Supervisory Program

TRAINING METHODOur program uses a series of interactive seminars in which participants

take part in case studies, exercises, group discussion, and demonstrations to solve problems posed to them by the seminar leader. This method has been proven to reinforce ideas introduced during a training session. The participant leaves with an understanding of the intended application of a management idea and the theoretical philosophy. In addition, a course reference manual is provided to each participant at the completion of the program.

GENERAL COURSE OUTLINE

The Supervisory Program, consists of eight (8) modules, encompassing sixty hours of training and ten (10) days to complete. Each module is divided into individual topics of study and discussion. The modules are as follows:

* Leadership Skills

* Making Meetings Work

* Organizational Skills

* Coaching and Counselling

* Delegation

* Effective Team Work

* Decision Making and Problem Solving

* Communication Skills

Additional modules may be included which would also be of benefit to the supervisor. They are as follows:

* Managing Change

* Conflict Management

* Assertive and Non-Assertive Behaviour

* Performance Review

Leadership Skills (2 days)

Leadership is getting things done through people. All supervisors are by definition leaders, in that they can only do what they have to do with the support of their team, who must be inspired or persuaded to follow them. As a leader you will need to decide on which type of leadership style to adopt according to the different group members and depending on the circumstances involved. Leadership involves influencing people, and in order to do this, you need the capacity to influence them - this is power. Power rests with each and every one of us at times. Leadership also involves motivating your group to accomplish the task and identifying what motivates an individual to complete a task.

Participants will learn how to identify their predominant leadership style and how it affects the people they supervise.We will explore the power bases in groups and their affect on the group. We will also identify factors that motivate people, what the employees expect from their jobs, and common internal and external motivational factors

Topics

1. Leadership Styles

1.1 Provides the participants with an opportunity to explore different views of leadership

1.2 Offers the participants an opportunity to discuss and identify the characteristics and behaviours that contribute to a leader's effectiveness

1.3 Explores the ways in which leadership styles, tasks, and work groups affect one another

1.4 Evaluate oneself in terms of task orientation and people orientation

2. Bases of Power

2.1 Acquaints the participants with the different bases of power2.2 Assists the participants in identifying the power bases in their

group and how those forms of power affect the group2.3 Assists the participants in recognizing their own potential for

developing and using power2.4 Assists each participant in creating an action plan for enhancing his

or her power bases

3. Motivating Employees

3.1 Deciding what motivates employees3.2 Understanding the hierarchy of motivational needs3.3 Relating each level to real-life situations3.4 Identifying and developing strategies for dealing with motivational

problems3.5 Identifying which factors motivate employees3.6 Guidelines for motivating employees

Making Meetings Work (1 day)

Meetings are a common cause of frustration in many organizations. Time spent in meetings is often seen as time that could be spent actually doing, rather than talking about doing. As a supervisor you have a responsibility to ensure that the meeting is successful and does not rob you and your employees of valuable time.

This program is designed to show you how to plan and conduct meetings to maximize participation and achieve desired outcomes.Because meetings are often mismanaged they get off track, are interrupted, take too much time and/or have unclear agendas. Participants will learn how to plan, organize, and conduct productive meetings, including steps for preparation of a meeting, developing an agenda, encouraging participation, handling counterproductive behaviours, and planning action for follow-up.

Topics:

1. Introduction

1.1 Explore the factors that make meetings effective or ineffective1.2 Listing the benefits and the costs of meetings1.3 Explaining how meetings have two dimensions, content and

process1.4 Examining the five keys to leading a meeting

2. Planning and starting a meeting

2.1 Determining how you typically plan a meeting2.2 Listing the nine steps needed to plan a meeting2.3 Practising the nine steps needed to complete the meeting plan2.4 Outlining points on how to start a meeting

4. Focusing and Facilitating

4.1 Listing how to keep participants focused on the task of the meeting4.2 Specifying how you want people to participate in the meeting4.3 Identifying how to encourage participation and clarity in the

meeting

5. Concluding a Meeting

5.1 Listing the steps on how to conclude a meeting

Organizational Skills (1 1/2 days)

The role of a supervisor is to manage available resources in order to produce goods or services. Organizations today are under increasing pressure to produce more from the same or fewer resources and one of those resources is time - both that of the supervisors and the employees. As organizations streamline, the demands on a supervisor's time have become greater, and the need to use time effectively has a high priority.

