Management Training Tool Kit: 35 Exercises to Prepare Managers for the Challenges They Face Every Day - Softcover

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ALAN CLARDY, PH.D., is a professor in the Psychology Department and director of the Human Resource Development Graduate Degree Program at Towson University, as well as the author of many books and articles on HR issues.

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Management books are great for giving newcomers an overview of the personnel issues they’ll face. But only training and experience will help them truly prepare for the most complex, emotional aspect of their job: difficult people problems.

The polite consenter who never delivers results, the employee who is upset that a colleague makes more money, the hostile team member who makes life difficult for everyone. These are the kinds of issues that can escalate into serious morale and productivity problems—or worse—without a clear, thoughtful course of action.

Now you can quickly and easily provide your managers with practice before they enter the fray with The Management Training Tool Kit. This essential training guide supplies real-life case studies and analysis exercises for troubleshooting problems. Managers will analyze complex issues from difficult angles, negotiate solutions that are fair and effective, and build their skills in a supportive training environment. These are powerful learning experiences imparted through the book’s unique 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.

More serious and substantial than most training exercises, yet very practical and hands on, the case studies focus on real people problems and leadership challenges that managers grapple with daily, such as how to:

• Get a team to boost productivity—when they’re already working flat-out.

• Recognize when a hug and a pat on the back are more than just friendly gestures.

• Know when to call it quits on an employee, and how to build an air-tight case for termination.

• Know when an employee deserves a warning notice, or just needs more training.

• Figure out what to do when difficult life events affect an employee’s workplace performance.

• Conduct a frank discussion with an upset employee, while avoiding accusation and confrontation.

• Help new hires work effectively with internal candidates who didn’t get the job.

All new managers will face stressful situations and make bad calls on the job. But now they can learn techniques to over­come obstacles with skill and confidence by following the inno­vative role-playing exercises in The Management Training Tool Kit.

Alan Clardy, Ph.D., is a professor in the Psychology Department and director of the Human Resource Develop­ment Graduate Degree Program at Towson University, as well as the author of many books and articles on HR issues. He lives in Towson, Maryland.

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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.

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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.

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