Intended Audience: DHHS Employees Only
Credit: 4.5CEU's (total of 45 hours)
The Staff Education and Training Unit recognizes that the development of those who are in leadership positions or aspire to promote into such positions is integral to the success of the organization. Whatever title a leader holds - “supervisor”, “manager” or “team leader” - each has great influence on the work environment. Most individuals in leadership positions are in those positions because they have demonstrated success at the “tasks” of the organization; yet leadership is really the balance between task and relationship - getting the work done and developing and maintaining a positive relationship with staff.
To help build the skills and knowledge that will lead to success for leaders, Staff Education and Training is offering the following certificate program for those who are already in leadership positions or who have made the decision they would like to become supervisors and want to prepare for that eventuality.
TO ENROLL PLEASE GO TO THE INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS LISTED BELOW FOUND IN THIS CATALOGUE.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENROLL IN ANY OF THE ONLINE PROGRAMS
This track consists of five days of classroom programs, three on-line programs, and a choice of one elective.
Classroom Programs (Required)
1. The Role of the Supervisor - half day
Before stepping into the role of a supervisor it is helpful to know what function supervisors fulfill in the workplace. This half-day program will focus on the challenges supervisors face in responding to the many and sometimes conflicting demands and the impact of the organization’s structure on the flow of communication.
2. Conflict Resolution at Work- three days
Skill in the area of communications is critical to success as a supervisor. High performance at work requires successful collaboration. The basis for collaborative work relationships is a communication process that includes: listening for understanding, confronting effectively; and implementing solutions based on identified underlying needs of all parties. In this three-day, 18-hour program participants explore such concepts as “problem ownership”, “roadblocks to communication” and “needs vs. solutions” and learn to resolve conflicts.
The learning objectives for the program are that participants will be able to:
- Explain, demonstrate and use the powerful skill of active listening;
- Identify common listening errors;
- Describe different confrontation styles and their impact;
- Develop and deliver non-threatening confrontations;
- Explain the effects of power in conflict resolution;
- Participate in, and learn to lead, a six-step model of problem solving; and
- Demonstrate skills in managing conflict of values.
3. Team Building and Problem Solving - one day
Team Building and the Supervisor’s Role
The work environment has seen dramatic changes in the last 40 years. Chief of these changes is a trend towards working in teams instead of on individual assignments. Some organizations report incredible results in a team based culture such as improved quality, communication, and staff morale. Teams do not develop simply by putting groups of people together. In this session, participants will learn the stages of team development, the skills necessary for supervision at each stage and how the supervisor’s role dramatically changes in a team driven culture. Research from various sources and examples of successful team based work environments will be shared.
Problem Solving with your Customer
We work at DHHS with an incredible variety of customers, both internal and external. How can we apply problem solving steps so that we can get to superior customer service? In this session we will look at some practical and time saving ways in which customers can get their voices heard and the steps to effective problem solving and how you can use those steps to make changes. The importance of employee involvement, data collection tools and data -based decision making will be stressed.
4. Strategic Planning and Project Management- half day
Strategic Planning is the process of defining strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating resources to assure that strategies are implemented to drive overall objectives. Development of a strategic plan for use as a guide for measuring progress toward objectives is critical for efficient and effective utilization of resources. Supervisors play important roles in both developing and implementing plans. In this program participants will learn a strategic planning model involving clarifying a mission; determining overall goals for a specific time period; writing specific, measurable objectives to drive the goals; and developing strategies and action plans designed to reach each objective. P roject Management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of strategies. This is a critical function for supervisors. A project has a specific beginning and end, is performed by people, and is constrained by limited resources. A project plan details the tasks and sequencing necessary for project success. In this program participants will learn how to detail and order tasks to realistically manage challenges to project completion.
On-Line Programs (Required)
An Introduction to the Department of Health and Human Services, The Legislative Process,
and The Financial Management System
An Introduction to the Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services is the largest Department in State government with programs that touch the lives of virtually all the citizens of this state. This on-line training provides an overview of the Department and the various programs within each of the Offices in the Department and their core functions.
The Financial Management System
This on-line program is an overview of the Financial Management System and the services it provides. It includes descriptions of the primary components of the system: Program and Fiscal Coordination; Purchased Services; Medicaid Finance; the Division of Audit, and the Financial Service Center (a part of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services) and their programs, services and functions.
Electives- Select One
Ethical Conduct as a Supervisor - half day
This program explores the nature of ethics and ethical decision making from the standpoint of the supervisor and is based on material from the Institute for Global Ethics and from the work of Rushworth Kidder who is the author of How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living. Dilemmas occur when two "rights" or two of our core values come into conflict with each other and we find ourselves with difficult decisions to make. We face these dilemmas, which are known as "right versus right" dilemmas, all the time and they are particularly challenging for those who supervise. When people promote into supervisory positions their roles change and the boundaries are different. Understanding those boundaries, both personal and professional, can be a challenge. In this workshop we will present a model of decision making which will go through a series of logical steps that will allow participants to apply analysis and resolution tools to the many ethical issues a supervisor may encounter.
Writing Skills - half day
Writing such as documentation of justifications for decisions and/or written materials that may become legal documents challenge writers to use clear language, present only relevant facts and findings, organize materials, and use appropriate grammar and punctuation. Through presentation, discussion, and group activities participants will explore: the use of plain language; recording only actual observations; organizing material; and grammar and punctuation.
Resiliency - one day
The American Psychological Association defines “resilience” as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to change or misfortune. Research shows us that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary, and that people commonly demonstrate it; yet stepping into a supervisory position often presents factors that challenge each of us, regardless of our respective lines of work. It can be lonely at the top. In this program participants will focus on the potential for personal burnout and will learn the answers to such questions as who is and who tends to be most resilient and why. The program offers a five step process for building resiliency amid increasing demands. Topics will include clarifying personal missions, identifying the values behind motivation, surviving change, managing time, energy and stress and remembering how to play. The process of developing resilience is a personal journey. Participants will complete individual assessments and will leave the program with personal action plans developed during the session.
