82179 - Management Skills

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide students with the theoretical and practical framework related to the profile Staff, Competencies, Motivations and performance required to top managers and middle managers. At the end of the course students are able to: (a) understand the key issues related to the evaluation of managers and curricular components; (b) analyze the management's aspects linked to the business dimension, to the phase of life cycle and to the strategic focus in connection with the elaboration and management of business plans; (c) evaluate and use the potentialities of the networking approach in project and business networks development.

Course contents

The course will be organised around "10 case studies" and all lectures will require students to read in advance the material/case prepared for the lesson and discuss in teams for possible solutions. At the end of the team discussions, there will be a plenary session facilitated by the instructor. The goal is to discuss the implication of the case for managers and to introduce theoretical frameworks that could be used in the resolution of the case.

The entire course will be based on the discussion of case studies debated in class.

1.Introduction and Setting the Stage

2. How personalty shapes our managerial skills?

 3.How can we design good jobs that motivate people?

4. Should our collaborators have a life outside the office?

5. How can we leverage on the power of diversities?

 

6. How can we give Feedback in a Non-Violent Way?

7.How can we manage changes in the organization?

 8. How can we welcome newcomers onboard?

 9. How can we help ourselves being happy at work?

10. Course Review and Analysis of Individual and Team Reflections.

Through the analysis of these cases, students will have a chance to develop unique insight about the most important skills of a contemporary managers.

Readings/Bibliography

Hands-out will be distributed in class;

Main book for the course:

Achor, S. (2010). The happiness advantage. Crown Publishing Group. 

Teaching methods

The course will be organised around "10 case studies" and all lectures will require students to read in advance the material/case prepared for the lesson and discuss in teams for possible solutions. At the end of the team discussions, there will be a plenary session facilitated by the instructor.

Assessment methods

The final evaluation of this course will depend on the following assignment (for students who will participate in the course). Please choose one of the three individual assignments that will account for 40% of your final marks. For the students who will not take part in the course, the final examination will account 100% of their final mark.

1. Individual assignment: gratitude journal (40%). Students will be invited to complete for two weeks a gratitude journal each evening and then write a gratitude essay where they will explain the process and describe the benefits experienced during these two weeks. The individual assignment is due at the end of November.

or

2. Positive Address Book (40%). Take an old-paper version of the address book and annotate inside, for each letter, your small and big achievements. The suggestion is to annotate words that can evoke positive moments and strong feelings. Describe the event accurately wit also the indication of feelings you felt in that specific moment. You can also list the qualities and unique strengths you have and that makes you feel good when using them.

or

3. Photo album (40%). Using the camera of your phone, you are required to shoot photos that evoke positive feelings and good moments. It is not easy as you need to train your eye to see and recognize the beauty around you. If you choose this activity, you need to shoot at least one photo per day for all the second part of the course (mid-november/mid-december) for about 30 photos to collect and share with the class.

4. Final Exam (60%). Students will need to complete a final examination composed of multiple choices questions on the theoretical frameworks illustrated in class.

Teaching tools

Slide and articles in support of the teaching will be uploaded on the "Insegnamenti Online Platform"

Office hours

See the website of Marcello Russo