Manager as a trainer, a coach, and a mentor

Abstract

This paper argues that for effective development of managers, training programmes are far from sufficient. The major development of managerial capabilities, in fact, takes place not so much as a result of training programmes as on the job. But this development can be directed or undirected and one of the important tasks of a senior manager is to make sure this development is directed and effective. The development of junior managers by senior managers is a vital activity in a learning organization. In today's fast changing environment, the only organizations that will survive will be learning organizations. Competitive advantage is not static. Organizations cannot place themselves in particular strategic postures in an industry and stay there for all time to come but have to evolve and adapt to new situations. This ability to adapt depends on the amount and kind of learning that takes place continuously in the organizations and how effectively managers can apply these learnings in their jobs. Formal training programmes can be useful and effective not by themselves but through effective coupling to organizational situations. This linkage is often lacking which is the prime reason for the apparent lack of effectiveness of such formal programmes. But building such linkages can hardly be done by academic institutions or consultants; they need to be ultimately done by the managers of the organizations themselves. As a general rule, most managers are aware of this role but have neither the time, energy nor incentive to do the development and training of their junior managers. They also lack a framework to do this systematically. This article suggests a possible framework. The role of senior managers as trainers varies with the stages the junior manager is in his career: as the first boss of a new manager, the senior managers have to shape the values and develop the ability in the new manager to prioritize and set goals for himself for the middle level managers, the senior managers have to act as trainers capitalizing on the experience the junior managers would have had thus far and integrating them with the training programmes they might have been deputed to for senior managers, they must act as disseminators and enablers of dissemination of new ideas for all levels, mentoring is very important. Not all managers can make effective mentors; and for those who have the aptitude, training programmes for mentorship can be useful. Ultimately, the role of the senior managers as trainers, coaches, and mentors is to enable the junior managers to learn effectively and help them in their self development. � 2005, SAGE Publications Ltd. All rights reserved.