THE LEARNING PROCESSES

The main features of the School’s Programmes, described in the previous page, are incorporated into the four learning processes adopted in the School’s programmes:

Work experience-based learning.  We take the view that the best training ground for managers is the workplace.  Consequently, there are compelling reasons for locating our management development programmes in the ongoing work situation.  We have found that when we have done this we have solved the transferability of learning problem, which we have always found to be the concern of managers after they have attended “off the job” courses.  This is why we have adopted the Action Learning approach.

Group-based learning.  During our programmes we are always impressed by the views of the participants that their richest experiences are gained by interaction with others in the group projects and the set meetings.  This is consistent with the large body of literature on the value of learning in small groups.

Group-based learning principles are therefore incorporated into the design of all our programmes because of the following:

Managers have a lot to teach one another, particularly when they come from different roles (marketing, manufacturing, finance etc) and backgrounds (graduate and non-graduate).

When developed, the groups become “emotional homes” and provide encouragement, support and stimulation, as well as access to information and other resources.

Again, when effective teams have developed and the situation is “risk free”, managers can experiment with new skills they have learnt in the process.

A developed group can also provide valuable supportive feedback to participants about their own behaviour patterns, which can increase a manager’s insight and self-awareness.

Self-management in learning.  Our experience has led us to the view that management development activities are most effective when managers themselves get involved in diagnosing their own learning needs, planning ways of meeting these needs and controlling their own development process through the action they take.  This self-managed approach can achieve the process through the action they take.  This self-managed approach can achieve the release of enormous amounts of latent energy that individuals can direct towards achieving their personal development plans.  We believe this is the most effective way adults learn to be better managers.

We also find that when managers are given more self-direction in the learning process, they learn more lastingly.  It can also develop important management competences, such as being more independent, being more willing to take risks and developing increased self-awareness through the assessment of their own capacities.  We try to get the participants to takes conscious control of their own development and to learn skills for doing this for the rest of their careers.  That is, we focus on life-long learning skills.

New knowledge learning.  All our programmes foster individual intellectual development and taking a balanced and critical approach to what is being studied.  While we do take the view that some of what is taught on “traditional” training programmes is over-academic and of little use to practising managers, we still feature appropriate theory.

All our programmes feature new knowledge workshops, presented by subject matters specialists in areas such as business strategy, finance, operational management etc.  These modular workshops are set within appropriate theory and best international practice and are customised to the client’s company and industry.