Moving into People Management

[wildest_jjk]

Hi all,

I'm currently in a technical role but there is the potential to move into a people management role within my existing team structure. I don't really have any experience of this and understand that this will put me at a significant disadvantage.

One thing I am keen on is continuing my learning/professional development so was thinking I could emphasise how I would be keen to undertake some form of people management/leadership course, self funded if that's what it takes. I have an undergraduate degree and have seen a number of masters courses such as MBA's and Human Resource Management MSc's.

Does anyone have any experience of undertaking courses to help get into this? I'm sure there are many more and it probably doesn't even require a masters but that's something I've been considering for a while anyway.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Kill_Phil]

Take a look at CIPD Level 5 in Human Resource Management.

Much cheaper than an Msc, will get you associate membership and give you a good intro into employee relations. However you can't beat some practical experience; would any managers at your workplace allow you to spend some time shadowing?

 

[wildest_jjk]

Thanks for the response.

Really appreciate the course information and will most likely mention this as part of my performance plan going forward. Agree with the practical experience but my existing manager is happy for me to give it a go alongside my current role. This sort of opportunity doesn't come by often so I think I need to jump on it regardless. It's with my existing team which I hope will make things easier as well.

 

[Andybtsn]

Management roles with the technical skills are hard to find, it should put you at an advantage knowing the company and if you have the right skill set and personality traits to manage and lead people.

 

[Bounce]

Take a look at CIPD Level 5 in Human Resource Management.

Much cheaper than an Msc, will get you associate membership and give you a good intro into employee relations. However you can't beat some practical experience; would any managers at your workplace allow you to spend some time shadowing?

You can't compare cipd lvl 5 to a masters degree.

CIPD Lvl 3 = A lvl
CIPD Lvl 5 = undergrate lvl
CIPD Lvl 7 = post grad/masters

Lvl 3 is for entry lvl roles in hr (e.g hr administrator)
Lvl 5 is for mid managers roles in hr (e.g hr manager)
Lvl 7 is for high managent roles in hr (e. g hr director)

 

[Kill_Phil]

You can't compare cipd lvl 5 to a masters degree.

CIPD Lvl 3 = A lvl
CIPD Lvl 5 = undergrate lvl
CIPD Lvl 7 = post grad/masters

Lvl 3 is for entry lvl roles in hr (e.g hr administrator)
Lvl 5 is for mid managers roles in hr (e.g hr manager)
Lvl 7 is for high managent roles in hr (e. g hr director)

Think you kind of missed the point. He will not need an Msc in HR to go into general management, which as you have highlighted is aimed at roles such as a HR director.

The OP wants a introductory into employee relations which the Level 5 would give sufficient insight and at a fraction of the cost.

As per my post you can't actually beat practical experience when it comes to management.

 

[dowie]

I'm not sure that a HR specific course is really what you're after, certainly not a full blown MSc unless you're going to actually get into that field. I mean it might be worth doing some HR course to get some background in that area etc.. just as it is worth perhaps getting some background in marketing, operations, sales, project management, accounting etc.. and why various MBA courses will provide a broad coverage of those areas. However HR personnel aren't there to run the company, lead teams etc.. (unless leading a HR/admin team), they're there to sort out HR issues, provide advice on that area to managers etc.. one of many areas someone looking to progress perhaps needs some awareness of but which is delegated to HR specialists for good reason.

An MBA might be worth it if you get into a brand name program. Might be feasible if you have a solid undergrad from a good university (and/or MA/MSc) and get into say LBS and have plenty of ambition - that sort of course can pay off if you're going to be fast tracked to the top of a large company or you're going to join some big consultancy etc... AFAIK a big part of the "value" of these programs is actually the network you make and the brand name attached to you which can open doors for you (though you'd still need to deliver the goods).

It could also be worth trying an MBA whether from some top program or not if your employer is going to fund it, in which case you're perhaps less worried about branding and just want the course content + some recognition and perhaps some networking opportunities.

