Latest News
LGMA Management Challenge now an accredited subject
For nearly 20 years, the LGMA Management Challenge has widely been regarded as Australia’s most sophisticated professional learning experience for current and emerging local government leaders. Over the past two years LGMA has worked with the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) to improve the Challenge program. In 2012 this will culminate in the Challenge becoming an optional subject in a Graduate Certificate in Local Government Leadership (or equivalent qualification) being rolled out nationally by ACELG, LGMA and university partners.
The Graduate Certificate complements existing LGMA professional development programs as part of ACELG’s Advancing Leadership Partnership. It opens up new pathways into unviversity postgraduate study. For 2012, mentors and participatns will be able to take the Management Challenge as na enrolled postgraduate student in NSW, NT and WA* (*subject to confirmation) or as a postgraduate standard short course in all States. ACELG is negotiating will several universities for the short course to be recognised as part of their graduate programs. Distance learning options will be offerend where direct delivery is unavailable.
In NSW and NT the Gradulate Certificate is already being offered by the University of Technology, Sydney (as an ACELG consortium member). In WA, an equivalent program is being designed by Edith Cowan Unviersity in partnership with LGMA WA.
The postgraduate subject is called ‘Building and Leading y our Team’ and uses the Management Challenge process as a case study. It has three main components:
- Understanding Team Dynamics - Using associated readings and structured guidelines available online, students will use the pre-challenge planning and research task as a working example of the issues involved in building, working within and leading a team.
- Assessing Team Performance - Students will participate on the Challenge day as a normal team member or mentor. They will record their observations in a logbook of the Challenge process, to be submitted shortly after.
- Action Plan for Team Building - Students will participate in a facilitated workshop (or webinars where direct delivery is unavailable) which will focus on learning about concepts and practices regarding team processes, team dynamics and effectiveness, as well as related aspects of leadership in a local government setting. They will then submit a detailed report which provides an assessment of their Challenge team performance against agreed criteria, and their own ideas for improvement.
Visit our management challenge website more information on participating in the management challenge or registering your councils' team for 2012.
For further details on how to enrol in ‘Building and Leading Your Team’ please contact Sophie Bruce from ACELG by email at Sophie.Bruce@uts.edu.au or call 02 9514 1659.
