In Charge Series (four volumes): A Competence Approach to Supervisory Management

Citation

Whiteley, P. (1999), "In Charge Series (four volumes): A Competence Approach to Supervisory Management", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 31 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.1999.03731aad.001

In Charge Series (four volumes): A Competence Approach to Supervisory Management

In Charge Series (four volumes): A Competence Approach to Supervisory Management

Cartwright et al.Blackwell Business1998£13.99 each (paperback)

Keywords Management Charter Initiative, Managers, Standards, Supervisors

These volumes, originally published in 1993, have been rewritten to support the latest Management Standards from the Management Charter Initiative (MCI).

This rewriting seems to ignore the fact that there are now four volumes in the series, as the first three volumes quote "the three volumes in this series" ­ perhaps some indication of weak editing or that the fourth volume was "bolted on" later.

Each volume is designed to be free standing but with a large measure of integration, not to say overlap. The major introduction to the series is contained in the first volume and then summarized in subsequent books.

The series is designed for supervisors and front-line managers and is intended to be relevant to work in the private, public and voluntary sectors.

It is aimed at supporting National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) or Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) programmes at supervisory management level 3, in addition to short courses and individual development.

The volumes in the series are:

1. 1.

   Managing People. This looks at the development of ideas on supervision and management and then considers how to manage people effectively. It covers:

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     motivation;

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     responses to change;

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     recruitment;

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     selection;

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     training;

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     working with teams;

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     leadership;

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     handling conflict; and the

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     discipline and grievance process.

2. 2.

   Managing Activities. This looks at the operations of an organization and its relationship to other organizational functions such as marketing and personnel. It looks in more detail at:

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     work practices;

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     planning;

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     resourcing;

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     legislation; and

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     customer relations.

3. 3.

   Managing Resources and Information. This covers two key areas of supervision. It considers ways of collecting, disseminating and presenting information. There is a section on finance, which is designed to give a broad overview of its role in an organization.

4. 4.

   Managing Yourself. This is somewhat different in that it is designed for all those in a management or supervisory position who wish to improve their personal competence. Using a "mini" case study as the vehicle, it addresses, for the individual, such questions as: where am I now?, where do I want to get to?; and how am I going to get there? It is claimed to be designed around the MCI Personal Competence Model, which covers competences such as:

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     behaving assertively;

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     behaving ethically;

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     building teams;

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     communicating; and

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     focusing on results, etc.

The first three volumes have a common structure. There is an introduction which covers: who the series is intended for, how to use the volume and some narrative and description of management competences and standards.

The majority of chapters start with a list of the relevant standards and competences, followed by the main content and finishing with a short summary and repeat of the standards. Where appropriate, each chapter has a list of further reading. Some of the volumes have reference lists and all have a final chapter on the personal competences as related to the subject of the volume.

I have a number of reservations about the MCI standards but this is not the place to enter into this debate. Nevertheless this series reflects what I perceive as the weakness of the standards, namely they are over-bureaucratic and somewhat confusing in the interplay between standards and personal competences. The concept is a laudable one in the sense of a guide to action but to paraphrase, "the detail is the devil".

The major concern I have with this series is not so much the content of the volumes as their relationship to the NVQ/SVQ standards. I feel that for a number of chapters, the Supervisory Management Standards at the beginning of each chapter and the content do not match. The chapter on "Leadership" in Volume 1 is an example.

Additionally there are large sections of content, which do not relate to Management standards. For example, in Volume 2, Managing Activities: "Although there are no management standards which relate...to marketing...it is essential...to understand..." so we get six pages of it.

Similarly, but more spectacularly, in Volume 3, Managing Resources and Information, we get five chapters on finance. This is despite the comment on the book jacket, "whilst finance at supervisory level has no dedicated management standards, it is vital that the...supervisor...can understand the financial implications of their role". It may be valid to assert that there should be a standard for finance but there isn't, so how can the series claim to be designed around the standards?

As to the contents of the individual books, I have no great objections other than the odd bit of "nit-picking". Volume 4, Managing Yourself, repeats sections on "Team roles" and "Managing change" which are covered in Volume 1, Managing People.

In the introductory sections in each volume there are mistakes with the labelling of figure numbers and irritatingly, but no doubt for sound reasons, one volume refers to "strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats" as the more normal SWOT, whilst another volume calls them OTWS.

So, on balance, a series on supervisory management which has much to commend it but where the authors need to do some more work on either integrating the material to the standards or changing the standards.

Paul WhiteleyK.R. Development Ltd