The Management Training Tool Kit

by Clardy, Alan

• ISBN13: 9780814431146
• ISBN10: 0814431143
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-01
• Publisher: Amacom Books

Summary

Most people learn best through experience. Yet new managers are often tossed on to the front lines with absolutely no experience handling the toughest challenges they'll face: people problems. The Management Training Tool Kitincludes all the tools you need to prepare your managers for anything. It supplies real-life case studies and analysis exercises for troubleshooting problems such as plummeting morale, interpersonal conflict, decreased productivity, disruptive employees, sexual harassment claims, and more. This innovative training guide features: 35 succinct yet nuanced case studies that examine common challenges Probing discussion questions that help pinpoint core issues Practical solutions that can be put to use resolving problems Role-playing exercises that bring the case studies alive Guidelines that help trainers lead with skill and accuracy New managers will make mistakes. But The Management Training Tool Kitwill help them overcome obstacles with skill and confidence.

Excerpts

Using the Cases in This Book

 

The cases reported in this book are, with few exceptions, based on true stories that I have gathered from a broad spectrum of supervisors and managers. While the essential features of each story have been retained, the names of the people and organizations have been changed to protect their identities, as well as to make the cases more flexible for training purposes.

                I have used these cases successfully in various management and supervisory training programs over the years. From my experience, I have found that they produce recognition, discussion, and even debate. Invariably, they challenge trainees and encourage them to rethink and reexamine the fundamentals of being an effective leader. Together, as presented in this manual, they cover a full range of management and supervisory issues and concerns.

                Although the cases are written primarily in the context of service industries, with a few cases set in the manufacturing industries, they go straight to the heart of universal leadership challenges, and their application extends into virtually any organizational area. They include such issues as dealing with a difficult employee, improving performance, training and coaching, selecting the right person for the job, and managing fairly and effectively. These challenges are likely to confront any manager or supervisor in any kind of organization, and developing the ability to respond to them productively and to learn from them is what this book is all about.

 

The Case Studies in This Book

Many of the cases are presented in one complete story; others are subdivided into sections that highlight major decision points in the development of the story. Suggested questions for discussion or assignment follow each section or are at the end of the case.

 

Case Discussion           

Accompanying each case is the Case Discussion. This helpful guide contains a summary of the case, along with answers to the suggested questions presented in the body of the case. The Case Discussion attachment is intended for use by the trainer or discussion facilitator.

 

Case Issues Index

The Case Issues Index lists the cases and the major management and supervisory issues addressed in each (see page xxi). Use the index to locate the issue you want to cover; then read the case summary in the Case Discussion to learn the specifics.

 

Using Case Studies in Training Programs

There are several ways by which you can profitably include case studies as part of your training programs. These options are reviewed below.

 

Preparing for the Training Program

Putting sufficient effort into the preclass preparation process can make the difference between a focused, effective training session and a fragmentary, inconsequential one. As a regular practice, I require managers and supervisors who will be participating in my training programs to submit a case report drawn from their personal experience as part of this preparation process. There are several reasons for doing so:

--Case write-ups serve as a needs assessment, revealing the issues and concerns of the people who are coming into the program.

--Case preparation begins the process of orienting the participants to the training.

--For the cases selected, learning materials specific to the client organization and its unique management needs can be prepared and used in the training.

                A Case Report Worksheet designed for the preclass case assignment is provided for your use at the conclusion of this introductory section (see page xv). You can distribute this worksheet to participants some time before the scheduled start date. Participants return their completed forms to you. You look for cases that seem representative and important, and then write a case based on that information for use in the training.

 '

Excerpted from THE MANAGEMENT TRAINING TOOL KIT. Copyright © HRD Press. Published by AMACOM Books, a division of American Management Association, New York, NY. Used with permission.

All rights reserved. http://www.amacombooks.org.