Course objectives

This course will assist students in developing some of the skills required to adequately carry out the activities and accept the responsibilities associated with managing people. The word "skills" used in this context refers to abilities that: 1) are appropriate in a particular situation, 2) are suited to the person who exercises them and 3) are likely to lead to the desired outcome. In order to evaluate the merits and the effectiveness of a particular management skill, we look for four elements: an appropriate analysis, given the situation (this analysis may be explicit or implicit, intuitive or rationalised); a consciously-made decision about the actions to be undertaken; the adequate implementation of this decision; the realisation of the desired objectives.

In addition, the course has been designed to provide students whose mother tongue is not English with the occasion to practice their English oral and written skills in true-to-life management situations. Case discussion and exercises in the classroom will allow students to interact with each other in English and to hone their skills of oral communication and persuasion. The short case analyses will enable students to perfect their skills in written English.
 
 

The course perspective

Managing people inevitably means that one person has the task of supervising the work of other people. The skills that students will be asked to learn, practice and develop in this course all essentially concern this task. The course looks at the various ways a manager can exercise authority and at the different contexts in which it must be exercised. In this course, the emphasis is primarily on action and on practice. Systematic reflection about the skills that the student will experiment with and practise during the course will allow him / her to begin to develop the management skills that are authentically his or her own and that are realistic given the situation. It also represents a useful tool that will enable the student to continue his / her learning and development in the area of management skills. The course addresses the skills required in the following four broad domains:

Since skills are acquired primarily through practice ("learning by doing"), students will be asked to respond to concrete situations involving the management of people. In addition to the case discussions, the teaching in the course will be based on exercises – filmed, on video, on the Internet or using multimedia. The teaching material has been designed and chosen to reflect as faithfully as possible the real situations in which managers actively involved in the management of people often find themselves.

Material required

· Individual oral and written exercises  (2 oral, 1 written self-evaluation, 2 written) 20 %

· Written case analyses (on 4 of the 6 cases identified on the following page) (One (1) typewritten page, double spaced) 20 %

· Participation in the classroom learning experience, in the exercise on the Internet and in the improvisation exercise 20%

· Final examination 40 %

(NOTE: The case analyses prepared by the students must demonstrate that an attempt has been made to integrate the theoretical texts that accompany the particular case.)

List of cases to be analysed

- Paul Hardy (session 2)

• Universal Fabrics (session 3)
• Del-Tronics (session 3)

- Perkins Component (session 10)

• Monique Landry (session 11)

1. Paul Hardy (session 2) (Compulsory assignment)

2. Universal Fabrics (session 3)

                         What are the sources of the conflict seen here in this case?

OR

3. Del-Tronics (session 3)

                        How can we understand what is happening to Bill? How should such an employee be dealt with?
 

4. Carolyn Steiner (session 9) (Compulsory assignment)

5. Monique Landry (session 10)

6. Perkins Component (session 11)

Most of the sessions will consist of an exercise, an experiment, a case, a simulation or an assignment prepared in advance which then becomes the focus of the learning experience in class. The texts (articles or book chapters) are an integral part of class preparation, and serve as guides for reflection, for the development of realistic and informed action plans and for synthesis. In particular, the case analyses prepared by the students must show evidence of an attempt to integrate these texts with the cases.

Some of the exercises will be recorded on video, in order to give the student feedback on his or her experience in addition to individual feedback received from the professor.
 
 

Session 1

Introductions and course description

Introduction of the professor and the students;

Presentation of the course, course objectives and course outline;

Brief description of the exercise on Internet;

Activities and responsibilities associated with managing people (attached to the course outline);

Arts to be mastered (attached to the course outline)

    Based on a concrete situation (presented on video), we will think about what it means when someone is appointed to a management position, both for that person and for his or her subordinates.

Reading: "La subjectivité, le jugement et la gestion" (Lapierre, Racines du savoir)

Video: Who’s in charge?

N.B.: Distribution (in class) of the introduction to the written exercise on Internet.
 
 

Session 2

Managing a subordinate who is openly confrontational

    A look at the dynamics that can arise between a manager and an employee who is openly confrontational. Comprehension, explanations and skills useful in dealing with this type of situation; how to avoid such situations whenever possible.

Case : "Mr. Hart and Bing" (codex)

Managing a subordinate who confronts indirectly

    A look at the dynamics that can arise between a manager and an employee who confronts indirectly. How to recognise this type of situation, this type of subordinate, how to evaluate such a person and how to deal with him or her in order to ensure that he contributes adequately, and even constructively, to the firm? What to do if all our interventions fail?

Case : "Paul Hardy" (codex)

Required readings :
                                       "Subordination and insubordination" (Kisfalvi and Lapierre, codex)

                                        "Gérer des employés qui font problème, une habileté à développer" (Boulard et Rondeau, Racines du savoir)

Managing conflict

Organisational life inevitably gives rise to situations of conflict, either with one’s peers or with people on different hierarchical levels. How can the manager remain in control when these conflicts arise? How to encourage healthy emulation and competition?

