Director Development Programme – People, Culture and Performance
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Director Development Programme – People, Culture and Performance

The programme will give you the essential knowledge, skills and confidence to improve your performance as a director and, in turn, the performance of the Board.

DELIVERY:

2 Day

LOCATION:

In House / Virtual / A venue of your choice

QUALIFICATION:

Postgraduate Certificate in Strategy and Leadership - Optional

As organisations grow, directors face increasingly complex people challenges. Maintaining a strong culture, adapting ways of working, responding to generational expectations and attracting the right talent all require deliberate leadership. Add to this changing economic pressures and evolving workforce expectations, and it’s clear that people and culture can no longer be treated as operational issues. This programme is designed for SME directors who want to take a more strategic, confident approach to building a workplace that supports sustainable growth.

Employee experience now sits at the heart of organisational success, with priorities including leadership capability, organisational culture, workforce planning, engagement, generational diversity and effective change management. This programme explores how these elements connect, and why directors play a critical role in shaping the conditions for performance. It provides a clear framework for understanding how people strategy, culture and operating models directly influence business outcomes in a competitive environment.

Through expert-led insight, current research and practical case studies, participants will gain the knowledge and confidence to assess their organisation’s cultural position and make informed decisions at Board level. The programme offers space to reflect on your role as a director, learn from peers and explore real-world challenges and solutions. You will leave with practical ideas and strategic clarity that can be applied immediately to strengthen leadership impact and organisational performance.

On completion of this programme, delegates will:

  • Clearly understand the board and director’s role in people strategy development
  • Provide effective board-level oversight of the strategic and cultural implications of AI on the workforce
  • Be able to design and manage a process for successful strategic organisational change
  • Understand the range of tools and techniques in the delivery of a strategic people plan
  • Develop skills in organisation cultural development
  • Understand your organisation’s cultural readiness for AI adoption
  • Develop the ability to lead more strategically, and to evaluate personal impact on the organisation and in the accomplishment of organisational objectives.

Session One

Key themes include:

  • Director Responsibilities
  • HR governance and employment law basics: board responsibilities and risk
  • Inclusive Leadership & generational diversity
  • AI adoption, skills gaps, and differing workforce attitudes to automation
  • Model of Performance Engagement Frameworks

Session Two

Key themes include:

  • People Strategy
  • AI-driven job redesign, capability planning and productivity
  • Strategic Workforce planning
  • Recent corporate success and failure

Session Three

Key themes include:

  • Culture & Strategy
  • Trust, ethics, bias, transparency and psychological safety in AI-enabled workplaces
  • Values
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusions
  • Employee wellbeing & experience

Session Four

Key themes include:

  • Organisational change
  • Technological developments; AI
  • Reflective leadership incl. coaching and mentoring
  • Action planning for your business

The Postgraduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership for Directors

The Director’s Role in Strategy forms part of the full suite of modules on the Directors Development Programme Accelerator:

On completion of all 5 modules, learners can opt to continue their studies with a Postgraduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership for Directors, validated by the University of Chester. This is a level 7 postgraduate qualification which sits between an undergraduate degree and a masters.

  • Highly flexible programme to work around individuals, with rolling entry points throughout the year.
  • Qualification can be achieved within 7 months of starting the PG Cert journey.
  • Modules include: Governance and Finance, Leading and Managing an Organisation and Strategic Leadership and Marketing.
  • Dedicated one-to-one support from our team of highly experienced academic supervisors, plus additional support from the Quality Assurance Team here at In Professional Development.
  • Focus on work-based learning. Assessments can all be applied to the business situation/workplace, giving both the student and the wider organisation a chance to learn and adapt business practice.
  • Achieving a PG Cert allows individuals to list the qualification as part of their credentials.
  • This is also an excellent route into studying a full masters with the University of Chester. The Postgraduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership for Directors is mapped directly onto the full MBA (WBIS) that is offered by the university. Students opting to pursue the masters programme can offset their 60 PG Cert credits against the 180 credits necessary for a masters, thereby only needing to complete the remaining 120 credits.

Click here to find out more about the PG Cert in Strategic Leadership for Directors

Download our brochure

See how People, Culture and Performance Programme can impact you and your organisation

Leadership Coaching and Mentoring Development Programme Brochure

Meet the Tutors

Delivered by Industry Experts

Janet Grant

Tutor

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James Willerton

Tutor

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Fitzroy Andrew

Tutor

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Is This Course Right for You?

Who attends People, Culture and Performance Programme:

Job Seniority
Job Seniority

Directors, C-Suite, Managing Directors

Time in Role
Time in Role

5 years Directorship experience on average

Sector
Sector

Cross-sector

Key Objective
Key Objective

Directors, business leaders and senior professionals who are required to lead people and develop their organisational culture

TAKE THE IN-HOUSE APPROACH

Considering completing this course in-house?

Our In-House training is fully customisable to your business, and we will work with you to create the perfect training programme for your organisation.

Speak to our team

Fill in your details and a member of our training team will be in contact shortly regarding our courses and availability.