Goal setting is a key part of the task achievement process and an important skill for supervisors to develop. Properly established and monitored goals enable progress to be measured in a factual way and provide targets through which the employees create their own motivation to achieve. You will identify your goals and learn how to overcome obstacles to reaching your goals by using strategic planning. Learn the secrets to getting the most important things done by prioritizing and planning daily.

Discover time-tested tips on managing interruptions, telephone time, visitors etc.. Find out why your desk represents the single most important part of your office and how to make it work for you, and what to do about paperwork. Discover specific tools and systems to keep track of the detailed information related to projects, assignments, people, resources and records. For the chronic collector, there are guidelines that will help you save only the essentials.

Topics:

1. Strategic planning

1.1 Examining the effect of time pressures on the supervisors approach to work

1.2 Recognizing the benefits of allowing more time for planning1.3 Defining a goal and understanding its relationship to

responsibilities and results1.4 Listing the goals that you would like to accomplish within the year 1.5 Examining each goal and evaluating whether they are specific,

measurable and achievable1.6 Prioritising your goals using the A B C system1.7 Identifying and overcoming obstacles to your goals1.8 Listing activities that will help you achieve you A-1 goal1.9 Evaluating whether or not you have reached your goal

2. Planning daily

2.1 Explaining how to make up a daily plan2.2 Reviewing guidelines in completing a daily plan2.3 Prioritizing your daily plan2.4 Finding out if we are using the right calendar

3. Finding solutions to time wasters

3.1 Listing things that waste your time3.2 Examining solutions to various time wasters

4. Kicking the procrastination habit

4.1 Listing the reasons people procrastinate4.2 Identifying techniques that will help you overcome procrastination

5. Examining tickler systems that jogs your memory

5.1 Explaining how a tickler card system works5.2 Explaining how a file folder tickler system works

6. Mastering your desk and the paper jungle

6.1 Explaining why desks get cluttered6.2 Reviewing the 5 steps to help unclutter a desk6.3 Filling out an accessibility survey6.4 Setting up a daily paperwork system

7. Deciding how, when and what to save

7.1 Reviewing guidelines for collectors7.2 Deciding what to save

Coaching and Counselling (1 day)

This program is designed to increase a supervisor's skill as a coach and as a counsellor. The role of the coach and counsellor is critical in today's changing organizations.

One of the keys to success of today's supervisors will be to lead and coach their people. Coaching is not just telling people what to do; it also involves helping them achieve their fullest potential. Successful coaches have to assume a variety of other roles such as team leader, listener and facilitator. As a supervisor, you will encounter employees who are defensive, with problems, that interfere with work performance. These problems can often be prevented and/or remedied through the thoughtful day-to-day application of counselling skills. Counselling skills will provide supervisors with the means to assist people to discuss and clarify their problems and to explore alternative solutions.

In this module we will show you how to guide employees by providing them with opportunities to develop their skills and experience while ensuring they receive continuous feedback, counselling and follow up.

Topics:

1. Coaching and counselling

1.1 Explaining the difference between a coach and a counsellor1.2 Listing effective and ineffective approaches to coaching and

counselling1.3 Listing your strengths and weaknesses when coaching or

counselling employees1.4 Learning how to determine when to coach and when to counsel

3. Coaching employees

3.1 Demonstrating why telling is not teaching3.2 Comparing the learning styles of a student with the coaching style

of the teacher3.3 Explaining the components of effective coaching3.4 Practising coaching skills3.5 Examining how to give performance feedback3.6 Practising giving performance feedback

4. Counselling employees

4.1 Listing your concerns about confronting others4.2 Examining the components of effective counselling4.3 Outlining the steps used in counselling employees4.3 Practising counselling interviews

Delegation (1 day)

"Getting things done through others" is today accepted as an essential aspect of the process of management. Implicit in this definition is the concept of delegation. It is, however, surprising to find that many supervisors experience difficulty in seeing that improving their ability to delegate may actually offer a solution to their problems.