Cas : "Universal Fabrics" (codex)

Responding to challenging or unusual management situation

                    "Del-Tronics" (codex)

Required reading :
                                   "Human dilemmas of leadership" (codex)

Suggested readings:
                                  "To Manage or not to manage: that is the question" (Lapierre, codex)

                                              " Can we leave our emotions at the door?" (Kisfalvi, codex)
 
 

Session 4

Accounting for individual differences

When one is in a position of authority, managing is both a right and a responsibility that requires a high degree of attention and a large number of skills. When one manages, one is called upon to work with all sorts of people.

Test : Learning styles (to be purchased in class : 5$)

First thematic summary :

Role play : to be determined (distributed in class)

• Authority
• Aggressiveness
• Domination
• Subordination
• Dependence
• Inner conflicts, interpersonal conflicts
• Dealing with a wide range of reactions
• Appropriate skills

Session 5

When to write, when to speak

The manager often finds him / herself in situations where s/he must choose between writing or speaking. S/he must choose the mode of communication that is most likely to lead to success, given the particular situation. We will explore the different implications of choosing one mode over the other.

F Exercises distributed in class

Reading :    "Action begins with composition" (Hydro-Québec, codex)
                    "Composition of a letter and note or memo" (codex)
                            "Sayonara, Mr. Kato..." (Picher, codex)
 

Expressing oneself clearly in public I

    Managers are often required to communicate verbally in order to explain their ideas and convince others. In order to develop his / her skills in verbal communication, each student will be asked to prepare a two-minute oral presentation in which s/he will try to convince the audience of his or her point of view. The presentation topics will revolve around themes dealing with various aspects of managing people. Each presentation will be recorded on video, allowing the student to do a self-evaluation .

Improvising on a given topic

The manager is often called upon to speak in public without much warning. This skill can be acquired through practice. The student will be asked to speak for one minute on a topic that will be new to him / her. How to prepare mentally, and how to perform well in such a situation? Tactics, techniques and video feedback.

F Topics to be distributed in class

Public speaking

Video : The art of speaking to one or one thousand …

Reading : "Aux sources d’une communication réussie" (Harel Giasson, Racines du savoir)

Feedback

Whether in the context of a performance evaluation or in more informal exchanges involving his / her employees or other colleagues, the manager is often called open to both give and receive feedback.

Reading: "The art of giving and receiving feedback" Dominique Dorion
                    (to be distributed in class)
 

Negotiating one-on-one in a stressful situation

The manager often finds him / herself in a situation where s/he must negotiate with other people. How to do it skilfully?

Role play : To be distributed in class

Expressing oneself clearly in public II

The student will redo the oral presentation of session 5, improving upon it using the self-evaluation of his / her first performance. The exercise will once again be recorded on video.

• How to judge whether communication has been effective?
• Real communication
• Getting one’s message across
• Direct and indirect messages
• Written communication and management
• Oral communication and management

Session 9

Working within the rules of the game

Each organisation has its own set of customs and rules. Up to what point must one adapt to these? What are the skills most required in order to succeed at integrating into a particular organisation?

Case : "Carolyn Steiner" (codex)
            "Swimming in troubled waters: managing the first steps in one’s career" (codex)

Reading : "Bâtir sa carrière sur son expérience" (Gosselin, Racines du Savoir)

Becoming a skilled politician: fully exploiting a limited power base

While a manager possesses a certain degree of hierarchical authority, s/he must still deal with the political realities of his /her organisation. There are conflicts inherent in each type of structure and in the ambitions of those occupying positions both higher and lower in the hierarchy. Being politically skilful implies that the manager is able to decode and deal with this reality and is fully aware of the possible consequences of his / her actions.

Case : "Perkins Components" (codex)

Role play : To be distributed in class

Required reading : "Leaders, where do you get your power?" (Harel Giasson, codex)
 

Session 11

Using one’s political skills to influence others

The manager cannot succeed unless he / she is able to rally support for his / her ideas and projects; this calls for the mastery of some indispensable political skills.

Case : "Monique Landry. Le secret? Du talent pour l'organisation et pour les jeux" (codex)

Required reading : "Political skills: without them, you’re out of the game!" (Harel Giasson, codex)

Suggested reading : "Composer avec ses défauts" (Lapierre, Racines du Savoir)

Video : Monique Landry
 

Third thematic summary :

Session 12

Influencing a group

The manager often finds him / herself working with a team. But how to build a team? What steps are required in order to ensure that a group of people will work together responsibly? How can one help to develop a creative synergy between group members?

Film : Twelve Angry Men (Rose-Lumet)

Lectures : Notes on "Twelve Angry Men" (codex)
                    "Comment réussir une réunion de travail" (Amado et Guittet, Racines du savoir)

Managing skilfully

No one individual skill can ensure that a manager will competently manage his / her staff. S/he must know how to integrate a broad set of skills in order to succeed.

Case : "Bill Boyd" (codex)
 
 

Final summary :