Management and supervision

There are 4.3 million managers and supervisors in the UK, of whom 1.5 million are women; however, fewer than 1 million of them are qualified. Certain personal qualities are helpful in management:

• tough-mindedness
• decisiveness
• being an extrovert
• ability to tolerate uncertainty
• ability to thinks on one’s feet
• intuitive understanding of others
• high tolerance of stress.

Supervision has been defined as ‘directing or managing work, workers, etc.’ Supervision and management exist in every organisation and they go hand in hand; but above all they are about the control and use of people and material resources within an organisation. Use of teams and projects, identification of individual roles within the organisation, and increased emphasis on the best possible use of all resources, all under a legal spotlight, make management and supervision more of a challenge than ever before.

Management in the Forces

Service careers involve a wide and varied experience of management – often in extremely difficult circumstances. Many Service people will have management skills and experience, and institute membership that reflects this. General management is practised by most people with authority and responsibility in the Forces, and is increasingly recognised with formal qualifications.

The award of certificates and the opportunity to earn other qualifications by some additional work on top of Service courses means that all levels of Service management can now be recognised, so that all levels of military training may be translated into terms that other employers will understand.

Qualifications and training

SkillsActive, the Sector Skills council for Active Leisure and Learning is leading on management and leadership skills development. The Management Standards Centre (MSC) is the government-recognised standards-setting body for the management and leadership areas. It has developed National Occupational Standards that describe the performance for a range of management and leadership functions/activities, as follows.

·Managing self and personal skills

– Manage your own resources

– Manage your own resources and professional development

– Develop your personal networks

·Providing direction

– Develop and implement operational plans for your area of responsibility

– Map the environment in which your organisation operates

– Develop a strategic business plan for your organisation

– Put the strategic business plan into action

– Provide leadership for your team

– Provide leadership in your area of responsibility

– Provide leadership for your organisation

– Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical and social requirements

– Develop the culture of your organisation

– Manage risk

– Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in your area of responsibility

– Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in your organisation

·Facilitating change

– Encourage innovation in your team

– Encourage innovation in your area of responsibility

– Encourage innovation in your organisation

– Lead change

– Plan change

– Implement change

·Working with people

– Develop productive working relationships with colleagues

– Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

– Recruit, select and keep colleagues

– Plan the workforce

– Allocate and check work in your team

– Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility

– Provide learning opportunities for colleagues

·Using resources

– Manage a budget

– Manage finance for your area of responsibility

– Obtain additional finance for the organisation

– Promote the use of technology within your organisation

– Ensure your own actions reduce risks to health and safety

– Ensure health and safety requirements are met in your area of responsibility

– Ensure an effective organisational approach to health and safety

·Achieving results

– Manage a project

– Manage programme of complementary projects

– Manage business processes

– Develop and review a framework for marketing

– Resolve customer service problems

– Monitor and solve customer service problems

– Support customer service improvements

– Work with others to improve customer service

– Build your organisation’s understanding of its market and customers

– Develop a customer-focused organisation

– Manage the achievement of customer satisfaction

– Improve organisational performance.

These translate into NVQ/SVQs in:

·Team Leading – Level 2

– Mandatory

Manage your own resources

Provide leadership for your team

Develop productive working relationships with colleagues

Ensure your own action reduce risks to health and safety

– Optional (2 from 5)

Encourage innovation in your team

Allocate and check work in your team

Provide learning opportunities for colleagues

Help team members address problems affecting their performance

Participate in meetings

Resolve customer service problems

Support customer service improvements

·Management – Level 3

– Mandatory

Manage your own resources and professional development

Provide leadership in your area of responsibility

Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility

Ensure health and safety requirements are met in your area of responsibility

– Optional (3 from 11)

Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in your area of responsibility