In this module we will look at the need for delegation in an organisation. You will discover why it is important to give good instructions when delegating. We will explore the problems of delegating effectively and we will find out why supervisors fail to delegate or over-delegate. Finally we will develop an action plan for on-the-job implementation.

Topics:

1. Need for delegation

1.1 Understanding the need for delegation1.2 Establishing the nature of delegation

2. Giving instructions

2.1 Deciding if it is better to think through exactly what is required before delegating a task

2.2 Understanding the importance of giving clear instructions at the start so as to save time

2.3 Discovering how to make sure the person receiving the instruction understands them

2.4 Discovering how to make sure the person is capable of doing the job assigned

2.5 Examining why they should agree, with the other person, when the job will be finished

3. Effective delegation

3.1 Defining what is meant by effective delegation3.2 Exploring the problems involved in delegating effectively3.3 Examining the elements of delegation3.4 Exploring why managers fail to delegate or over delegate3.5 Considering good practice in relation to delegation

4. Developing an action plan

4.1 Identifying action for more effective delegation4.2 Developing an action plan for on-the-job implementation

Effective Team Work (1 day)

The development of effective team work is increasingly seen as a significant skill of supervisors in organizations. A significant part of a supervisor's job is now concerned with how to produce more with less resources, including human resources. Effective team work is an important means of achieving this. Team work is defined as "individuals working together to accomplish more than they could alone".

This program is designed to bring a more cohesive focus to a team's mission and to show how its members can work together to accomplish this. All too often, however, groups can be inefficient and ineffective as they go about their tasks.

This module will help you understand the group process and how different roles used by team members affects the pursuit of your goals. This is often neglected because of our preoccupation with "getting work done". Through participation in this program, individuals quickly become aware of unproductive behaviours and are guided to more productive ways of being group members.

Topics:

1. Group behaviour

1.1 Looking at examples of effective and ineffective groups1.2 Deciding what you need from a group to be the best possible

member1.3 Deciding whether several heads are better than one

2. Understanding the group process

2.1 Identifying different roles used in a group by members of the team2.2 Understanding the difference between task related and

maintenance roles2.3 Discussing the impact of these roles on the way you approach a

task

3. How people communicate in groups

3.1 Developing communications skills that can help a group to move forward

3.1 Working in subgroups3.2 Giving everyone the opportunity to speak

3.3 Summarizing what the last person said

4. Consensus seeking

4.1 Explaining how synergistic outcomes for the group is greater than the sum of the parts of the group

4.2 Applying strategies for building group consensus

Decision Making and Problem Solving (1 day)

In the role of supervisor you are expected to make and implement decisions. The decision-making style you use will not only affect the quality of the decision itself, but will also influence the effectiveness and efficiency of its implementation. Determining how to decide is an essential but often neglected stage in the decision-making process.

The ability to deal with problems effectively is a major requirement of management. It is like a journey into the unknown. It begins with a perception of a need for change or a sense that something is "not quite right" and moves through a series of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, interactions, and solutions.

This program is designed to enable participants to learn and apply concepts and techniques related to making decisions and solving problems. Decision-making and problem-solving requires creativity, intuition, and imagination. It also requires careful analysis, diagnosis, and step-by-step action planning.

