Management and Leadership Development

Promoting Managerial Excellence!

The Management Development Centre (MDC) is a robust process through which senior officials of organisations participate in a combination of strategic competency-based  exercises that allow them to  identify their work‑related strengths and areas where further development would benefit their performance at work and their career progress. The MDC is known as the Flagship programme of the Rome-Based UN agencies, FAO, WFP and IFAD with a joint mission of promoting managerial excellence  This unique partnership has been in existence since 2004.

The MDCs are not a mechanism for identifying "high flyers". However, high potential individuals at the levels P5 and above are referred by their Agency for participation in the MDC in order to identify the best development strategy for the individual through the  creation of Development Action Plans. While the MDC results may confirm that an individual is ready for more senior responsibility, it is generally expected that further preparation will be required. Some organizations already have systems in place for continous development and/or succession planning strategies

Cranfield School of Management in the UK in collaboration with the Rome-based interagency MDC team have been the architects of the design for the MDC. After several reiterations of MDC models, ranging from purely developmental to purely assessment oriented, Cranfield School of Management has recently been contracted to take the lead in developing and delivering the MDC using a strategic blend between assessment and development.

For information from the British Psychological Society's Psychological Testing Centre concerning best practice in the design, implementation and evaluation of assessment and development centres, click here.

Cranfield School of Management is a highly respected educational establishment; with over 200 visiting and full-time faculty, it is one of the largest in Europe. In the Financial Times Executive Education Rankings for 2009 we have been ranked by our clients as the top UK business school for customised executive development.

Furthermore, we are number 1 in the UK, and one of the top 5 in Europe, for;

        -       programme preparation and follow-up

        -       teaching methods and materials

        -       the quality of our faculty

        -       and the relevance of new skills and learning

Our faculty and associates have worked with many UN agencies in many countries. All of our assessment and development team are experienced working in multinational contexts and have in excess of 10 years post-qualification experience. 

The MDCs are designed to provide participants with a blend of objective assessment, introspective consideration of career, and collaborative planning with a skilled professional assessor. While participants are expected to work hard and stay focused on their tasks (and leave their mobiles turned off), there will be opportunity for unstructured reflection.

Prior to the MDC, participants are asked to complete a 360° feedback questionnaire and Saville Consulting’s WAVE psychometric. While at the MDC, participants will be required to prepare some written material and to make a brief presentation as well as undertake some group based work. Participants will work with a number of assessors throughout the day, including one in particular who will undertake a semi-structured interview during which they will help participants understand the results of their WAVE psychometric.

The assessment team will then prepare a report on each participant’s performance, highlighting strengths and potential areas for improvement. This report will be shared both with the individual participant and their respective Agency. Following receipt of this report, a one to one telephone feedback session will be offered to enable each participant to complete their own, personalised learning plan.

We look forward to working with you on this exciting and challenging programme of work.  

Dr Simon Fletcher BSc., MSc., C.Psychol
Programme Director
Centre for Customised Executive Development
Cranfield School of Management.