A common and popular commission for us is in the diagnosis, design, delivery and evaluation of Management Development Programmes which we have been doing for over 20 years and in a range of organisations from the public and private sectors as well as fast-growing SMEs who in this latter case often have significant needs as a result of the growth and development needs of their senior management cadre as well as their first-line and middle managers.
In all of these cases our assignment typically starts with a Training Needs Analysis in which we work closely with senior leaders to determine their view of the organisation, its needs and where it is going before moving on to some of the Learning & Development specialists to work with them on the organisation needs in rather more specific terms and the type of programme that is needed to meet those needs.
In most cases this results in the creation of a programme of training which typically encompasses modules in Managing People, Operations Management, Marketing, Managing Financial Resources, Leadership and Change.
These programs can range from a series of one day workshops on each topic undertaken over a period of time and in the classroom to a blended learning approach in which one or two days of a longer programme is delivered in the classroom for each of the subjects to be studied with supported material being provided through the use of a Virtual Learning Environment.
In some cases this VLE has been turned into a Leadership Academy in its own right which is also used as the repository for all other learning and development materials used by the organisation.
Finally, in a number of cases where there has been significant investment in the creation of these development programmes we have been able to offer accreditation from the Chartered Management Institute such that students are able to gain a recognised qualification for their efforts.