MasterShiftManager Development Program 

The shift managers’ work is crucial for the company, as they function as a bridge between top management and the operative working level. Shift managers are responsible for converting plans into products and goods. They supervise technological phases, perform quality checks, and assure that the work being done is both well-organized and continuous. In most cases, it is their immense expertise that elevates them above their co-workers. Yet, they often lack the necessary leadership skills. Nevertheless, their most important task as shift managers is to bring the best out of themselves and their team.

 

Yet have they received any assistance to help them carry out their managerial work more effectively?

Develor’s MasterShiftManager program – which is the product of several years of development – does just this. During this development program, the shift managers acquire and practice efficient managerial attitudes that enable them to establish and maintain relationships with up to 50-60 people, to communicate effectively, to handle conflict, and to consciously influence the performance of their team.   

The major objective of this program is to turn the shift managers into excellent leaders.

The set-up and the timing of the Master Shift Manager program

1. Program preparation
2. Company orientation program (0.5 days)
3. Managerial orientation program (0.5 days)
4. Human relations training course (2 days)
5. Goal setting consultation (1 day)
6. Leadership skills training course (2 days)
7. Leadership effectiveness consultation (1 day)
8. Follow-up (0.5 days)

1. Program preparation

The trainers become familiar with the company, its internal processes, and its objectives. They assess the trainees’ skills and expectations. They also conduct in-depth interviews with the top management of the company to explore expectations of the program. Following the interviews, Develor’s special program development team tailor-makes the curriculum of the training courses, the consultations, the unique role-plays, and the case studies.

2. Company orientation program, 0.5 days

A thorough knowledge of the company – which is much more than just the knowledge of their own production line – greatly contributes to the authenticity of the shift managers. Therefore, the half-day-long orientation begins with a factory visit or with presentations by the top managers of the company. In these presentations, shift managers receive a comprehensive picture of the organization of the company and its internal processes. The orientation program helps the shift managers not to only consider their own production line in isolation, but instead as an integral part of the factory. This knowledge enables shift managers to present the company and its activities in a lively and comprehensive manner to their team and to new employees, whose loyalty to the company will thus be enhanced.

During the company orientation, the trainees get to know the trainers and will be introduced to the timing and method of the development program.

3. Managerial orientation program, 0.5 days

The goal of the managerial preparation program is that the direct superiors of the shift managers become familiar with the objectives of the MasterShiftManager Development Program, and become aware of their own importance in the effectiveness of the program. For the above-mentioned reasons, we discuss those parts of the corporate competence system that concern shift managers. And in order to guarantee the effectiveness of the goal-setting session, we introduce managers to the theory and practice of coaching.

4. Human relations training course, 2 days

As shift managers must know their colleagues well, this training emphasizes those skills that enable shift managers to know themselves and their role within the structure of the company. Shift managers will thus be able to establish contact with their team members, to explore their individual talents, skills and shortcomings, and to deal with these appropriately. The shift managers will learn to recognize dissonance within the team, to dissolve tension, and to resolve conflict.

By the end of the training course shift managers will:

• Understand the importance of self-knowledge and the steps of getting to know themselves and others
• Understand their role as shift managers, and be able to assume the responsibility that goes along with it
• Be introduced to, and practice the elements of, conscious communication
• Comprehend the importance of, and learn to apply, the tool of active listening
• Be able to detect sources of conflict, and acquire conflict-resolution techniques that are applicable in their everyday work
• Be introduced to the term “assertiveness” and its field of application in their work
• Recognize the importance of win-win situations in their team and in the company

5. Goal-setting consultation, 0.5 days

During this consultation, shift managers define those competencies that are essential to their work. Shift managers meet with their direct superiors in order to set up a mutual co-operation strategy. Shift managers then have the opportunity to report on the applicability of the skills acquired in the Human relations training course.

By the end of the consultation shift managers will:

• Define a consensus-based circle of shift manager competence, compare their current level to it, and decide on individual development goals
• Clarify their expectations and engage in feedback with their superiors
• Agree on possibilities for non-professional co-operation with their superiors

6. Leadership skills training course, 2 days

Shift managers not only need to be experts, but outstanding leaders as well, as their leadership skills and their task-solving skills certainly do mingle. During the leadership training course, shift managers acquire those skills that enable them to motivate their colleagues, influence their subordinates, and manage their own and the team’s time and tasks effectively.

By the end of the training course shift managers will:

• Be introduced to the basic terms of leadership psychology, and explore the circle of their leadership tasks
• Be aware of the circle of shift managers’ competence
• Become familiar with different leadership theories, efficient leadership styles, as well as their characteristics and application possibilities
• Be introduced to and practice the technique of coaching as a method of feedback-based performance appraisal and development
• Be able to set realistic goals and priorities

7. Leadership effectiveness consultation, 1 day

The objective of all training is to develop the target group’s skills in a measurable fashion. The Leadership effectiveness consultation has such an objective in mind, in which trainees give an account of the knowledge and skills they have acquired during the development program. Furthermore, they have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills in a role-play that is based on the theoretical portion of the training.

At the conclusion of the development program, trainees compile a mini thesis on a chosen topic explaining how they will utilize the acquired knowledge and skills in their work.

During the consultation shift managers will:

• Form learning pairs that will help each other in their everyday work
• Set individual, tailor-made development goals, whose realization and control is supervised by the learning pair
• Receive an objective picture of their own development within the framework of a final exam

8. Follow-up, 0.5 days

Four weeks after the Leadership effectiveness consultation, trainees once again meet with the trainer and have the opportunity to discuss questions and problems that arose during the so-called “digestion period.” The follow-up is a tool for further development which provides information for the upcoming stages of performance-development. The follow-up can also be utilized for the presentation of the trainees’ mini theses.

• MasterShiftManager Development Program II.