Management and Leadership (Byte Size Skills Course).

Management and Leadership (Byte Size Skills Course)

'Management is a practice rather than a science.' Peter Drucker (The Practice of Management, Heinemann Ltd, 1955)

This is somewhat self-evident, but to try to make rules for successful management, in the same way as a chemical process, ignores the main element of variability -- namely the people involved. The activities and the role of a manager will vary depending on the organisation and its culture. Sales organisations tend to give the title of 'manager' very freely, while manufacturing industry has been reluctant to do away with the traditional 'tall' hierarchy where there are far less management positions to be had, and where titles like foreman/woman, and supervisor are more common.

Leadership, as distinct from management, is primarily concerned with 'doing the right thing' and these 'right things' are the key concerns of vision and empowerment. These are complex issues which require many skills and attributes, and each of them are examined in this course.

After participating in this course, you should be able to

• describe the key differences between management and leadership 
• describe the main components of the role of manager 
• identify the main components of the role of leader 
• discuss a range of management styles.

In working through this course, you will practise the following BTEC common skills:

• Managing and Developing Self 
• Working with and Relating to others
• Communicating
• Managing Tasks and Solving Problems 
• Applying Numeracy
• Applying Technology
• Applying Design and Creativity