Topics:

1. Determining how to decide

1.1 Exploring the options available when determining how to make decisions

1.2 Identifying the factors that can indicate the most appropriate decision-making style

1.3 Considering the benefits and problems associated with different styles.

1.4 Establishing a procedure for selecting an appropriate style from the options available

2. Identifying and analysing problems

2.1 Identifying what causes a problem2.2 Recognizing that a problem exists2.3 Recognizing the need to gain an understanding of a problem before

deciding on a solution2.4 Defining the problem specifically2.5 Collecting information relevant to the problem2.6 Developing an approach for gaining an understanding of a problem

by analysing its consequences and causes

2.7 Suggesting solutions for removing causes

3. Generating creative solutions

3.1 Recognizing the value of generating creative solution to problems3.2 Considering ways in which creative thinking can be encouraged3.3 Exploring approaches for solving problems creatively by involving

others

Communication Skills (1 1/2 days)

Your success as a communicator will depend greatly on your ability to communicate effectively and to encourage people to communicate with you. Basic to good communication is the ability to maintain a non-judgemental attitude and allow the other person to explain, clarify and express their ideas without interference.

This module demonstrates the necessity of mutual participation if full understanding between the giver and receiver of a message is to be guaranteed. The number one cause of bad communication is poor listening skills. Genuine listening is very much an active process, something we all need to work at all of the time if we are to be effective communicators. Studies of how supervisors spend their time suggest that in the working week, fifty per cent of their time is involved in listening to other people talking.

As a supervisor, a proportion of time is spent in gathering, analysing and dissementing information. The quality of the information will depend upon the supervisors ability to determine the appropriate questions. This module shows you how to develop the ability to question others constructively, using different types of questions. So much of what we communicate comes from our body language rather than just the words we use. We need to ensure that our body language supports our verbal communication. Topics:

1. Perception

1.1 Recognizing the difference's in our perception1.2 Examining why our perception's are different1.3 Understanding why what's important to you may not necessary be

important to the person you are communicating with

2. One way-two way communication

2.1 Identifying the need to give information in a logical sequence2.2 Understanding the importance of regularly checking to see that

communication has been heard and understood2.3 Recognizing that there is joint responsibility between the speaker

and listener in effective communication

3. Listening skills

3.1 Recognizing the importance of effective listening in interpersonal communication

3.2 Examining the various environmental, psychological and personal barriers to effective listening

3.3 Considering ways of improving listening skills

4. Assumptions

4.1 Understanding the dangers of making assumptions4.2 Guarding against communication breakdowns due to false

assumptions

5. Constructive questioning

5.1 Understanding the significance of good questioning5.2 Recognizing the difference between open and closed questions5.3 Understanding the types of questions that can be used5.4 Identifying the types of questions that should be avoided5.4 Using summarizing as an aid to maintaining boundaries on a

discussion

6. Using body language

6.1 Demonstrating the importance of body language6.2 Identifying the main types of non-verbal signals that

comprise our body language

7. Three main types of communication

7.1 Listing the advantage and disadvantage of the three main types of communication

7.2 Deciding the most appropriate form of communication to be used in given circumstances

Managing Change (1 day)

The world within which organizations have to survive is characterized by change. It has been said that the only thing you can be sure of these days is that things will change! The constant need for change, and the effective management of such change, poses probably the greatest challenge to organizations that they will ever have to face.

Wherever the need for change is recognized within an organization, and wherever the precise nature of such change is formulated, eventually it will be up to the "people-managers" to create the right environment for individual change. This means that the supervisor has a key role to play in the management of change in organizations of the future.

In this module we will explore the issues raised by the need for supervisors to be able to introduce change into the part of the organization for which they are responsible. We will examine the need to anticipate the effects that change will have on the people for whom the supervisor is responsible. We will also consider the people who will be affected by it and decide who will need to be supported and who will need to be influenced.