If you're not getting funded for it and you're not getting onto some top program then I think it probably isn't so worthwhile given the cost of some of these things - you'll find that you can cover some of the same sort of content via MOOC providers and books too so if you're not fussed about a certificate and meeting people then just self study the contents anyway. Plenty of guides out there re: DIY MBA programs and alternative courses etc..

Re: leadership skills - this is the sort of stuff you develop over time, you might have an advantage if you've been heavily involved in extra curricular stuff at school, uni and indeed carried on with that stuff outside for work. This might be worth a look if you're looking for self development in both that area and public speaking too:

https://www.toastmasters.org
https://toastmasterclub.org/

They're kind of self organising and depending where you live you can check out a few different clubs local to you and go with the one you prefer.

 

[wesimmo]

I wouldn't bother with HR qualifications, that's what HR are there for, to support the operation when there are questions about HR.

Most big corporates I've worked for have some sort of management training set up, but to be honest as has been said I just sort of ended up doing it and learned on the job.

Take the bits you like about managers you've had and use those, for example I always liked a manager that got their hands dirty so I tend to lead by example and coach by sitting next to people doing live work, 1:1s are less formal than some places would like.

It helps if you build a team or are already part of a team who share your view of how things should be too.

 

[Bounce]

Think you kind of missed the point. He will not need an Msc in HR to go into general management, which as you have highlighted is aimed at roles such as a HR director.

The OP wants a introductory into employee relations which the Level 5 would give sufficient insight and at a fraction of the cost.

As per my post you can't actually beat practical experience when it comes to management.

I totally got your point. I wanted to make it clear to the OP and every else that lvl 5 was not equivalent to a masters because that's how your post read.

 

[JetMars]

Don't do it, people management generally is awful. Especially if you're from a technical background.

I've also found it can be a difficult transition within the same company.

 

[wonder_lander]

I'd just like to add to what @JetMars said.

Leaving the office on a Friday as an equal then coming in on a Monday as a manager within the same team can be difficult.
You'll have a relationship with your existing colleagues which now has to shift dynamic. From taking the mick out of one another you have to now distance yourself and lead by example in line with company policy.

I did this but didn't particuarly enjoy the way the relationship changed with people who I had classed as friends.

 

[Ben3991]

I'd just like to add to what @JetMars said.

Leaving the office on a Friday as an equal then coming in on a Monday as a manager within the same team can be difficult.
You'll have a relationship with your existing colleagues which now has to shift dynamic. From taking the mick out of one another you have to now distance yourself and lead by example in line with company policy.

I did this but didn't particuarly enjoy the way the relationship changed with people who I had classed as friends.

I take your points but don't think it has to be this way. Sure, you have to lead by example, but the best workers would be doing that whether they are managing or admins. Also, I can't see a need to distance yourself just because you're a manager. When you are hard at work trying to sort an issue, then yes, the dynamic might be different, but at all other times, when you're just generally getting on with things, why would it be any different? They are the bosses who no-one likes and therefore people don't work as hard for.

 

[wonder_lander]

I take your points but don't think it has to be this way. Sure, you have to lead by example, but the best workers would be doing that whether they are managing or admins. Also, I can't see a need to distance yourself just because you're a manager. When you are hard at work trying to sort an issue, then yes, the dynamic might be different, but at all other times, when you're just generally getting on with things, why would it be any different? They are the bosses who no-one likes and therefore people don't work as hard for.

It all depends on the team and the company culture.

I've been at companies where you've got slackers in the team who don''t pull their weight, maybe you would have joked with them about it in the past now but now you need to pull them inline.
Similarly if there are company processes that you've slated as a team, company bonus scheme, objective setting or the holiday or sick polocy....all these now need to be managed with you taking the side of the company.

As I say I only have my own experiecnes to draw on and your mileage may vary depending on the setup.

