Management Education
Paul Golden explores, with some leading providers of executive education, the key benefits of pursuing a postgraduate programme in business or management
A relevant third-level qualification, ideally at postgraduate level, is increasingly being accepted as a prerequisite for fast-tracking a career in management.
While various initiatives have been put in place to encourage the concept of skills development and lifelong learning, there has not been a huge amount of objective research conducted on management effectiveness in Ireland. In 2003, the research team at the Centre for Management Learning and Development, at Dublin City University, set about designing an integrated research plan that would, for the first time, measure the central antecedent variables and entry level competencies of a cohort of students entering management education programmes in the Irish university sector. The idea was to follow this cohort, recording their education experience and, after they complete their education, to return with an outcome measure of their competencies and of their workplace behaviour.
In the DCU research project, a sample of students attending management education programmes in business schools in Ireland, Australia and the US, at both the beginning and the end of their postgraduate or professional programme of study, were questioned. Participants were asked to give a copy of a similar questionnaire to two work colleagues and to their managers to provide a control group of individuals who were not engaged in an education process.
The students were assessed for variables such as conscientiousness, psychological empowerment and self-efficacy, as well as a series of personal demographic data. Workplace concepts that were measured included organisational learning type, job demand and job control, as well as levels of organisational support for learning.
The individuals came from a range of backgrounds but all were employed and undertaking the programmes on a part-time basis. The majority were attending postgraduate level programmes, while a small number were undertaking professional qualifications.
The most significant result to come out of the research was that the student population scored higher on conscientiousness than the control group, the implication being that individuals who are motivated to seek out management education opportunities differ from those who do not. Interestingly, the study also indicated that employer support for the students engaging in management development was insufficient.
Arguably, this latter result does not tally with the experiences of Rosalind Beere, Lecturer in Business and Programme Director of the BA (Hons) in Business at the, National College of Ireland (NCI), who said that employers recognise the advantages, to the company, of their staff obtaining management qualifications.
‘Assuming the candidate is working in a management role or planning to embark on a path of management promotion, the benefits to the individual are also significant,’ Beere explained.
‘Primarily the course will inter-link both academic management material and more practitioner-based learning. Other benefits would include the candidate interacting and networking with other individuals on the course.’
NCI's range of part time courses include tailored in-house courses in management development and HETAC approved courses taught part time at Higher Certificate, Degree or Masters level. The candidates who take these management education programmes come from a variety of backgrounds and age groups, explained Beere. ‘Some have years of industry experience and wish to re-engage with academic learning, while we also have candidates who are embarking on their managerial careers and wish to upgrade or indeed develop their management skills and knowledge, to bring them to the next step on their career path.’
Studies are usually funded in part or fully by the employer, with full funding more likely where the employer understands the benefits that such upskilling provides. The benefits to employers are obvious, primarily that they will end up with more richly skilled, informed and potentially more motivated employees. Where employers help fund the pursuit of a qualification, the employee generally acknowledges the investment and responds with increased loyalty and hard work.
Significant benefits to employers also derive from the fact that, by investing in their present employees, they create a highly skilled pool of internal candidates to promote and develop, rather than having to go to the trouble and expense of looking for qualified candidates from outside the organisation.
‘Upskilling a company's workforce will help improve employee working practices and methods, as students will ultimately put into practice what they have learnt on a course’, added Beere. ‘In addition, on many of our courses there are a number of projects in which the candidates can apply in their workplace.’
The needs of the organisation and the individual candidate are the obvious criteria for choosing the most appropriate course. Generally, this means beginning with a general management course and progressing to a specialisation of particular relevance to the sponsoring organisation.
While the core content of most management courses is broadly similar, it can be influenced by the awarding institution, which needs to borne in mind process when choosing a course.
According to Dr Joe McDonagh, Director of Executive Education at the School of Business, Trinity College Dublin, ‘as you progress further in your career development, the type of programmes you take need to become more and more strategically focused.’ He added that there is usually a clear difference between the type of people who take MBA and MSc programmes. ‘Those who choose an MBA are often in their late 20s and early 30s and are looking to change career and transition into a management view of the world. The MSc candidates are usually in their mid-30s and are looking to consolidate their careers.’
There are various theories as to the main benefits of postgraduate business programmes, but research conducted by Dr McDonagh underlined that ‘the number one benefit, including the actual course content, of postgraduate management courses is the peer networks that are created. An assessment of how senior executives rate MSc and MBA programmes found that networking with peers was considered the most valuable aspect, followed by group discussion/problem solving.’
Participation in lectures, the availability of coaching and the use of relevant case studies were the next most important aspects. Perhaps surprisingly, mentoring was well down the list, behind aspects such as action learning, group projects, business simulations and strategic workshops.
‘We have been providing programmes for senior executives for over 30 years and, in our experience, all the major public and private sector organisations are committed to developing their managers,’ McDonagh concluded. ‘If you want to be a general manager, it is well worth the investment of resources and effort in doing an MBA.’
Case Study: First Line Management at NCI
Line Managers are responsible for managing powerful employee groups and negotiating workplace changes, which can involve introducing new technologies, new work practices and making services more responsive to the needs of users.
The Diploma in First Line Management, from National College of Ireland, is designed to equip managers with the skills required to implement and manage organisational change. It is available at selected centres across the country, either in the evenings or as a day release programme, which enables participants to fit their studies in around their work.
Oscar Traynor has already had an opportunity to put his new qualification into practice. Having previously worked for the Open Door community development project in Carlow, he was chosen to set up the Kildare/West Wicklow Community Addiction Team. Kildare County Council currently hosts the addiction team. Oscar was chosen to build the team from scratch and establish it as a limited company.
‘The recruitment procedures and interview skills acquired from the course have proved particularly useful’, he explained. ‘I had previous project management experience but no formal qualification. Completing NCI’s First Line Management programme has underpinned my on-the-job experience at a time when many employers demand recognised qualifications. Being able to complete the course over one year was also helpful as it keeps you in ‘study mode, he continued, adding that the reputation of the National College of Ireland is an added bonus. ‘Employers want to know about the college as well as the course and NCI has a lot of credibility in the workplace’.
