Course Title

1. Introduction to Management Development

• The distinction between managing and leading including (task focus versus people development, authority versus influence, and individual output versus team performance)

• The manager's impact on team performance and organizational culture including (engagement, retention, productivity, and psychological safety)

• Overview of frameworks used throughout the course including (Situational Leadership II, GROW, Tuckman's Model, SBI, TKI, Goleman's EI, Kotter's 8-Step Model, and SMART)

• Management self-assessment including (identifying dominant management style, default conflict response, and priority development areas)

• Setting personal development commitments for the course including (each participant defines two management behaviors they commit to changing or strengthening)

2. Situational Leadership and Adaptive Management

2.1 Leadership Styles and Development Levels

• Core principles of Situational Leadership II (Blanchard and Hersey) including (the four leadership styles — Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating — and their application)

• Diagnosing team member development level including (assessing competence and commitment across D1 through D4 development stages)

• Matching leadership style to development level and avoiding the common error of applying one style universally

• Flexing style as team members grow including (recognizing development level shifts and adjusting the approach in real time)

2.2 Leadership Style Application

• Situational leadership in practice including (applying the correct style in common management scenarios — onboarding, performance dip, and stretch assignment)

• The risk of over-directing experienced team members and under-supporting new ones — and their respective impact on engagement and performance

• Practical scenario exercise including (diagnosing development levels and selecting leadership styles for a set of presented team member profiles)

3. Goal Setting and Performance Management

3.1 SMART Goal Setting and Cascading

• Setting clear performance expectations using the SMART Goal Framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound)

• Cascading organizational objectives to team and individual goals including (alignment, translation, and co-creation with team members)

• Conducting structured performance planning conversations including (agreeing goals, clarifying success criteria, and establishing review checkpoints)

3.2 Performance Monitoring and Underperformance Management

• Monitoring performance through regular one-to-one conversations and data review including (identifying early signs of deviation before they become performance issues)

• Delivering structured feedback using the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) Feedback Model for both positive and corrective conversations

• Managing underperformance constructively including (distinguishing between capability gaps, motivation issues, and external barriers — and selecting the correct intervention for each)

• Documenting performance conversations including (maintaining records of goals, feedback, and agreed actions for accountability and HR compliance)

4. Team Development and High-Performance Teams

4.1 Tuckman's Team Development Model

• Applying Tuckman's Team Development Model (Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing) to diagnose team stage and select appropriate interventions

• Manager behaviors at each stage including (establishing norms during Forming, managing conflict during Storming, reinforcing collaboration during Norming, and sustaining momentum during Performing)

• Recognizing team regression and restabilizing performance after change, conflict, or team composition shifts

4.2 Building Psychological Safety and Team Trust

• The role of psychological safety in team performance including (creating an environment where team members speak up, challenge ideas, and admit mistakes without fear)

• Manager behaviors that build or erode team trust including (consistency, transparency, follow-through, and fair treatment across team members)

• Managing team diversity in multicultural Middle East environments including (leveraging different perspectives, communication styles, and cultural expectations as performance assets)

5. Motivation and Employee Engagement

• Motivation principles using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs including (identifying which need level is currently most relevant for each team member and designing targeted motivation approaches)

• Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory applied to workplace motivation including (distinguishing hygiene factors that prevent dissatisfaction from motivators that drive engagement)

• Practical motivation strategies for managers including (recognition, autonomy, stretch assignments, and development opportunities)

• Diagnosing disengagement early including (recognizing behavioral and performance signals before disengagement becomes resignation or absence)

• Sustaining motivation during organizational change, uncertainty, and high-pressure periods

6. Delegation and Empowerment

• Principles of effective delegation including (selecting the right task, the right person, and the right authority level — and the real barriers managers face in delegating)

• Delegation levels and their application including (tell, sell, consult, agree, and full autonomy — matched to competence and trust)

• Conducting clear delegation conversations including (briefing the task, confirming understanding, agreeing checkpoints, and providing support without micromanaging)

• Empowerment versus abdication including (the difference between delegating with appropriate oversight and abandoning accountability for outcomes)

• Building a delegation culture within the team including (developing team members' capacity to accept and execute delegated responsibilities over time)

