According to flippo “ Managerial development includes the processes by whichManagers and executives acquire not only skills and competency in their present jobs but also capacities for future managerial tasks”

According to Dale S.Beach “Management development is a systemic process of training and growth by which individuals gain and apply knowledge,skills,insights and attitudes to manage orientation effectively”.

The purpose of managerial skills development at various level of management are:

1)Top Management: - To improve thought process and analytical ability in order to uncover and examine problems and take decisions in the best interest of the country and organization.

- To broader the outlook of the executives in regard to his role, position and responsibility in the organization and outside.

- To think about various problems that may confront the organization now or in future

- To understand economic, technical and institutional forces in order to solve business problems

- To acquire knowledge about the problems of human relations.

2) Middle level Management: - To establish a clear picture of executive functions and

responsibilities

- To bring about the awareness of the broader aspects of the managerial problems and an acquaintance with and appreciation of inter department relations

- To develop the ability to analyze problems and take appropriate actions.

- To develop familiarity with the managerial uses of financial accounting,psychology,business law and business statistics.

- To inculcate knowledge of human motivation and human relationships

- To develop responsible leadership.

3) Middle functional Executive and Specialists: - To increase knowledge of business functions and operations in

specific fields in marketing,production,finance and marketing

- To increase proficiency in management techniques such as work study,inventory control,operation research ,quality control etc

- To stimulate creative thinking in order to improve methods and procedures

- To understand the functions performed in a company

- To understand human relation problems

- To develop the ability to analyze problems in one’s area or functions

Step:1 Assessing the company’s strategies needs: The first step is to evaluate the future managerial

requirements of an organization on the basis of its business strategies .For eg: business strategies like new product introduction,market expansion,merger and Acquisition, all these type of activities require new skills among the managers. However, it is difficult for an organization to determine precisely the quantity and quality of the skills needed by the managers for the future. This is because the business strategies are developed mostly as immediate ,incremental and intuitive response of an organization to the development in external environment rather than as planned and deliberate reaction.

Assessing the company’s

strategic Needs

Building the skills and

competencies of managers

Evolving strategies for Development of Managers

Step:2 Evaluating the skills and components of Managers: Management development programmes consume a lot of time,

money and effort. It is therefore essential to find out whether the programmes have been on track or not. Programmes evaluation will cover the areas where changes need to be undertaken so that the participants would find the same to be relevant and useful for enriching their knowledge and experience of future.

In this step, the existing skills and abilities of the managers are assessed in line with the future strategies of the organization. At this stage, key competencies like what the manager can do at present and the behaviour and competency necessary to complete the job effectively as assessed. The competency level and skills gaps of managers are usually assessed with the help of performance evaluation techniques. The skill gaps found as managers normally form the basis for framing the management development programmes.

Step:3 Evolving Strategies for Development of Managers:In this final step, the organization decides about how it should proceed with the process of developing the managers to and meet the future manager requirements. It decides about the key aspects of the development programmes like their objectives ,mode of delivery, place and duration, cost and benefits and assessment techniques. Often the management development activities are influenced by the size and nature of the organization, the prevailing environment, the level of technology and the management philosophy. The process for management development programmes are usually individual employee centered. Foreg: Some organization may prefer to follow a pre mediated routine development programme with result oriented assessment system. Some organization may just ensure that their managers get ample opportunities and support to develop themselves in their profession with the least concern for the formalities and rituals. In some cases there may be difference in the learning skills of the managers and the opportunities available to them. For eg: some managers may be endowed with better managerial abilities and motivation to learn quickly as compared to others.

