involved in learning to meet their needs. The L&D should then design and deliver interventions that enhance development of learning for the leaders and managers. Learning delivery can be formal or informal, and all are meant to promote development of the employees. Identifying potential leaders is a function that the L&D practitioners gets involved in, to ensure that people who are committed are given an opportunity to carry out their roles. The other function relates to advising the individuals on what they should do to promote their learning, and ensure that they develop their skills. The other issues related to evaluating the outcomes that the development programmes have to facilitating improvement of the leadership and management skills.

Indicators of success for leadership and management development programmes

The indicators of success include employee performance, problem solving, participant satisfaction, and employee retention. Developed leaders and managers are able to effectively solve problems and ensure that they effectively analyse situations to promote a working environment where problems can easily be solved. Employee performance is an indicator that seeks to examine the significance in developing skills that help the managers promote improved performance from their followers, and in the process enhance organisational development. Developed leaders experience a sense of satisfaction, which make them become more committed to the people and organisation, are critical thinkers, and are good decision makers. Developed leaders and managers get to stay in an organisation for a long period of time, and the skills they gain help them influence the employees as they become examples to them. They are also able to develop strategies that will make the employees want to stay in the organisation.

Rationale to ensure leadership and management programmes are successful

The achievements of the leaders and managers should be communicated, to ensure that they can relate to them for purposes of determining how learning has impacted the development of skills among leader and mangers. Different stakeholders are involved in determining how successful the development programmes are to the leaders and managers.

Learning objectives

By the end of the unit, learners should;

• Understand the differences between the concepts of leadership and management
• Be able to identify the approaches used in developing leaders and managers within an organisational setting
• Learn the L&D functions and their support in developing leadership and management
• Identify with the indicators of success to leadership and management programmes
• Be able to explain the rationale for the methods of promoting success through the leadership and development programmes

The course is suitable for;

• Learners taking level 5 CIPD module
• Individuals pursuing their careers in HR and L&D
• Employees working to complete various HR functions within a particular organisation
• Learners wishing to extend their knowledge in leadership and management programmes

As part of the learning process, the learners are expected to complete 3000 words assessment, identifying with the above identified learning objectives to promote leadership and management skills among the professionals.

Winding up;

Developing leadership and management skills is a unit meant to help the learners identify with the different skills and knowledge that make the leaders and managers become competent and proficient in carrying out their roles. Learners taking the unit get to learn the differences between the two concepts, and identify with the development programmes that support their involvement in carrying out their roles and objectives.