– by Ayanda Radebe
The Management Development Programme (MDP) aims at providing leading and progressive managerial skills to delegates wishing to upskill themselves. UKZN Extended Learning (UEL) hosted block one of its blended (face-to-face and online) eventful MDP from the 10th to the 12th of May 2023. The class included a range of delegates from different backgrounds/companies intending to upskill themselves within management and leadership.
As industries and technologies evolve, the development of new skills becomes necessary to keep ahead of the curve. As a manager, upskilling ensures that you are equipped with the knowledge and tools required to make more informed decisions and lead your team effectively. During the start of the programme, delegates were given an opportunity to define what it is to be a leader. Some of the responses included that leadership is a journey where one constantly learns; takes decisions when nobody wants to; deals with the consequences of decisions; and that the characteristics of a leader are having the ability to influence and give instruction.
Professor Cecile Gerwes, a facilitator on the programme, accentuated factors that may derail you as a leader while explaining in detail the characteristics of different types of leaders. She touched further on gender in leadership, and the concerns, such as women who lead and maternity leave, were brought to the table. Delegates also had a fair amount of views to express within the conversation. While upskilling can help managers address potential skill gaps within their teams, it also assists in identifying opportunities for professional development which creates a more productive and innovative work environment, leading to increased job satisfaction, improved employee retention and better overall performance in a team or within an organisation.
In the constantly evolving world of business, there has been a great amount of impact on the way businesses operate and compete in the global marketplace. Professor Abdulla Kader touched base on factors that significantly impact business in management and how businesses become competitive through rapidly growing technologies. During COVID-19, changing technologies shaped organisations into a different dimension due to the new ways of working that were introduced due to the pandemic. These changes required a different management style apart from the traditional methods used prior, for example, a hybrid mode of working where workers may work from home and/or report to the office. This requires individuals in management to learn new ways of managing employees in order to measure progression in tasks.
The MDP has been marked as a great acquisition for many delegates, where one shared that “I am a newly appointed manager and sometimes I suffer with imposter syndrome and I question myself if I am deserving of the opportunity I have been granted and what if I fail in my position”. The programme aims not only to address theoretical-based dimensions in management but also to create a safe space for delegates to express their experiences, and assist them in coming up with solutions to the situations they face.
The programme has proven to be crucial for managers to stay current in their field while learning to make more informed decisions and foster a culture of continuous learning and development within their team.
For more information on this programme or to register for the next intake, please click here.