Design a Management Development Program

In a recent McLean & Company survey, management development was rated a high priority more often than any other area of HR.
However, HR practitioners have not been given the time, the budget, or the buy-in to implement a sustainable manager development program that delivers what the organization needs to meet strategic priorities. Of those managers who have participated in a management development program, only 50% felt the program was successful.
Most of the time, the solution is to shift from training to development. One-off training sessions result in only 2% information retention after two weeks. Development programs offer information retention rates up to 62% for many years following the program.

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Our Advice

Critical Insight

A well-designed management development program is more than training. It should have buy-in and sustainability, be measurable, evaluative, ongoing, and should focus on a few prioritized capabilities and attitudes.
Fifty percent of management development programs are ineffective, costing organizations time, money, and effort. Properly designing a program can save your organization over $1,000 per manager.
An effective needs assessment is required to develop a successful program. Many organizations skip this step because it’s seen as difficult and time-consuming. It doesn’t have to be.
There is no right or wrong combination of capabilities and attitudes to be developed, nor number or type of delivery media. However, adults learn best by first understanding the concept, and then having the opportunity to practice, reinforce, and reflect. Choose the program’s design methods to follow this pattern.

Impact and Result

Make the case to yourself and the executive team for introducing a management development program that sticks.
Conduct a needs analysis to understand your organization’s management requirements in order to meet strategic objectives.
Define the purpose of the management development program and prioritize key capabilities and attitudes to foster.
Use the needs analysis, program purpose, and other influencers to design an effective management development program for your organization.
Effectively communicate throughout the process to get stakeholder buy-in every step of the way.

Design a Management Development Program Research & Tools

1. Design a well thought-out blueprint for a management development program

Ensure management development is relevant, sustained and reinforced.

2. Conduct a formal or informal needs analysis prior to designing the program

Tie your management development program to the business strategy.

3. Document, validate, and prioritize the development needs (capabilities and attitudes)

Develop only two or three competencies to ensure your program is manageable and focused.

4. Establish or estimate the program's budget, as part of your needs analysis

Keep budget in mind when designing your organization's management development program.

5. Present the management development strategy to the leadership team

Gain the buy-in and approval of all stakeholders.

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A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your HR problems.

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Contributors

In-depth interviews were conducted with HR professionals,executive coaches, and business consultants to learn about best practices in designing and delivering management development programs.
McLean & Company fielded surveys to better understand the factors that influenced the successful outcome of management development programs in various organizations. The survey attracted over 140 respondents.