Human Invest

How does an efficient, quality training program look like? One that is indispensable when it comes to improving management's performance and the organization's internal communication. What would a budget for such a program look like?

In companies that understand and want to adapt to the characteristics of the new business environment in Romania, there has been a major shift when it comes to training their managers. The training programs are permanent, they have strategic importance and in one way or another they involve all management levels within the company. Apart from all of this companies have given up on improvised sessions and they're implementing programs that have proved to be efficient, due to the fact that they now benefit from considerably larger budgets.

No matter the size of the company, such a program must have a certain sequence of events that generates quality and ensures that the investment is worth it, in order to guarantee a growth in productivity and employee satisfaction. Later on in this article, you will see how such a program looks like as well as the budget required.

First of all there are 3 main elements that have to exist in order to turn costs into a true investment:

•	Ensuring a plan and work process that involves top management and gives it the opportunity to offer their public support for the program that is about to be implemented;
•	Creating conditions that diminish absenteeism and encourage participants to make a top priority out of participating and taking care of the tasks given to them during these courses;
•	You must include a process of assistance, from the very beginning, that helps individuals put what they learned into practice.

In order to make sure the program is aligned with the organization's needs, I recommend that the participants be broken down into levels of management, each one taking part in different sessions:

•	Level 1: The high level of management - top management and general managers;
•	Level 2: Managers that supervise other managers or other project managers;
•	Level 3: Managers or project managers that supervise specialists;
•	Level 4: Specialists.

Every level needs to be trained using the same management language, but from different perspectives, so as to obtain greater benefits from your investment.

Level 1:
The high level of management - top management and general managers

•	Your goals must be: increasing the cohesion between members of the board as well as their commitment regarding the company's objectives, increasing the credibility of the management team within the company, increasing the quality of the relationship they have with senior management and company directors.
•	Possible actions (during the course of a year):
	If the company has already defined its values: conducting a study (in the entire organization) to analyze whether these values are respected (50 Euro per employee involved). If the company doesn't have a defined set of values: organizing a strategic workshop where you create organizational values. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 400 Euro/part/day. Each one of the actions described above can be followed, every two months, by:
a.	A business simulation (we use the Tango™ program from Celemi) in order to develop strategic planning abilities, followed by a workshop “Defining priorities and common strategic directions of the company they're running”. Time required: 3 days. Budget: 400 Euro/part/day.
b.	A workshop for developing key leadership abilities necessary for a top management team (we use The Leadership Challenge Workshop® program). The benefits of this workshop consist of gaining employee respect regarding company values, earning and maintaining credibility, constructing and communicating the long term goal and vision of the company, empowering and encouraging employees so that they obtain superior performances. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 400 Euro/part/day.
c.	You could follow up with a reduced version, an “executive format” (that contains outdoor sessions) of the Situational Leadership® II program ( its purpose is to develop flexibility in management and the ability to adapt the right style of management depending on the situation, the goal being to increase performance and employee satisfaction). You can also add the Communication and Influencing Skills for Managers© program using DiSC profiles (in the executive format as well) that helps you learn how to adapt your communication style to the profile of the person you're talking to. Time required: 3 days. Budget: 400 Euro/part/day.
d.	An essential session of Leading People Through Change, that develops your ability to prepare and lead changes and transformations that take place in the company. Participants learn to minimize employee resistance to the changes being implemented in the company and how to maintain a high degree of employee commitment and productivity while the change is taking place. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 400 Euro/part/day.
e.	In order to ensure a high impact, the sessions described above must be followed by individual assistance in practicing the abilities learned, for every employee involved. Time required: 5 meeting x 1,5 hours/participant, every 2-3 weeks, after the end of the previous programs. Budget: 400 Euro/one on one meeting.
f.	6 months after this period is over, you have another workshop in order to asses individual progress and lessons learned, at a top management level. Time required: 1 day. Budget: 400 Euro/part.

Level 2:
Managers that supervise other managers or other project managers

a.	Workshops in which top management involves them in talks regarding the decisions that need to be made as a result of the study's conclusions and the action plan that will be implemented. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
b.	A workshop were you develop key leadership abilities necessary for this level of management (we use The Leadership Challenge® Workshop). Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
c.	Next comes the full version of the Situational Leadership® II program. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
d.	Communication and Influencing Skills for Managers© program, using DiSC profiles. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
e.	Developing functional management abilities. For this level of management we also recommend Key financial abilities for managers (3 days), Key HR abilities for managers (2 days) and Key public speaking abilities (2 days). Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
f.	The follow-up session of the Situational Leadership® II ,program, is specially created to further develop the knowledge you received and continue the process of practicing your abilities to match the leadership style with the need of your employees. Time required: 1 day. Budget: 250 Euro/part.
g.	In order to ensure a high impact, the sessions described above must be followed by individual assistance in practicing the abilities learned, for every employee involved. Time required: 5 meeting x 1,5 hours/participant, every 2-3 weeks, after the end of the previous programs. Budget: 250 Euro/one on one meeting.

Level 3:
Managers or project managers that supervise specialists

a.	The extended version of the Situational Leadership® II program. Time required: 3 days ( this one includes developing abilities to create objectives that are in sync with those of the company's, ability to give feedback as well your capacity to monitor and supervise performance). Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
b.	Communication and Influencing Skills for Managers© program, using DiSC profiles. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
c.	Workshop-ul de Time management: priorities matter™ workshop that develops abilities regarding work discipline and personal productivity as well as your capacity to prioritize and use instruments that ensure a high degree of efficiency. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day
d.	Blue-teams session (in-door), it enhances team-work and team-building abilities, abilities such as obtaining your team's agreement when it comes to objectives and different work scenarios. It also helps you develop the capacity to debate and generate creative solutions within the team, abilities specific to working together and interpersonal relations. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day
e.	The follow-up session for the Situational Leadership® II, Time required: 1 day. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.

Level 4:
Specialists

a.	Communication and Influencing Skills for Managers©, using DiSC profiles. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 250 Euro/part/day.
b.	The Situational Self Leadership® (in-door). Time required: 1 day. Budget: 135 euro/part/day
c.	Time management: priorities matter™ workshop. Time required: 2 days. Budget: 135 Euro/part/day
d.	Blue-teams session(in-door). Time required: 1 day. Budget: 135 euro/part/day

All the programs recommended above have had great results with companies such as Vodafone, Holcim Romania, Rompetrol, Pepsi Americas, Avrig35, ING Romania, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tuborg Romania, Libra Bank, Metro Group International, Air Liquide / Ductil, Xerox Romania and other partners with which we have built successful programs!

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