• The Open University
  • The Open University Business School

Management and Leadership: Leading a Team

Develop a business plan and build a team with this online course from The Open University and CMI.

141,979 enrolled on this course

An illustration showing managers and leaders towering above a city skyline.
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Develop a business plan and build an effective team

Developing plans – and building, supporting, growing and improving teams to deliver them – is a key part of management and leadership. This online course will show you how.

It has been developed by The Open University Business School – a pioneering institution that is triple accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB – and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) – the leading authority on management and leadership in the UK.

As such, it will give you the opportunity to learn from both academic experts and experienced practitioners, who have achieved the CMI’s prestigious Chartered Manager status.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 - It’s all about your stakeholders

  • Review of stakeholders’ needs
  • Stakeholders and change
  • Influencing and communicating

Week 2 - Planning your business case for change

  • What makes an effective business plan?
  • Making your case for change
  • Getting support for your change

Week 3 - Building your team

  • Preparing for recruitment
  • The process of selection
  • Shortlisting and interviewing

Week 4 - Managing your team

  • Induction and socialisation
  • Managing individual performance and team welfare
  • Engaging and motivating your team

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Develop a business plan which meets stakeholder needs, including resources required
  • Explain what is essential in producing a good business plan
  • Identify what is involved in recruiting and building an effective team including team welfare
  • Discuss approaches to managing poor performance and supporting performance improvement
  • Develop and draw up an action plan to support their own personal development

Who is the course for?

The course is designed for new or aspiring managers, or experienced managers with few or no formal qualifications. It will enable you to demonstrate your continuous professional development and go on to achieve a CMI Level 5 Award as part of the Management and Leadership, Essentials program. If you also complete and pass the Management and Leadership, Personal Development program, you’ll earn another CMI Level 5 Award. Together, these two awards will give you a CMI Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership – the next step to Chartered Manager status.

We’ve extended the final assessment date

Due to demand we have extended the final assessment registration date until 28th February 2021. We’re working to extend this further and will update this page as soon as this is confirmed.

What do people say about this course?

"This course helped me to find tools to measure different areas of my organisation, to know how to interact with colleagues and new people I will work with, set priorities and take care of the welfare of my organisation and my co-workers."

"A great welcome to the world of management, a very enjoyable course and a great first step into lifelong learning. A very big thank you to the educators and all the contribution in the discussion, there is always something new to learn. "

Who will you learn with?

I work for the OU Business School as Open Media Fellow. I am carrying out Doctoral research in Business Skills online. I am also an Associate Lecturer and I have an MBA and Masters in Online Learning.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

  • Established

    1969
  • Location

    Milton Keynes, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

The Open University Business School

A pioneer in flexible learning for over 30 years, The Open University Business School delivers transformational, high quality business and management education which is quality assured.

Endorsers and supporters

endorsed by

Chartered Management Institute

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

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