Rsm Diploma Programme in General Management

Are you moving into the role of a manager or supervisor for the first time? You will need techniques and competences for running your team smoothly and effectively; you also have to deal with pressure from your manager and team members. But you can’t navigate this phase in your career relying only on the skills you learned in your undergraduate studies.

Your personal management development track

The RSM Diploma in General Management is a modular management programme that provides you with carefully designed stepping stones that will boost your management skills, and help you excel in your new leadership role. The modules and content can be tailored to your personal and professional preferences. You will experience a wide variety of learning methods; you’ll prepare at home with reading, online tutorials and exercises before you come to the workshops to learn from your teachers. You will also learn from your peers in sessions facilitated by our top faculty.

You are eligible to receive your RSM Diploma Programme in General Management when you complete four courses and your in-company research project. Each module requires two to three days in the executive education classroom in Rotterdam.

We recommend you to follow the modules Team Leadership (mandatory), Finance for Non-Financial Managers and Foundations of Strategy. In addition you will choose a fourth subject that will equip you with the skills and knowledge to excel in your new leadership role.

Learning Objectives

After this programme, you will be able to:

• fast-track your development as first-time manager with your new knowledge and skills
• communicate more effectively with every level of your organisation
• steer your team successfully towards a common goal
• further align your internal and external stakeholders and shareholders
• understand core managerial and leadership competences and use practical tools for ongoing success
• use academic reasoning in your daily operations
• make decisions and moves with more confidence, personally and professionally

Curriculum

The Diploma Programme in General Management is made up of four modules plus an Applied Research Project. There is no specific order in which you need to follow the modules. The modules run throughout the year and the start date of the diploma programme depends on the choice of your first module.

Each module that is part of the diploma programme will be completed with a practical assignment. You will conclude the programme by completing your Applied Research Project. The whole programme can be completed within one to two years, and you must complete the Team Leadership module and the Applied Research Project in order to gain your diploma.

Recommended modules

The Team Leadership and Applied Research Project modules are mandatory. For the three other modules, you can choose from a selection of short programmes. We recommend you to follow the modules Team Leadership (mandatory), Finance for Non-Financial Managers, Foundations of Strategy. and a fourth subject that will equip you with the skills and knowledge to excel in your new leadership role.

Team Leadership (3 days)

Do you have the skills to be an effective team leader? Are you struggling with team leadership challenges and issues, or need to boost your skills to manage your team to collective excellence? In this three-day workshop, you will learn relevant team leader skills from RSM Executive Education's top faculty members. Your new knowledge and tools to deal effectively with motivational problems, dysfunctional team members, conflicts and lack of a common direction can be applied into your work immediately.

After this programme, you will be able to:

• understand how leading teams differs from leading individuals
• deal with difficult team members before they affect the entire team
• get the most out of your team members, knowledge and insights for collective decisions
• create a strong and cohesive team identity by using effective leaderships tools
• develop and communicate your vision for your team to inspire and motivate their efforts
• implement processes and systems for your team’s success, independent of your efforts

Finance for Non-Financial Managers (2 days)

Acquire a strong grounding in the most widely used financial tools. In two days on campus – plus some online work prior to and after the course – you will learn about financial reporting in balance sheets, cash flow and income statements, and how these are used for decision-making, performance management, business improvements and valuation. From November, RSM's Finance for Non-Financial Managers will include an individual assignment and a follow-up feedback session with your professor to discuss your progress.

When you have completed this programme, you will be able to:

• explain how the role of finance can influence the overall success of an organisation
• understand the key tools used by financial specialists
• assess the financial performance of your organisation
• interpret and evaluate financial data with your newfound practical skills
• understand how organisations have become global leaders by driving their operational excellence
• utilise your new, practical skills to interpret and evaluate financial data.

**Foundations of Strategy (3 days)

Learn how to work with the key elements of strategy so you can tackle business challenges, and recognise competitive advantages. You’ll gain actionable tips and skills to use directly in your job and organisation.

When you have completed this programme, you will be able to:

• use the latest knowledge to implement strategies in your job
• analyse industries, competition, success factors and organisational competencies – and understand their effect on strategy
• help your organisation conceptualise and formulate strategies
• identify the major challenges in executing strategy and their effects
• understand how acquisitions and alliances help strategy
• propose an action plan that will help you tackle your business challenges.

Admission

Participants will learn as much from each other as from the faculty. To ensure a diverse and high-quality group, all applicants to the programme will be required to undergo a short intake discussion with an RSM staff member. This way we can guarantee that the programme is suitable for you.

You should comply with two of the following requirements if you wish to take part in the Diploma Programme in General Management:

• You have no or limited managerial experience: you are or soon will be in your first managerial position
• You have or will have budget responsibility either as a line manager or a project manager
• You are or will be involved in implementing the strategy of your organisation and thus have influence on the organisation’s strategy.