1.5. Senior and middle managerial training in China

Retaining the best performers

Although training is not enough to retain one’s best performers, it could be a part of a greater
solution for enhanced retention.

It can be regarded as:

• An opportunity for trainees to broaden knowledge, acquire new skills and obtain additional
  certification, which can result in better work performance.
• A way to show the company’s appreciation and recognition of trainees as valuable and high potential employees.
• An opportunity to meet new people and spend some time in an enriching environment.
• A long-term investment by their company and a confirmed indication that the trainee is
  regarded as a high potential valued employee.

The retention component places further emphasis on the need for companies (training buyers) to pay special attention to the content, method of the training and in particular to the link between training, the tie-in to corporate objectives and delivery results.

There is obviously a full spectrum of methods to motivate managers. The effectiveness differs from person to person, and across companies and cultures. The content of the training initiatives selected for managers can be modified to increase the managers’ work performance by a better understanding of:

• Their role in the organization
• The importance of the decisions they take
• The ways the organization recognizes their contribution and retains them as the best
  performers
• The policy of the organization toward their professional development.

How to increase work engagement of managers?

Managers need to know that their contribution is recognized and valued by the organization. Furthermore, they need to be aware that they have a responsibility and they are stakeholders in the decision–making process.

Specific types of courses

Senior Managerial training is a demonstrated focus of training buyers. Leadership is perceived as the critical and most wanted training and outcome for senior management. Four out of five companies would like to have Leadership courses for their senior managers. More than 40% of the respondents are interested in having either different kinds of management courses or MBA and/or EMBA courses for senior managers. 360 degree assessments are becoming increasingly valued, as well as Language training and Psychological Profiling among senior management training initiatives. For detailed results please visit Figure 12 below.

As mentioned earlier in this report, middle managers are the key group in the eyes of training buyers. Training buyers have suggested through their response that middle managers need a variety of managerial courses among which project management courses are seen as very popular. A second key category includes leadership programs. Technical training and development, as well as, 360-degree assessments are also in demand. MBA/EMBA programs are less popular for middle managers than for senior managers, but still 17% of respondents are willing to make this type of investment into their mid-level managers. In general, buyers tend to provide more training related to leadership development for their senior managers and provide more technical content for their middle managers.

In terms of skills’ development for middle managers, Leadership/decision-making skills received the most attention (65%). Communication and relationship-building skills are sourced by half of the training buyers. The demand for training of People Development Skills and Teamwork Building is 44% and 43% respectively. 39% of training buyers are willing to purchase English-language training, while 36% have listed a preference to outsource Negotiation Skills training for their middle managers. For detailed information please refer to Figure 14 below.

The preferred training method for middle managers is not very different from general methods of training. In general they prefer traditional methods of teaching. Nine out of ten training buyers would like to have live instructor-led classroom delivery. Action Learning is gaining recognition as 33% of training buyers are interested in using Action Learning to improve skills and competencies of their middle managers. Conference/workshop sessions are equal in percentage to Action Learning.

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