Griffonage Training

Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching for Team Leadership & Development
Post-2008, the world of work has changed. Economic strain is considerable and competition is intense. More than ever companies need to be leaner, smarter, more agile, creative and competitive. It is essential for employers to maximise the potential of their people, their teams and, most importantly, their current and future leaders.

Coaching and group working are recognised as two of the most effective ways to learn and enhance performance, especially of teams, the building blocks of any organisation, and their leaders. Against this background Griffonage, in collaboration with the University of Chester, offers a postgraduate course specifically for managers up to the most senior levels.

There are many coaching courses on the market. What is different about the Griffonage course is that it takes coaching and group learning, and uses them as an approach to both leadership and team development. This can be highly effective in today’s flatter corporate structures which often embrace up to three generations of people, all with potentially different values and beliefs regarding career, work-life balance, training and development, work environments and expectations of leaders. Team coaching empowers people to work together and find solutions. It is an empirical fact that teams, when working together, can produce results far better than the most able single member working alone.

Externally verified by Professor David Clutterbuck, probably the UK’s most well-respected name in coaching and mentoring, who has published over 50 books on these subjects and management generally, the course can be undertaken by individuals, or delivered in-house to specific client requirements for a minimum of six participants as part of their leadership development programmes.

The course, which is increasingly practical as it progresses, is led by Dr Michael Smith who, in addition to a Professional Doctorate in Executive Business Coaching & Team Learning, has 40 years’ leadership & management practice in the private and public sectors.

Aim
By considering and applying the latest thinking, research and practice participants will be enabled to create and adopt the most appropriate approaches to the leadership and performance development of their work teams, frequently operating in a climate of change.

Participants
All leadership roles at middle management to the Board, plus specialists such as HR directors and internal coaches, and high potential individuals as part of leadership development and succession planning.

Outcome
By the end of the course participants will have gained a toolkit of approaches, underpinning theoretical perspectives, and practical experience to apply coaching within their organisations. They will be able to create, nurture and grow more effective teams around them, and develop themselves as leaders during the demanding and changing requirements of today’s work environments.

Conduct
To minimise disruption away from the workplace the course comprises three, four-day modules (12 days in total including weekends) plus associated portfolio preparation, spread over nine months. Modules are delivered by a variety of interactive tutorials, facilitated discussions, and practical exercises, all with extensive group learning to establish a team working environment. Telephone and on-line support is available between modules. Participants will be supported in how to maintain a required learning journal and reflect on experiential learning.

Content
The first module investigates the theoretical foundation on which the increasingly practical second and third modules are conducted. In particular it looks at: the latest thinking and research on the psychological and educational underpinnings of coaching; its evaluation; its place within the current business environment; teams, systems, group dynamics and development; generational differences; learning; leadership; what coaching is and is not; the role and responsibilities of the coach and coachee; the ethics of coaching; emotional intelligence; levels of coaching maturity; and positive psychology.

The second module completes the theoretical perspectives and approaches to coaching, and moves on to the techniques and tools used for coaching-based learning and development, especially as they relate to teams and team leadership. In particular: solution and goal-focused coaching; cognitive behavioural coaching; person-centred coaching; NLP coaching; systems psychodynamic coaching; and a variety of models, such as such as GROW (Alexander, then Whitmore), ACE FIRST (Lee), CLEAR (Hawkins), Four-Stage (Skiffington & Zeus), Inner Game (Gallwey) + Model T (Downey), and PRACTICE & ABCDEF (Palmer). Students will consider the practicalities of applying coaching in the workplace, in particular to team leadership and development, and undertake practice sessions in teams within the classroom.

The third module will complete the exploration of the application of coaching in the workplace, and how to apply coaching to team leadership. In addition it will include: assessed practical exercises; the importance of supervision and CPD; and an introduction to ‘learning teams’.

Assessment
Assessment is 100% course-work based. It consists of a work-based 5,000 word critical essay after both the first and second modules, and a similar short critical essay and assessed practical exercise for the third module. Participants will be expected to keep reflective learning journals. All modules must be completed in sequence.

2012 Price
£4,500 + VAT, payable in advance. The price includes University registration.

University of Chester
Founded in 1839, the University of Chester is one of England’s oldest higher education institutions; it attracts both undergraduate and postgraduate students from around the world.

The Work-Based and Integrative Studies (WBIS) Framework is the largest flexible negotiated framework in Europe. The WBIS Framework sits in the Centre for Work Related Studies – Professional Development, in the Faculty of Business, Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. Conceived in 1998 it offers a flexible framework that allows the University to accord academic recognition for work-based learning.

Professional, postgraduate certificates offer recognised, university-accredited qualifications. Students undertake projects that have a direct bearing on the workplace at the same time as developing work-relevant knowledge and skills experienced through work-based learning.

Location
Courses exclusively for companies (for a minimum of six participants) can be delivered in-house anywhere in the UK. Those for individuals are held in the new multi-£million Riverside Innovation Centre at the University of Chester, in the heart of the city centre, very close to the Main Campus which houses the majority of the University’s faculties and research centres, as well as libraries, laboratories, IT suites, lecture theatres and cafes. Accommodation and facilities are plentiful and within walking distance of the University. Participants will receive training in using distance learning resources via the University library on-line.

Requirements
Eligibility to study at Master’s level is required. This could involve either appropriate qualification or experience. The precise eligibility of individual participants will be discussed between Griffonage and the client organisation, possibly including a meeting with the prospective participant(s). Additionally, a good command of English will be essential, as will a high level of responsibility for self-learning.