The Foundations of Management

Strong management skills, competencies and behaviours are hallmarks of an effective and efficient organisation. Successful companies invest in developing their leaders to lead by example, sharing their values and to build a sound organisational culture. This filters down through the teams they lead.

In this post, we’ll take a look at why successful organisations need strong foundations in management, introduce you to our seven pillars of learning and development, and explain how each area contributes to business growth.

Why successful organisations need strong managers

High performing managers combine to create a business culture of trust and respect, learning and development, achievement and success - at both individual and organisational level.

Strong leaders empower their teams, creating a consistent employee experience throughout the organisation. Colleagues managed by good leaders are generally more engaged and motivated at work, with greater productivity and improved morale. Well-managed teams also have high trust and better staff retention levels, meaning you can attract the best talent to your organisation.

The Seven Pillars of Effective Learning & Development

Management development is a broad term that covers a host of learning and development opportunities. At P3 People Management, we create clarity by dividing management development into seven foundational pillars. Anyone reading this will benefit from a basic understanding of the pillars. High performing managers need to understand and be able to implement each of the seven. Let’s take a look in more detail.

1. Personal Effectiveness

Personal effectiveness starts with knowing yourself. Once you understand your strengths and motivations (and why these are important), you can focus on these to get the best out of yourself at work. Being effective an at individual level involves skills such as organisation, time management and delegating tasks. Another aspect is being able to identify where you need to develop or improve. Managers need to be confident managing their own resources before they can support their team to do the same.

1. Communication & Handling Conflict

According to the IC Index 2023, people value good internal communications, especially at senior level and in small organisations. Good communication can make a huge difference to employee experience, building trust, engagement and employee retention.

Listening is a key skill every team can improve to boost understanding and collaboration. Knowing how to take the information you learn and respond appropriately equips managers to manage conflict and confront challenging conversations. A high degree of emotional intelligence is also key to communicating effectively.

1. Performance & Development

Employees are often promoted to management and leadership roles without adequate training on how to conduct a performance review. Part of a people manager’s role is to support their team to grow and develop. Managers need to be equipped to guide their team to set goals and expectations in line with company strategy, to monitor and appraise performance and give constructive feedback, addressing performance issues as they arise. Leaders must seek out their own learning and development opportunities to set an example to their team, and identify when the time is right to celebrate success.

1. Leadership & Management

There are certain characteristics that mark a good leader out from a not so good leader. You can read more about them here. The ability to motivate and guide a team to create purpose and meaning at work is equally important as delivering results. Well-rounded leaders have the skills and knowledge to balance leading a team and achieving business objectives in an effortless way.

1. People Management & HR

As recruiters across the UK face an uphill battle to fill job vacancies, people management skills are in high demand. Leaders need to be equipped to manage and develop teams through every stage of the employee lifecycle, ideally keeping them within the business. The support of a HR function is invaluable in this area. From recruitment and induction to tackling employment law and ensuring every employee feels included, the scope of learning can be huge.

1. Change Management

Evolution is a fact of life. Successful organisations don’t stand still. Managers are the first line of defence when there is business change. They need the flexibility to adapt, the skills to communicate effectively and the capacity to support their team.

A manager’s ability to support employees through periods of change is crucial to getting people on board and bringing them on the journey with you. Take a look at our Change Management blog for more on this subject.

1. Strategy & Culture

Strategy and culture sit firmly at the heart of all six pillars. Both are integral building blocks of successful teams and organisations. Business strategy provides clear direction for where the business is heading and culture paves the pathway to achieving it.

You’ve no doubt heard the famous quote from management consultant Peter Drucker: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. It doesn’t mean that strategy is less important than culture. It suggests that in a healthy business culture, employees take responsibility for achieving the results that deliver the strategy.

This year’s IC Index found that only 57% of UK workers understand their employer’s strategy, so there’s clearly room for a lot of businesses to improve in this area. A sound business strategy has no value unless your managers and colleagues understand it and their role in delivering it.

Investing in management learning and development, with clear links to business goals, helps businesses to create an engaged and resilient workforce that’s fit for the future.

Ready to take action?

Join our next High Performing Manager intensive training programme, which kicks off on 26 July with an in-person session at our Altrincham HQ. The programme is designed to develop strong leadership skills and behaviours in current and future managers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively lead their teams and organisations. For more details and to book your place, please email chloe@p3pm.co.uk

Delegate feedback for High Performing Manager

“Thank you P3 People Management. High Performing Manager is a brilliant course. I took away so many invaluable pieces of information. Can’t wait for the next one!”

Rebecca Hildage, Finance & HR Manager, GCS ASSOCIATES

Further reading

For more focused reading on some of the foundations of management, take a look at our blogs on Being a Good Leader, Influencing and Motivating Teams and Emotional Intelligence.

How we can help

If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this blog, please get in touch with Chloë Bisson, our Learning and Development Consultant, on 0161 941 2426. We’re here to help.