{"id":2561,"date":"2021-05-20T09:29:09","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T08:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/landodlatestnews\/?p=2561"},"modified":"2021-05-20T09:29:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T08:29:09","slug":"management-development-in-the-virtual-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/landodlatestnews\/2021\/05\/20\/management-development-in-the-virtual-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Management Development in the virtual world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Initially I didn\u2019t want to mention the dreaded C word when writing this. However, it is the\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic which has forced\u00a0so many of us\u00a0to rethink our initial ways of working and practices.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, our internal Foundations of Management\u00a0(FOM)\u00a0Programme has been delivered in a traditional classroom based environment, with each workshop lasting a full working day over the course of several months.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So when I was asked to deliver FOM in the middle of a pandemic without the possibility of physically being in a classroom, it got me thinking\u2026.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What would be the impact on learner experience?\u00a0Will their development be effected?\u00a0Of course there are a number of benefits attached to delivering a face to face programme, but having never had to think of the benefits of a virtual programme,\u00a0where do I start to compare?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Firstly, it gave me the opportunity to\u00a0<\/span>really<\/span><\/i>\u00a0think about the programme objectives, the effect on operational needs due to whole days spent out from daily\u00a0work and how much of the content could be better placed for staff to access via eLearning.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Transitioning to a more streamlined, virtual programme, for me, the fundamental learning principles of the programme were not lost. The cohort (15) all participated and all shared their learning from the programme in a final consolidation workshop. The programme was consolidated into four core workshops\u00a0each\u00a0lasting 2.5hours, with eLearning modules to complement and enhance the learning from each workshop.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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On reflection, I wish I had thought about the flexibility of this programme before, however, I think that during the pandemic staff were probably more\u00a0accepting of the changes and\u00a0I do wonder\u00a0had the\u00a0changes\u00a0been\u00a0made outside of the pandemic would it have been as well\u00a0received?\u00a0Moving forward, I would like to continue to develop this programme in a more learner centric\u00a0capacity,\u00a0developing\u00a0our Kent managers\u00a0in a way that supports and enhances the organisations strategic direction.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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One of the best things for me is that there is always a lightbulb\u00a0learning\u00a0moment for each participant and it happens at different times and sometimes even outside of the programme!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0was worried that\u00a0perhaps I\u2019d\u00a0miss this when delivering virtually\u00a0or it would somehow be lost. In fact delivering virtually means I am\u00a0more consciously aware of people\u2019s faces and reactions\u00a0and\u00a0on the occasion where it happens\u00a0during a workshop –\u00a0and there have been moments I have seen it on screen,\u00a0it\u2019s an almost physical response\u00a0–\u00a0and that for me is incredibly rewarding.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n