Summary
In the fast-paced world today, it is not uncommon to see individual contributors being promoted to a managerial role with barely any preparation. No doubt in the absence of formal training, the leap can sometimes be intimidating. Adopting the Manager Mindset becomes the major stepping stone for the employee to smooth the shift. While businesses may nudge them in that direction, individuals often fall short of crucial managerial competencies. The requirement for first-time management training becomes a necessity. In fact, in recent times, there are numerous instances of organizations going beyond their traditional practices such as basic technical/soft skills training to provide holistic development for their first-time managers. Many are seeking external channels to instrumentalize their objectives. However, the task is quite herculean considering the innate challenges that restrict the design and delivery of learning programs.
“The transition from an Individual Contributor to a First Time Manager is a pretty enervating experience. The frontline managers play a crucial role in employee engagement and championing innovation. So how do we better equip our people with the right skills and perspectives to ensure a smooth transition?”
One of our leading clients, who is a global IT major, put forth the above question to us. They have been running an internal program for First Time Managers. This was a classroom-based program and was covering 1/10th of the actual cohort of employees who were being promoted to managerial positions globally. The numbers aimed at 4000+ prospective participants based in 40+ countries per year. The challenge was to primarily engage a millennial audience who were dispersed in multiple locations and had no access to external sites. After multiple considerations, we designed a comprehensive and innovative intervention in which cohorts of participants would undergo a shared learning journey. The program used a unique pedagogy that combined online self-learning with facilitator-hosted interactive sessions, virtual assessment centers, and other activities inclusive of feedback to provide a more immersive experience to participants.
