Fundamentals of Supervision and Management

About This Course If you have recently been promoted to a supervisory or management position or want to learn how to become a more effective manager, this course will help you master the basics of business by learning the language of management.

You will learn how to make a successful transition from employee to manager and you'll learn how to manage your time so that you can deal with the constant demands of a managerial job.

You will learn the skills required to delegate responsibility and motivate your employees. A large part of a manager's job involves getting things done through other people, and this course will help you understand how to influence and direct other people's performance.

Finally, you will learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts so you can accomplish your job more effectively.

ed2go is a global Registered Education Provider for the Project Management Institute (PMI). Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s) offer programs and courses that are preapproved for professional development units through PMI and have been reviewed by a project management professional (PMP) to ensure that they meet PMI's expectations for professional development in project management.

This program/course is a good choice for those looking for project management experience and those aspiring to obtain a PMI credential. It's also an excellent choice for existing PMI credential holders looking for an approved activity for PMI's continuing certification PDUs. At the end of this course, you'll receive a certificate indicating your completion of PDUs equal to the number of hours of this course through ed2go, R.E.P. #3213. Please visit pmi.org to learn more about PMI's credentials and how they may fit into your continuing education plans.

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Patricia Addesso.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

How has management theory evolved over the last 100 years? In this lesson, we'll take a fascinating glimpse back into the days of assembly lines and scientific management. Why did we need managers in the first place? We'll look at the ways organizations are structured and describe managerial jobs in terms of the technical and managerial tasks that are performed.

Friday - Lesson 02

Let's see if we can identify the characteristics of a typical supervisor's day, as well as ways that we can handle the challenges of that day. We'll talk about ways to make the supervisor's path smoother, such as empowerment and communication. We'll also go over some helpful hints on managing your image as a supervisor in your organization. How does one begin to think, act, and look like a manager?

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Is leadership distinct from management? Do you have what it takes to be a leader, or are you cut out to be just a manager? In this lesson, we'll look at the evolution of leadership research and begin to discuss the fascinating field of motivation. Believe it or not, a good leader can build motivation right into the design of a job.

Friday - Lesson 04

In this lesson, we'll look at the ways a supervisor can handle the challenges of delegation, performance management, and time management. Once we understand the challenges of the typical day, we can certainly understand the importance of time management to a supervisor! In this lesson, we'll identify time-wasters and time-savers.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Time to really dig into the topic dear to many managers' hearts-motivation! In this lesson, we'll clarify what managers need to understand about human motivation, and help you to understand the links between motivation and productivity.

Friday - Lesson 06

Motivational theories are great as long as they truly help you to manage people at work every day. We'll look closely at four theories that pass that test in this lesson: Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation, the three levels of human need in Alderfer's theory, and the three needs outlined by McClelland.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Do you believe that people naturally want to do a good job? Or are people lazy by nature and need to be watched? In this lesson, find out if you're a Theory X or a Theory Y-type of manager. There are self-fulfilling prophecies to each of those beliefs, and we'll go over both in this lesson. We'll also discuss goal-setting theory, management by objectives, and the various types of conflict you may meet when motivating people.

Friday - Lesson 08

In this lesson, we'll define two more very practical and influential motivational theories; equity theory and expectancy theory. Then we'll wrap up our theoretical discussion by making sure we understand the importance of creating a motivational environment.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Now comes the hard part: when real life doesn't work out the way the theories told us it should. What happens when conflict arises? We're going to talk about conflict and conflict resolution in this lesson. We'll include specific techniques of negotiation, a particular type of conflict management.

Friday - Lesson 10

We'll broaden our thinking a bit in this lesson: We've been looking a lot at individuals, but what about conflict and problem-solving in work groups? In this lesson, we'll identify means of solving conflict between groups. We'll also learn a problem-solving model that is useful in work and in life!

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

In this lesson, we'll continue to explore the problem-solving model introduced in Lesson 10 by talking about the importance of establishing objectives, generating alternatives, and choosing a solution.

Friday - Lesson 12

Lesson 12 concludes our discussion of the problem-solving model by explaining the importance of having a plan of action, and giving you the tools you need to carry the plan through to completion. We'll conclude by taking a final look at the conflicts that can arise while solving problems and completing action plans, and we will discuss the appropriate use of power to solve some conflict.

Requirements

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).