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I have been conducting training programs for many years. While
working with a group of companies, I was a faculty member in a
general yet comprehensive management course for executives, and in
the training of middle management people. Our College, Baliuag
University, has partnered with the Bulacan Chapter of the People
Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). Our partnership
with this organization has excited me no end because of my work
background, related training experience, academic preparation, and
my teaching Strategic Human Resource Management. Moreover, I had
attended an executive program abroad that had sparked my interest in
human resource management.
Jeffrey Pfeffer, the author of the book,
Competitive Advantage through People, and one of our professors in
the Stanford Executive Program, said that the companies that had the
five best performing stocks during a 20-year period relied on how
they manage their workforce and not on technology, patents, or
strategic position, which used to be major sources of competitive
advantage.
Jim Collins, in his book, Good to Great, labeled
as Level 5 Leaders CEOs who took over companies that had suffered
from declining profits for 15 years and yet had made a remarkable
turnaround, with their stocks growing at least three times the
growth of the stock market. Without exception, the Level 5 CEOs were
able to develop and select CEOs to replace them after they left the
scene. The new CEOs were able to sustain the success started by
their former bosses.
From the foregoing, it is clear that in
today’s competitive world, effective management leadership and a
competent and highly motivated workforce have become necessary for
companies to survive, grow and become profitable. This is why
progressive companies are spending a lot of money in developing
their manpower resources. One of the areas that they pay attention
to is their manpower development program, where people who have been
identified to have potential go through a combination of the
following processes: coaching,
job rotation, posting in a staff position for
training and development, and assignment to committees and task
forces.
If the immediate supervisor is willing to spend
time with his or her people, coaching is a very effective manpower
development technique. Job rotation helps a manager learn and do the
work of a manager who handles another function. It helps them
understand the peculiarities of other jobs and appreciate other
managers more.
A third process is to create a position, such as
a staff assistant of a manager or vice president, to give the
trainee access to the different sections and activities of the unit
but following a planned training schedule. The manager can also be
assigned to a task force or committee where he or she can
participate actively and expand his or her knowledge about work and
the company.
(Continued next week)
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The author teaches Management Principles and
Dynamics at the De La Salle Professional Schools Ramon V. del
Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business, and the Dean of the College
of Business Administration and Accountancy of Baliuag University in
Baliuag, Bulacan. He is also VP for Planning and Development of the
Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He welcomes comments at
egechavez@yahoo.com.
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