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The Business( Frontline Management) (FLM) training
package focuses on the development of soft people skills, strategic skills
and entrepreneurship. It is a broadening of how work is seen moving beyond
technical expertise to include quality and customer service. As its name
suggests, FLM brings the fundamentals of management to the workplace thereby
increasing productivity and effectiveness. Frontline managers are those
whose job it is to oversee, co-ordinate and manage the actual doing of
the organisation's work. Job roles of Frontline Managers are typically
a manager, assistant manager, team leader, project manager, co-ordinator,
supervisor or someone with potential to move into a leadership role.
The FLM training package is a set of nationally endorsed
generic frontline management competency standards that lead to national
qualifications. These standards are designed to be delivered in the workplace
and to be contextualised to suit the needs of individual industries and
enterprises.
Contents
Background
FLM was developed in response to the 1995 Karpin
report, which highlighted significant shortfalls in Australian management
practice, such as technical skills not being translated into management
qualifications. The shortfalls included:
- Over reliance on short courses
- Low levels of education and training
- Over emphasis on current rather than future skills
- Failure to handle the transition from specialist
to manager
- Failure to link management development to strategic
business direction
- Failure to evaluate the effectiveness of management
development.
Benefits
- Frontline managers are pivotal to service delivery and through better
performance they are able to provide a quality service to people with
a disability
- Frontline Managers are able to translate management concepts
into workplace action plans
- Team performance can be improved
- Workplace safety and processes can be improved
- In a changing world FLM can help to develop leadership
- FLM can help with succession planning
- FLM is different from other management programs in that it does
not sit outside the organisation, but rather is work-based.
- The outcomes of this learning are built upon the strategic goals
of the organisation.
How Business(Frontline Management) (FLM) Works
FLM is based on the Australian
Qualifications Framework (AQF), a series of nationally recognised
levels of achievement. The AQF is a nationally consistent framework for
all qualifications recognised in post-compulsory education throughout
Australia.
Competencies
FLM consists of five Core Stream Units:
- Unit 1 -
- Manage personal work priorities
and professional development.
Frontline managers are responsible for managing their own performance
and professional development.
- Unit 2 -
- Provide leadership in the workplace.
Frontline managers have an important leadership role in the development
of the organisation. This will be evident in the way they work with
teams and individuals, their standard of conduct and the initiative
they take in influencing others.
- Unit 3 -
- Establish and manage effective
workplace relations.
Frontline managers play an important role in developing and maintaining
positive relationships in internal and external environments.
- Unit 5 -
- Manage operations to achieve
planned outcomes.
Frontline managers are actively engaged in planning, implementing,
monitoring and recording performance to achieve the business plans
of the team/organisation. This key role is carried out to provide
safe, efficient and effective products and services to customer satisfaction
within the organisation's productivity and profitability plans.
- Unit 8 -
- Develop and maintain a safe
workplace and environment.
This unit is concerned with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) responsibilities
of employees with supervisory responsibilities.
And six Elective Stream Units:
- Unit 4 -
- Participate in, lead and facilitate
work teams.
Frontline managers have a key role in leading, participating in, facilitating
and empowering work teams/groups within the context of the organisation.
They play a prominent part in motivating, mentoring, coaching and
developing team members, and in achieving team cohesion.
- Unit 6 -
- Manage workplace information.
Frontline managers are important contributors and users of information.
Their competency in identifying, acquiring, analysing and using appropriate
information plays a significant part in the effectiveness of the organisation's
performance.
- Unit 7 -
- Manage quality customer service.
Frontline managers are involved in ensuring that products and services
are delivered and maintained to standards agreed by the organisation
and the customer. This will be carried out in the context of the organisation's
policies and practices as well as legislation, conventions and codes
of practice.
- Unit 9 -
- Implement and monitor continuous
improvement systems and processes.
Frontline managers have an active role in managing the continuous
improvement process in achieving the organisation's objectives. Their
position, closely associated with the creation and delivery of products
and services, means that they play an important part in influencing
the development of the organisation.
- Unit 10 -
- Facilitate and capitalise on
change and innovation.
Frontline managers have an active role in fostering change and acting
as a catalyst in the implementation of change and innovation. They
have a creative role in ensuring that individuals, the team and the
organisation gain from change; and that the customer benefits through
improved products and services.
- Unit 11 -
- Contribute to the development
of a workplace learning environment.
Frontline managers play a prominent role in encouraging and supporting
the development of a learning organisation. Promoting a learning environment
in which work and learning are integrated is an important goal to
be achieved.
Qualifications
Certificate III in FLM
The Certificate III in FLM (AQF level 3) requires
competency in at least four of the five Core Stream Units (outlined above)
and competency in two of the six Elective Stream Units (outlined above)
or in all five of the Core Stream Units and one of the six Elective Stream
Units.
Certificate IV in FLM
The Certificate IV in FLM (AQF level 4) requires
competency in all five Core Stream Units (outlined above) and competency
in three of the six Elective Stream Units (outlined above). Although the
units are the same as in Certificate III FLM, an increase in depth and
complexity of understanding and skill is required.
Diploma in FLM
The Diploma in FLM (AQF level 5) requires competency
in all eleven Units (five Core Stream Units and six Elective Stream Units).
Although the units are the same as in Certificate III FLM and Certificate
IV FLM, an increase in depth and complexity of understanding and skill
is required.
What will employees gain from FLM?
- Recognition of current practices and development
of other skills
- Management development and formal qualifications
- Relevant work-based learning projects
- Recognition and development of leadership competencies
- Increased organisational effectiveness through
empowerment of staff at the frontline.
How do I get involved?
The delivery of FLM will involve commitment of time
and resources to the set up of some of these support mechanisms:
- Induction programs
- Coach/mentor training
- Assessment processes
- Workplace assessor training
- Design of work-based projects
- Provision of materials to develop underpinning
knowledge.
Links for more on FLM
Kyeema's
experience with Frontline Management.
Providers
Frontline
Management Training Providers (updated on Monday 3 November 2003)
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