 

[danza]

Not sure I completely understand your position. Is it that you're a team member and are potentially being given the role of team leader/manager? If so, that's what happened to me 3.5 years ago.

I was working as a mechanical design engineer, and the opportunity arose to become team lead. It started off a little bit bumpy because I suddenly had my ex-boss as a subordinate, but me being thick-skinned, relaxed, willing to have a 'chat' and understanding helped and now we all get along well. I also inherited a HR-nightmare employee who had good intentions, but was obviously incompetent. They've since left my team for greater things.

I was lucky inasmuch as my ex-boss was really the only person who could've caused me much grief, but anything like that passed in a couple of months. I now have 7 direct reports and whilst my role initially was 20% leading the team and 80% still leading design projects, I quickly realised that it was impossible to juggle and the actual management of the team gradually took over. I now do about 20% technical hands-on design, the rest is running the team and assisting in any technical issues they have as well as aiding senior management with various things.

I was very lucky that I had (still have) a manager who is extremely supportive. For the first 6 or 8 months, myself and my similarly-promoted counterpart in the other division of the company had weekly 1-2 hour long sit-downs with our manager to shoot the breeze, discuss and HR-related issues and work out ways of going forward with all this good stuff. It was incredibly valuable, and without this the job would have been much, much harder.

As for HR-related qualifications, if you're in a similar situation to the above and you have a decent HR dept., don't bother IMO. If you can lean on your manager for support when you need it and likewise HR, you should be good. I still aspire to do more learning over and above my BEng, but doing that at the same time as running a team is not easy (I was still doing my degree when I was promoted and it was pretty stressful at times). If you really feel like you'd want to learn more, go deeper in your specialism or maybe look at something more business management related. Personally, I'd give it a year or so before you go down that route.

 

[Diddums]

You need to clarify your position, too many variables to recommend anything specific and all these people recommending HR degrees and other 55year £400k courses are more than likely wrong.

 

[mid_gen]

I take your points but don't think it has to be this way. Sure, you have to lead by example, but the best workers would be doing that whether they are managing or admins. Also, I can't see a need to distance yourself just because you're a manager. When you are hard at work trying to sort an issue, then yes, the dynamic might be different, but at all other times, when you're just generally getting on with things, why would it be any different? They are the bosses who no-one likes and therefore people don't work as hard for.

The relationship with your colleagues does change, nothing you can do to prevent that. There is an element of distance that occurs, it's just natural.

I don't understand all the recommendations for HR qualifications...you're just taking on a management role in a technical team right? That doesn't mean you're becoming a HR lackey

 

[dowie]

You need to clarify your position, too many variables to recommend anything specific and all these people recommending HR degrees and other 55year £400k courses are more than likely wrong.

It is the OP who brought those up, the posts have been suggesting alternatives (especially if not being funded!).

 

[Energize]

Take a look at CIPD Level 5 in Human Resource Management.

Much cheaper than an Msc, will get you associate membership and give you a good intro into employee relations. However you can't beat some practical experience; would any managers at your workplace allow you to spend some time shadowing?

You can't compare cipd lvl 5 to a masters degree.

CIPD Lvl 3 = A lvl
CIPD Lvl 5 = undergrate lvl
CIPD Lvl 7 = post grad/masters

Lvl 3 is for entry lvl roles in hr (e.g hr administrator)
Lvl 5 is for mid managers roles in hr (e.g hr manager)
Lvl 7 is for high managent roles in hr (e. g hr director)

Normally level 6 is a Bachelors degree.

 

[dowie]

Normally level 6 is a Bachelors degree.

You're kind of both right in a way...

Level 6 means the course is of equivalent level to 3rd year modules in an undergrad degree.

The other poster is correct too to state level 5 is undergrad level - it is supposed to be equivalent to 2nd year material. And likewise level 4 is supposed to be of an equivalent level to 1st year undergrad material.