Senior Management Development Programme South Africa

Introduction

As exponential environmental change becomes a reality, organisations are increasingly exposed to a new generation of organisational concepts and technologies. A paradigm shift in terms of new management and strategic leadership thinking is required. Senior managers will need to place greater emphasis on developing resilience and adaptability to changing circumstances and acquire the ability to sense and respond to new business models.

The Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP) broadens the worldviews of senior managers and empowers them to be resilient in a dynamic business environment. It focuses on framing the challenges of a changing business and organisational landscape, equipping participants with a design mind set as they explore strategic concepts around innovation, sustainability, collaboration, project work, organisational change and business agility.

Who is this course for?

This programme is suited to senior managers from any industry who are needing to develop a strategic and design-thinking mindset, as well as develop leadership resilience in a VUCA environment.

Why choose this course?

In a rapidly changing environment, organisations are being exposed to a completely new way of working. Over the course of 6 months, the training within the SMDP empowers you with the tools to:

Explore strategic concepts and illustrate the integrative nature of strategy.
Analyse sustainability as a key 21st century business challenge.
Interpret the challenges of opening up new markets and the implication of a change in one or more macro-economic forces on business.
Analyse the organisation’s financial viability and recommend improvements.
Demonstrate foresight in navigating a rapidly shifting landscape of organisational forms and future skills requirements.
Explore strategies to respond to the challenges of a diversified workforce and use enhanced transformational leadership thinking to engage talent in the organisation.
Analyse workforce optimisation methods to execute on strategies.
Formulate strategies for developing strategic relationships and creating value for the customer using innovation and design thinking.
Analyse marketing trends and create a marketing strategy.
Motivate the importance of leveraging disruptive technologies and business intelligence to make informed business decisions.
Determine the impact of economic policy decisions on strategies.

Admission requirements

English language competence at NQF level 4 or equivalent.
Foundational knowledge of management and business
3 - 5 years experience in a middle to senior management role

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What our learning partners had to say

SMDP has helped me, as a manager, to ask the right questions. I have grown from managing productivity to taking care of the workforce that report to me.
Lucky Selowa

The SMDP has exposed me to methodologies and processes that are very different to the way that I had operated within my own environment previously. I have experienced the value of linking my SMDP learnings to the rapidly changing environment. I absolutely relished the learning experience from start to end, and the application thereof has enhanced my thinking and leadership exponentially.
Jillian Brikkels

When I started my SMDP course at USB, I was 3months into a new role I had been recently promoted to at work. The insights gained from the programme- have helped to enhance my strategic thought processes, and equipped me as a manager, with the necessary leadership and project management skills necessary to perform in this transitional business world. I’ve also developed more knowledge in financial statements which were not my strengths prior to the course.
Sbu Koyana

The team-based environment enabled me to learn from others, to accept and share ideas, to accept risks and rewards together - but most importantly and unconsciously - to build a solid business together. It forced me to think out of the box, to understand the dynamics of the organisation and to be a creative leader.
Darren Moodley
Sanlam

I’ve seen a great improvement with my relationships at a personal and professional sphere. I have a stronger relationship with my line manager, and I provide more input in projects and developments around our team. My focus on creating opportunities for the group, as opposed to the business unit, has developed much more in that I am able to refer credible leads to other businesses in the group.
Tshepho Ledwaba
Sanlam

The highlight of my experience was interacting with different people from different countries who have diverse backgrounds with the aim to achieve a common goal. The contributions, inclusion, support, disagreements, and consensus were phenomenal. The impacts of the project on my personal life were ‘the conscious urge to always give a helping hand!’ and also the value in identifying untapped resources to generate passive income. USB-ED has helped me to bridge my competency and developmental gaps, such as improving my innovative mindset and empowering me to think “without the box.
Sola Ogunsakin

The Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP) has turned me to be a better leader and family man. The learnings are relevant to my day-to-day life, and beyond that, my organisation has made big strides with the implementation of new ways that I managed to share with my peers since completing the programme. Speaking from a personal perspective, I am in a better state mentally and psychologically since completing the programme, and all these are important in my endeavours of becoming a better leader.
Amox Xheko

Embrace the journey that the programme takes you through. There will be ups and downs, but the end result is worth it. Almost two years later not only does our team have a strong bond but also through the networking of the program you have a greater understanding of the business which allows for collaboration.
Karishma Singh
Sanlam