Various methods of managerial skills development are as follows

Coaching Case study Job Rotation Incident Method Understudy Role Playing Mentoring In basket Method Committee Assignments Business Games Planned Progression Sensitivity Training Creation of Assistant to Positions Simulation Temporary Promotions Grid Training Conferences Lectures Special Projects

Methods of Managerial Skills Development

On the Job Methods

Off the Job methods

1)On the Job Methods:a)Coaching: In coaching the trainee is placed under a particular supervisor who acts as an instructor and teaches job knowledge and skills to the trainee

b)Job Rotation: This helps the development of managers when the match between the skills the manager possess and those required in the new job is well thought of.

c)Understudy; This method is a form of Management modeling that assigns a current of future manager to work with another manager for a certain time period. If the organization is grooming the person for a specific management positions the individual may understudy one particular manager. For a large firm, understudies may rotate among several managers.

d) Mentoring: Mentoring is a relationship in which a senior manager in an

Organization assumes the responsibility for grooming a junior person. Techical,interpersonal and political skills are generally conveyed in such a relationship form the more experienced person. Mentoring is a tool that organization can use to nurture and grow their people.e) Committee Assignments: It is also known as multiple management or junior board. A junior board may be set up to shadow the board of directors in order to give younger managers, some insight into how the company is governed, how strategies are developed, how decisions are made and how policies are formulated. The junior board learns how to take a strategic view of the business and the policy making process. The main purpose of the junior board is to develop rising stars for future senior management positions within the company.f)Planned Progression:It gives a clear idea for path of development. Managers know where they stand and where they are going. The manager knows the requirements for advancement and the means of achieving it. Unfortunately there may overemphasis on the next job instead of good performance of person tasks. Planned progression may be perceived

by trainees as a smooth path to the top, but it really is a step by step approach which requires that tasks to be done well at each levelg) Creation of Assistance to positions: This is done to broaden the view points of trainees by allowing them to work closely with experience managers who can give special attention to the development needs of trainees. Managers give selected assignments to test the judgment of trainees. This approach can be very effective when superiors are also qualified teachers who can guide and develop trainees until they are ready to assume full responsibilities as managers.f) Temporary Promotions:Individuals are frequently appinted as “acting” managers For Eg: when the permanent manager is on vacation is ill or making an essential trip when a position is vacant. Thus temporary promotions are developmental device as well as a convenience to the enterprise. When the acting manager is given the authority to make decision and to assume full responsibility the experience can be valuable.

2) Off the Job Methods: a) Case Study:

This technique is particularly useful in the development of executive’s analytical and decision making skills

b) Incident Method: This method combines intellectual ability, practical judgement

and social awareness of the managers. Under this method trainees are developed in a group process. Incidents are prepared on the basis of actual situations which happened in different organisations.

c) Role Playing: It helps executives in understanding people better by giving

them vicarious experience d) In Basket method: It places the trainees in a real life situation where they are

asked to perform typical management tasks and activities they face on a day to day basis. This method facilitates in the area of problem

Solving ,organising and planning.e) Business Games: This is developed in order to develop organizational ability, quickness

of thinking and leadershipf) Sensitivity training: It provides managers with increase awareness of their own behaviour

and how others perceive them, greater sensitivity to behaviours of others and increased understanding of group processes.

g) Simulation: Problem solving through decision making can be developed quite well

with the help of simulation.h) Grid Training: Grid training involves six phases. To develop leadership qualities in

executives over long period of time this technique is adopted.i)Conferences: This technique develops the ability in the executive to modify their

attitude when needed in the interest of the organisation.

j) Lectures: This method focuses on transmission of knowledge. This is the

biggest technique giving more knowledge within short period of time to large number of participants. Its major disadvantage is that it does not provide for active participation on the part of the participants.

h)Special Projects: In this method a trainee is put on a project closely related to the

objectives of the department. One such special project is called action learning which derives its name from the fact that the trainees can learn by doing. Candidates are given real problems generated by management. Trainees might be given a written assignment that specifies objectives, action plans targets dates, and the name of the person responsible for monitoring the completions of the assignment.

1) It improves the quality of managers and the ability to meet problems involved in managing human resources

2) It helps to develop effective managers who understand the basic principles of supervision, planning and organising their work effectively ,directing and coordinating the activities of workers with materials, machines and time and acquiring knowhow about when to delegate responsibility and authority

3) It helps to promote and maintain good employee relation through knowledge of how to get along with people and inspire them to greater achievement understanding their capacities and personal characteristics, enhancing their proper attitude towards their works and their company

4) It helps in spreading greater understanding of company policies and rules, including the proper interpretation and application of collective bargaining agreements.

5) It helps in providing more effective training to workers,both new and old, in order to make them efficient in their present jobs and to enable them to perform new operations demanded by changing conditions