Participant-directed Management Development

Abstract

This paper reports on the development of a progressive design for management training in the Queensland Public Service. Based on Professor Malcolm Knowles' concept of adult learning, an andragogical (self-directed) process is utilised to place all learning decisions with the trainee. These decisions include the decision to participate, the content accessed, the sequence of learning, the learning mode (i.e., lecture, experiential, audio-visual, etc.), and the decision of whether learning takes place individually, in pairs, or in groups.The staff role in this design is very different. Rather than being the teacher who decides pertinent content areas and the arrangement and manner ofpresentation, the staff person (best described as facilitator'') takes responsibility for the learning environment, especially the quality of resources available and the promotion of a climate of openness, sharing, mutuality, and trust. Staff are promoted as resource persons to be utilised by participants according to their identified needs.The initial reactions to the design are extremely positive. The resistance experienced in participants involved in tradi tional management training is absent. The design encourages the development of autonomy, initiative, and risk-tak ing. These qualities of self-direction will better equip managers to manage the increasing uncertainty which the 1980's and beyond will certainly hold.

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