Topics:

1. Anticipating change

1.1 Considering the causes of change1.2 Exploring the different ways in which people can react to change in

a work setting1.2 Identifying the main factors that can determine such reactions1.4 Considering the role of the supervisor in handling the change

process

2 Implementing change

2.1 Understanding the significance of roles and relationships in change management

2.2 Exploring the reasons for resistance to change2.3 Developing strategies for managing resistance to change2.4 Identifying key supervisory activities at different stages of change

Conflict Management (1 day)

Conflict can be healthy when it brings about new ideas and deeper relationships. For this to occur, the basis for dealing with the conflict must be win/win. Conflict is unhealthy when it leads to distrust, anger, and withdrawal. These results usually mean that conflict has been approached on a win/lose basis.

The goal of this program is to bring participants to the awareness that relationships with friends, family, and co-workers merit the investment in time and energy required for disagreements to be resolved, in such a way that both parties feel like winners.

The program helps participants to understand what they bring to conflict situations they face in their lives and presents the opportunities for participants to learn effective conflict-resolution skills.

Topics:

1. What you bring to conflict situations

1.1 Examining feelings about conflict1.2 Looking at your conflict style1.3 Assessing your conflict-resolution style1.4 Experiencing different approaches to conflict1.5 Explaining how conflict behaviour is situational1.6 Identifying misunderstandings in conflict situations1.7 Learning how to view others objectively

2. Conflict-Resolution effectiveness

2.1 Acquiring skills in stating complaints and requesting change2.2 Examining the anatomy of an argument2.3 Learning strategies for dealing with difficult people2.4 Reframing conflict scenarios2.5 Becoming adept at cooperative forms of negotiation2.6 Explaining what to do when negotiation fails or never gets started

Assertive and Non-Assertive Behaviour (1/2 day)

In our jobs, as in all aspects of our lives, we tend to behave differently at different times and in different situations. This is due, among other things, to the way in which other people behave toward us. One useful way of describing these variations in behaviour is to picture ourselves moving between being assertive and non-assertive. Non-assertive behaviour can be subdivided into submissive behaviour and aggressive behaviour. We all exhibit these three types of behaviour, although we may tend to emphasize one of them more than the other.

Topics:

1. Being Assertive

1.1 Explaining the meaning of assertive and non assertive behaviour 1.2 Distinguishing between submissive, aggressive and assertive

behaviour1.4 Exploring the advantages of being assertive and the disadvantages

of being non-assertive1.5 Reviewing personal assertiveness in a variety of situations1.6 Practising being assertive in a relatively safe environment

Performance Review (1 day)

Performance review is an on-going year-long process of setting goals and objectives, and giving on-going coaching and feedback. It can be the means by which supervisors monitor employees progress so that when something goes wrong you know it and can make mid-course changes while they are relatively easy to make. It shows a method of conducting a performance review where supervisors will welcome the feedback, and employees will welcome the measurement of achievement that a good performance review can provide. .

Participants will discover why a performance review system must not only accurately measure current performance levels, but also contain mechanisms for reinforcing strengths, identifying deficiencies and feeding such information back to rates in order that may improve future performance.

Topics:

1. Setting performance objectives.

1.1 Deciding whether or not the objective is focused onspecific results to be achieved

1.2 Listing performance objectives according to their order of importance

1.3 Writing a performance objective that is clearly worded and measurable

1.4 Identifying the resources that a manager refers to, for setting performance objectives

2. How to find and measure performance factors

2.1 Selecting performance factors from the job requirements2.2 Defining behaviour in a way that makes them clearly measurable2.3 Understanding the difference between behaviour and attitude2.4 Examining the ratings used to measure performance factors

3. Gathering and analysing data throughout review period

3.1 Collecting data at regular intervals3.2 Documenting as you give feedback during the year

4. Steps conducted prior to and during performance review

4.1 Listing the reasons for asking employee's input before the performance review

4.2 Meeting with employee to discuss self-evaluation4.3 Completing report card portion of performance review4.4 Previewing performance review form with an associate4.5 Scheduling review meeting with employee4.6 Conducting performance review discussion4.7 Creating an employment development plan

5. Writing a performance review.

5.1 Avoiding common rating errors5.2 Rating the performance5.3 Summarizing the best information collected