Managers of people (versus products) are an important part of any company. They connect the managing director with the employees, helping ensure effective internal communication and a productive organization.

Despite this, many companies prioritize revenue growth over management training. And because of this, management training can be pushed down the list of priorities. Many employees promoted to managerial positions earned their positions by excelling in their previous jobs. But this doesn’t necessarily mean they have the tools needed to effectively manage their staff.

Specific management training teaches skills like supervising employees, resolving conflicts, conducting evaluations, and ensuring the company is legally compliant. But while managers realize the importance of training for their own team, they don’t always invest in training for themselves.

What does management training mean, and how do you determine what you should teach your managers?

Management training is teaching new managers leadership skills if they haven’t been in managerial positions before. Management training isn’t just applicable to new managers. Senior managers also benefit from regular training sessions to develop their skills even further in today’s technology-centric workplace, where changes occur rapidly and often.

Managers are the glue that holds the organization together. Investing in management training not only educates your managers but ensures a healthy workplace culture and happy employees.

Training can be presented through online technology, in-house training, or hiring a consultant, but the big question is: What are the best management training techniques?

Here are nine techniques for you to create the best management training program for your business:

1. Coaching.

An experienced individual with excellent management skills handles this training technique, which helps the new manager meet specific goals within a certain timeframe. The coach and trainee decide how they want to work together. The new manager must be open to change and be receptive to feedback. He or she is accountable to the coach, who should motivate the new manager with valuable and positive feedback to help him or her grow and develop management skills.

2. Mentoring.

This technique requires matching a new manager with a senior and experienced manager with excellent management knowledge to share their expertise. For proper mentoring to take place, the mentor should not be a direct supervisor. Mentoring can be relatively inexpensive because inside personnel can be utilized.

The trainee must be willing to learn and comfortable sharing failures and successes. Furthermore, the mentor must take the new manager under their wing and offer instruction and advice when necessary.

3. Self-directed training.

Companies may allow this technique if the candidate is a self-starter. It’s inexpensive, as these candidates are self-motivated and pursue their own training. They make their own decisions about what training and development experiences they need.

4. Training conducted by outside organizations.

Business schools and consulting firms offer this type of training. It can be quite expensive on a per-trainee basis if done in person. Online courses and seminars will help save on hotel and travel costs and are typically less expensive per seat.
Skills are mostly taught through various activities, like role-playing. This can be an effective way to provide training on soft skills like delegation, communication, and motivation.

5. Job rotation.

Job rotation involves moving employees laterally between jobs in a company. These moves happen between positions on the same level and are not considered promotions. They are also temporary, enabling people to move back to their original position after a specific time.

Job rotation has certain advantages and disadvantages for both the employer and employee. The advantages of job rotation for the employer are that employees learn additional skills to perform different jobs and are equipped to fill in for each other if necessary. Employee placement is also less of a problem if a critically important employee suddenly leaves the company. When it comes to employees, job rotation reduces boredom and can motivate a person to learn something new.

Unfortunately, job rotation also has disadvantages. This includes inefficiencies in the workplace due to interruptions in workflow. Plus, disgruntled employees who like the job they’re currently in may not want to move to another position.

6. Management games.

Business management games are a training method for both new and experienced managers. It is a creative way to provide managers the opportunity to develop their skills in a safe environment.

The training is based on an artificial environment that simulates a real managerial situation in the organization. After being presented with these simulations, management trainees must put their skills to the test and apply an effective plan. Once they decide on their approach, they are provided with the consequence of their decisions.

Management games can take different forms, such as desktop business games, computer games, and team-building games.

7. Understudy training.

Understudy training means the trainee must learn and absorb everything from an experienced manager. The end goal is that the understudy can step into the job and take over if necessary. The understudy must do assignments to practice what the manager does and gets the opportunity to observe the manager operating in the job.

The manager and understudy should communicate often and well for this training technique to be successful. Tasks and decision-making should be discussed. Watching and participating is an essential part of the training process.

The advantage of understudy training is that the manager can see how the trainee is progressing. The understudy is in a protected environment, experiencing real-life situations firsthand. The disadvantage of understudy training is the manager must cover all aspects of the role, which can be time-consuming. The understudy cannot just train under any manager. It must be a senior manager with excellent management skills.

8. Action learning.

This technique is a learning style where individuals control their own learning experience. It goes hand-in-hand with self-directed training. Also known as personal learning, action learning is gaining popularity amongst individuals and companies.

In today’s world, millions of people rely on the internet for information and knowledge. In the workplace, employees look to the internet to replace formal training curricula. Companies also encourage this learning technique because it is less expensive and is attractive to tech-savvy employees.

9. Committee assignments.

With this method, trainees have to work together in a team to solve an actual organizational problem. This develops team spirit among employees to achieve a common goal.

Conclusion

Ensuring that your managers are adequately trained is one of the best investments you can make for your company. Creating an effective management training program allows your managers to grow and develop their managerial skills, ensuring that they are an asset to your company.

Coggno has a wide range of online management training courses.
You can have a look at our free courses here and our course catalog here.