– by Noluthando Makhaza
The third cohort for 2019 of the Management Development Programme (MDP) recently commenced in Durban. This six-month programme, from an academic perspective, is exceptionally phenomenal. “MDP offers an interesting intersection between academia and practical industry experience, and this is what is needed more than the actual theoretical perspective. Hence, I like the engagement from the different industries.” said one of the programme facilitators, Dr Abdulla Kader.
The MDP consists of five modules, attended in block sessions, with ‘Management and Leadership’ being the first module for this group. The group consisted of middle to upper management as well as aspirant managers, who are earmarked for leadership positions in their respective organisations.
Furthermore, the type of subjects and modules offered on the programme are very relevant to what industries are currently facing. With conversations centred on leadership, be it in the fourth industrial revolution or the VUCA world, there proves to be a huge demand for ethical conscious leaders that have good governance structures.
During this block, delegates were introduced to three major components of the programme: the facilitation team – which consist of academics of the University and industry experts; the coaching team – who will be guiding them individually throughout the duration of the programme; and their group members – for the business simulation exercise.
The latter is said to be the best learning experience as it touches all components of business, not specifically to what delegates do at work but all other business components. “How a business functions: what keeps a CEO awake at night is basically what this exercise in particular focuses on. The various components, such as the financials, operational, marketing and sales, are all the components that fundamentally make the machinery of a business run. So ethics, and the concept of gamification in a programme like this is absolutely a winner” said Dr. Kader.
Such exercises offer our delegates practical industry experience which significantly contributes towards their knowledge, skillset and career growth. Career development is very critical at a management level as one has to account not only for their actions but also their team members’ whom they are leading. Fortunately, our MDP provides just that – the right kind of career guidance to each delegate as per their individual needs.
If you feel that you require professional career development in whatever position you might be in currently, please contact our Sales Executive to see which programme will be best for you:
Venouasha Bahadur
T: +27 31 260 8870