Encourage innovation in your area of responsibility

Plan change

Implement change

Develop productive working relationships with colleagues

Recruit, select and keep colleagues

Provide learning opportunities for colleagues

Help team members address problems affecting their performance

Build and manage teams

Lead meetings

Participate in meetings

Manage a budget

Manage the environmental impact of your work

Take effective decisions

Communicate information and knowledge

Manage a project

Monitor and solve customer service problems

Work with others to improve customer service

·Management – Level 4

– Mandatory

Develop and implement operational plans for your area of responsibility

Encourage innovation in your area of responsibility

Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

Ensure health and safety requirements are met in your area of responsibility

Manage business processes

– Optional (3 from 17)

Manage your own resources and professional development

Develop your personal networks

Provide leadership in your area of responsibility

Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical and social requirements

Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in your area of responsibility

Lead change

Plan change

Implement change

Recruit, select and keep colleagues

Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in your area of responsibility

Provide learning opportunities for colleagues

Reduce and manage conflict in your team

Lead meetings

Manage finance for your area of responsibility

Manage physical resources

Manage the environmental impact of your work

Take effective decisions

Manage a project

Manage a programme of complementary projects

Work with others to improve customer service

Build your organisation’s understanding of its market and customers

Manage the achievement of customer satisfaction

·Management – Level 5

– Mandatory

Provide leadership for your organisation

Encourage innovation in your organisation

Ensure an effective organisational approach to health and safety

Improve organisational performance

– Optional (3 from 21)

Manage your own resources and professional development

Develop your personal networks

Map the environment in which your organisation operates

Develop a strategic business plan for your organisation

Put the strategic business plan into action

Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical and social requirements

Develop the culture of your organisation

Manage risk

Promote equality of opportunity and diversity in your organisation

Lead change

Plan change

Implement change

Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

Plan the workforce

Provide learning opportunities for colleagues

Obtain additional finance for the organisation

Promote the use of technology within your organisation

Manage a programme of complementary projects

Develop and review a framework for marketing

Build your organisation’s understanding of its market and customers

Develop a customer-focused organisation

Chartered Management Institute

The CMI has 71,000 members throughout the UK, with 450 corporate partners. Its 85-plus local branches run 600 events annually, while all members enjoy access to its Management Information Centre and publications. Its network of approved and registered centres supports students worldwide. It offers core qualifications in Team Leading, Management and Strategic Management as well as specialist qualifications in:

• Programme and Project Management
• Business Start-up
• Business Development
• Business Support
• Innovation and Change Management
• Energy Management
• Registered Manager
• Quality Management
• Automotive Retail Management
• Neighbourhood Management
• Public Service Leadership
• A range of MoD awards
• A range of Police awards
• Management Consultancy
• Assessment & Verification.

Chartered Manager status is now also offered by the CMI for senior managers. Readers should note that a new core qualification syllabus is due to be introduced in September 2008.

Institute of Leadership and Management

The ILM has more than 30,000 members throughout the UK. Its accredited centres deliver training on a huge range of courses each year in management and leadership, delivering 80,000 certificates annually, and all members enjoy access to its Information Service and publications. It offers qualifications in:

• Team Leading
• First Line Management
• Management
• Environmental Management
• Executive Management
• Leadership
• Executive Leadership
• Leadership and Management Skills
• Strategic Leadership and Executive Management
• Workplace Coaching
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Executive Coaching & Leadership Mentoring
• Preparing for Enterprise
• Exploring Enterprise
• Business Improvement
• Starting Your Enterprise
• Personnel Support
• Personnel Management
• Personnel Strategy
• Management of Volunteers
• Social Impact Assessment
• Social Enterprise Support.

There are many other courses on offer, with most business schools and both institutes offering a number of certificates and diplomas in management, and assessment and quality assurance (verification) qualifications.

Contact details

Management Standards Centre, 3rd Floor, 2 Savoy Court, London WC2R 0EZ Tel: 020 7240 2826 Website: msc.managers.org.uk

Chartered Management Institute, Management House, Cottingham Road, Corby, Northants NN17 1TT Tel: 01536 204222 Website: www.managers.org.uk

Institute of Leadership & Management, Stowe House, Netherstowe, Lichfield, Staffs WS13 6TJ Tel: 01543 266867 Website: www.i-l-m.com