8316-602 Developing the Executive Manager

Unit Overview

8316-602 Developing the executive manager is one of the critical units within the ILM Level 6 module that focuses on improving the ability of leaders to effectively handle their roles and responsibilities. Middle-level managers need to be prepared for senior/ strategic levels of leadership within the organisation before they are promoted. This process of preparing the leaders includes providing them with adequate training on the approaches they need to master to facilitate the accomplishment of their roles and responsibilities.

The process involves understanding methods of mentoring and coaching and the techniques that they can use to effectively manage the success of the organisation within the new modern workplace environment. The leaders must understand the coordination of many departments and teams as well as strategically analyse the problems that face the organisation. 8316-602 Developing the executive manager is a unit that focuses on improving the ability of middle-level managers to develop into effective senior leaders and executive managers within the organisation.

The unit provides them with the necessary information they need to facilitate the accomplishment of these leadership roles and responsibilities that are designed for them. The main purpose of the unit is to develop the ability of the leaders to build skills and knowledge that they require to effectively accomplish executive management leaders. This helps to facilitate the transition from the middle levels of management, where the leaders deal with single lines or departments, to the strategic level, which includes being able to identify the strategic level decisions. The unit is taught in 11 hours of guided learning and contributes 6 credit values toward the completion of the ILM Level 6 nodule.

Suitability of the Unit

Leaders must be able to effectively develop their abilities and performance. This involves understanding their personal managerial practice and receiving feedback from others which helps improve their ability and proficiencies in the various areas of responsibility and leadership. 8316-602 Developing the executive manager provides the leaders with the opportunity to understand techniques and approaches that they can use in achieving the desired aspects of learning. This involves understanding the approaches they can use to conduct self-assessments as well as those that they can use to appraise their performance based on key performance indicators established within the workplace and the feedback received from fellow managers or subjects being led.

The unit is designed to meet the learning needs of middle-level managers as they pursue the transition from their current middle-level management to senior levels of management within the workplace. It provides them with information that they can use to effectively develop leadership systems and approaches for executive management. The unit is, however, applicable to other leaders within the workplace.

Since it focuses on content that revolves around improving the ability to evaluate situations and personal leadership performance in steering the areas of responsibility, it can be used by other leaders within the workplace to gain the necessary training and skills that facilitate the pursuit of specific goals and objectives aligned with improving the performance of the leader. Executive managers and managers can use the skills to boost personal performance. External consultants supporting leaders within the workplace can also pursue the unit to improve their understanding of their roles and techniques for improving their performance.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the unit, the learners should be able to:

• Collect and analyse feedback from appraisal or performance management systems as well as colleagues on personal management practice, operational data and efficiency of management practices

• Evaluate the personal managerial performance based on the performance information that has been collected

• Analyse the personal performance information against the existing theories and models of leadership and management

• Use the information collected to identify the strengths and weaknesses in personal management practice

• Create a plan for improving on the weaknesses in personal leadership and managerial performance

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the plan that has been designed against the learning needs and organisational policies and procedures

Key Learning Areas

8316-602 Developing the executive manager is a unit that focuses on improving the ability of the learners to effectively evaluate their performance. This involves collecting feedback from the colleagues and other performance appraisal approaches and techniques that have been collected within the workplace. The main area of learning within this unit is personal managerial practice. The unit focuses on improving the ability of the learner to identify areas of learning within the workplace.

In understanding the managerial practice, the learners are introduced to different performance management systems and appraisals. They are made to appreciate the role of feedback from colleagues and other stakeholders in improving the ability of the learners and leaders in general to improve their performance. The leaner are also introduced to different leadership modes and styles that include autocratic leadership, democratic leadership, laissez-faire leadership and other approaches that are critical in shaping the leadership style of the individuals.

The learner is also introduced to different approaches that they can use to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and improve their ability to effectively handle strategic decision-making within the senior/ executive level of the organisation. The learners are also taught to improve the innovative approaches that they can use to evaluate the implementation of the plan that has been developed to improve performance within the workplace.

Wrap Up

8316-602 Developing the executive manager is a unit that covers critical information, and it is important to ensure that the earners master both theoretical and practical knowledge. The assessment process is important in determining the accomplishment of these goals. The assessment is conducted through a written assessment where the learner responds to a template on the content learned within the unit.