7. Coaching and Developing Others

7.1 The GROW Coaching Model

• Applying the GROW Coaching Model (Goal, Reality, Options, and Will) to develop team members through structured coaching conversations

• Effective coaching questions at each GROW stage including (open questions to explore reality, generative questions to expand options, and commitment questions to secure follow-through)

• Distinguishing coaching from mentoring and directing including (when each approach is appropriate and the risk of defaulting to advice-giving)

7.2 Building a Coaching Culture

• Integrating coaching conversations into regular one-to-one meetings including (shifting from status updates to developmental dialogue)

• Managing the tension between coaching for development and directing for performance delivery including (when the urgency of the task requires direction rather than coaching)

• Coaching conversation practice including (participants conduct a structured GROW conversation and receive structured peer feedback)

8. Emotional Intelligence in Management

8.1 Goleman's EI Framework

• Overview of Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence (EI) Framework including (the five domains — Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills)

• Self-awareness in management including (recognizing emotional triggers, understanding the impact of one's own behavior on the team, and developing honest self-assessment)

• Self-regulation under pressure including (managing emotional reactivity during conflict, performance conversations, and change — and the impact on team psychological safety)

8.2 Empathy and Relationship Management

• Empathy as a management skill including (listening to understand rather than respond, reading team emotional climate, and adapting communication to individual needs)

• Relationship management for managers including (building influence without authority, managing upward relationships, and sustaining productive cross-functional partnerships)

• EI self-development planning including (each participant identifies one EI domain for focused development and commits to a specific practice)

9. Conflict Management

• Understanding workplace conflict including (common sources — role ambiguity, resource competition, personality clashes, and competing priorities — and their management implications)

• Applying the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) including (the five conflict modes — Competing, Collaborating, Compromising, Avoiding, and Accommodating — and when each is appropriate)

• Identifying dominant conflict mode and its overuse risks including (the manager who always avoids versus the manager who always competes — and the team impact of each)

• Facilitating conflict resolution between team members including (creating conditions for constructive dialogue, staying neutral, and securing agreed outcomes)

• Managing upward conflict including (raising disagreement with senior leadership respectfully, using evidence rather than emotion, and maintaining the relationship after the conversation)

10. Communication and Stakeholder Management

• Management communication responsibilities including (team briefings, one-to-one conversations, upward reporting, and cross-functional stakeholder communication)

• Conducting effective team briefings including (clear message structure, two-way communication, confirming understanding, and tracking action follow-up)

• Managing difficult conversations including (delivering negative feedback, addressing conflict, and communicating unpopular decisions transparently)

• Influencing without authority including (building credibility, using data and evidence, and framing requests in terms of stakeholder benefit)

• Written management communication including (briefing notes, performance documentation, and escalation emails that are clear, factual, and decision-ready)

11. Change Management and Strategic Thinking

11.1 Leading Teams Through Change

• Applying Kotter's 8-Step Change Model to lead teams through organizational change including (creating urgency, building a guiding coalition, communicating the vision, and anchoring change in culture)

• Understanding resistance to change including (common resistance triggers, the emotional curve of change, and manager responses that accelerate or impede adoption)

• Communicating change to teams including (honest and timely communication, addressing the "what does this mean for me" question, and maintaining team stability during uncertainty)

11.2 Strategic Thinking for Managers

• Shifting from operational to strategic thinking including (seeing the bigger picture, anticipating future challenges, and connecting team activities to organizational objectives)

• Structured decision-making tools for managers including (defining the decision, gathering data, identifying options, evaluating consequences, and communicating the chosen course of action)

• Prioritization under resource constraint including (allocating team effort to highest-impact activities and making transparent trade-off decisions)

12. Case Studies and Group Discussions

• Analysis of management successes and failures in Middle East organizational environments including (team disengagement from inconsistent leadership, performance management breakdowns from poorly set goals, conflict escalation from avoided conversations, and change resistance from poor communication) and the importance of proper management development training in building capable, high-performing teams

• Group discussion on management challenges in regional professional contexts including (managing performance in high-power-distance cultures, leading multicultural teams with diverse expectations, and applying emotional intelligence in hierarchical organizational settings)

• Integrated management scenario challenge including (teams receive a complex scenario spanning underperformance, team conflict, and an upcoming organizational change — applying multiple frameworks to develop a comprehensive management action plan and presenting it for peer and facilitator review)