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Professional Practice Resources

To help you become a successful manager, OD&PL have brought together a range of resources on some of the areas managers need to develop to ensure effectiveness within their role.

The professional practice resources include:

  • Change Management
  • Conflict Management
  • Planning
  • Project Management
  • Time Management

Throughout we have utilised LinkedIn Learning resources, collections and learning pathways to enable you to develop over time.

Change Management

The UoL has its own People and Change Approach which focusses very clearly on the people aspect of engaging with change. It is worth watching the People and Change webinar, hosted by Dr. Catherine Ingham, Head of Business Change.

Conflict Management

Conflict management is the process through which disputes are resolved in a way that ensures negative outcomes are minimised and positive results prioritised. There tend to be a number of key strategies used around conflict; accommodating, avoidance, compromise, competing and collaboration. The key is to develop the ability and understanding of when to use the relevant approaches, and this will be situational. A useful first step is to undertake an initial self-assessment/quiz to bring to light your default approach - the approach you tend to take in any situation - see Conflict management style quiz

  • Conflict Resolution Foundations - LinkedIn Learning video – Lisa Gates shares the secrets of effective conflict resolution and reveals simple, repeatable techniques that apply in most business situations – through collaboration. She presents "The Resolution Roadmap," a practical framework for exploring and navigating conflict resolution, including identifying the issue and distinguishing fact from fiction. In addition, she shares conflict resolution techniques that can help you enhance your listening skills and reframe problems to find common ground.

Planning

Planning is one of the four stands of the POLC Framework (planning, organising, leading, controlling) and connects strongly to problem solving. For effective planning there are a number of key factors managers need to be aware of; the vision, mission and strategy of the organisation and how the team sits within that; the environmental factors we are working within; and likely future conditions (and so alternative possibilities). Our planning therefore must incorporate all these aspects to set the appropriate objectives and the stepping stones to reach these. Plans should be continually evaluated for any changes or corrective measures.

  • Develop Your Strategic Planning Skills - LinkedIn Learning learning path – In this learning pathway learn how to plan for and anticipate consequences and trends for your business. Discover how to curate information, identify issues, and forge relationships. Learn how to commit to a course of action, develop alternatives, and use facts, resources, and organisational values to achieve your goals.
  • Change Management: Roadmap to Planning - LinkedIn Learning course – Christina Charenkova takes you through practical examples of how to create change plans for transformation projects, irrespective of the project or change methodology. Christina explains how to make it easy for people to change, then shows you how to plan a change management effort using techniques such as building a case for change, stakeholder analysis, change impact assessment, communications plan, and change alignment.

Project Management

There are numerous project management approaches, such as, Prince2, APM, Agile and Lean, to name but a few used at the university. Project management is fundamentally the process used to achieve desired goals within the given constraints/timeline of the project. The Universities Delivering Results Framework, developed through Business Change, offers a range of useful tools, techniques and templates.

  • Project Management Foundation - LinkedIn Learning video – In this course, Bonnie Biafore explains the fundamentals of project management, from establishing project goals and objectives and building a project plan to managing resources and work, meeting deadlines, and closing the project. Along the way, she provides tips for communicating, holding meetings, keeping a project on track, and gaining customer acceptance.

Time Management

In order to meet our objectives, complete tasks on time, undertake a myriad of unexpected problem-solving issues (both people and task orientated), and also have time to enjoy other aspect of work and life, it is important we are able to manage our time well. To do this we need to have a structured approach. Steven Covey’s Time Management Matrix is a useful tool in identifying what is urgent and important for you and so needs done now (managed), what is urgent but not important and could possibly be delegated (avoided), what is important but not urgent, often we relegate our long term development to this area (but this is where our focus should be), and what is neither important nor urgent and could be stopped altogether (or at least limited).

  • Time management working from home - LinkedIn Learning course – Working from home is a wonderful opportunity, but time management can be a challenge. With so many demands on your time and attention, it’s a tricky balancing act to stay productive. In this course, Dave Crenshaw offers best practices for anyone who works full-time or occasionally from home. Dave begins by showing how to set up a dedicated workspace for maximum productivity, including tips on setting up your computer to ensure you stay focused. Then Dave walks through how to craft your daily schedule for peak productivity and plan meaningful breaks to avoid burnout. He explains how to collaborate with remote co-workers, including how to use virtual meetings productively. Finally, Dave offers advice for working parents and other caregivers who might be balancing professional and personal responsibilities in the home.