The purpose of this module is for you to understand management and leadership roles in the veterinary sector, assess your own abilities, develop your personal leadership skills, and plan your ongoing professional development.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Discuss different leadership styles and their impact on organisational performance and staff motivation
• Evaluate your own leadership capability and performance
• Adopt effective leadership styles to achieve organisational goals

This module will cover: leadership theories and styles; key leadership responsibilities; assessing the impact of leadership in different contexts; theories of motivation, persuasion and negotiation; verbal and nonverbal communication; emotional intelligence and relationship management; self-assessment and feedback; and personal development planning.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand your organisation, its role, and the different contexts it operates within.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Assess an organisation’s values, vision, mission and purpose.
• Evaluate an organisation’s macro-environment and the impact different internal and external factors have on its performance

This module will cover: veterinary organisational types and governance; PESTLE analysis and organisational profiling; government and regulatory policy affecting a veterinary organisation; general economics affecting a veterinary organisation; the legal system and general civil and criminal law affecting a veterinary organisation (contract, product liability, employment, health and safety, environmental protection); risk assessment and action planning.

The purpose of this module is for you to be able to understand and implement effective and efficient resource and facilities management.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Evaluate the effective and efficient use of physical resources in a veterinary organisation
• Assess the procedures for maintenance, safe use and security of physical resources
• Plan and implement improvements to resource and facilities management
• Critically review a facilities management plan

This module will cover: capacity planning, purchasing and procurement and monitoring of resource use; acquisition and operating costs; veterinary premises planning, access and services; maintenance and safe use of assets; security measures; energy management; principles of project management, monitoring and reporting techniques; aligning resource usage to organisational goals; stakeholder engagement; and lean vs agile business processes.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand organisational finance, interpret financial statements, and assess and report on organisational performance using financial ratios.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Explain the importance of cash flow management and the purpose of the main types of financial document used in a veterinary organisation
• Assess the general performance of an organisation using appropriate financial measures
• Explain and use budget-setting techniques to predict performance and control costs

This module will cover: general management accounting; financial stakeholders and expectations; income and expenditure accounts; calculation and interpretation of accounting ratios; cash, profit and cashflow forecasting; credit control; sources of finance and funding; balance sheets, profit and loss; profitability, financial efficiency, liquidity and gearing, shareholder return ratios; financial benchmarking; and budgeting and budgetary techniques, variance and cost control.

The purpose of this module is for you to be able to carry out a work analysis in an area of your organisation, understand stakeholder requirements, and implement quality improvement.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Explain the strategic context and purpose of work analysis and quality improvement
• Conduct a work analysis and identify potential improvements
• Implement and evaluate appropriate decision-making techniques
• Develop, implement and evaluate quality improvement plans

This module will cover: work analysis methods and techniques; organisational aims, goals and purpose; relationships between functional areas, business processes and working practices; efficiency, effectiveness and productivity; quantitative and qualitative data; cost-benefit analysis, decision matrices and paired comparison techniques; quality systems, quality assurance, quality control and auditing; internal and external stakeholders, customer satisfaction and success criteria; and benchmarking service standards.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand and be able to use various tools and techniques to manage projects at work.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Plan a project with appropriate stakeholder input
• Implement a project plan, and set and monitor targets and outcomes
• Critically evaluate your own ability to manage a project

This module will cover: identifying objectives and context; project sponsors, stakeholders and scope; project management tools and software; project types and life cycles; project progress, outcomes and evaluation; feasibility, resource analysis, scheduling and risk management; teams, roles and critical relationships; and collecting and analysing feedback.

The purpose of this module is for you to be able to manage data and information and use statistical analysis to inform management decisions.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Assess and improve information flow through the different channels in their organisation
• Collect, analyse and interpret data to support management decision-making
• Communicate information to different stakeholders to meet business objectives

This module will cover: information flows, channels, requirements and sources; knowledge networks; problem definition, research questions and data collection; systems to receive, record, process, store and transfer information; decision-making models; assessing validity, accuracy and reliability; data protection; time series analysis; univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis; probability and sampling; distribution theory and standard deviation; chi-squared analysis; estimation and significance testing; and data presentation and communication strategies and channels.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand and be able to manage mental health issues in your workplace including mental illness, stress, bullying and conflict.

On completing this module, you will be able to:

• Assess your organisation’s approach towards mental health, and identify examples of best practice in the veterinary sector
• Assess your own mental wellbeing and its potential effects on others
• Support a staff member with a mental health concern including appropriate communication, signposting, providing reasonable adjustments, return to work, and record-keeping
• Evaluate the effectiveness of an organisation in dealing with workplace stress, and identify and implement improvements
• Critically evaluate your own ability to manage stress

This module will cover: common mental health concerns and terminology; organisational responsibilities and best practice in mental health support at work; causes, effects and management of workplace stress; risk assessment and review procedures; creating and implementing wellbeing policies; making reasonable adjustments; communication, documentation and record-keeping including confidentiality; signposting and sources of further support; and promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing.

To register for a free place on this standalone module as part of the VMG/Mind Matters collaboration, click here.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand and be able to manage the recruitment and ongoing development of staff members in your organisation.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Create and evaluate a human resource plan for your organisation
• Explain, justify and demonstrate best practice in recruitment from vacancy identification to appointment
• Carry out skills gap and performance gap analyses to determine development needs
• Critically assess the suitability of professional development options for an individual
• Create, implement and monitor a personal development plan for an individual

This module will cover: HR planning, reward and deployment; succession planning; attendance and retention evaluation; outsourcing, subcontracting, layoff, redundancy, furlough and redeployment; recruitment policies and procedures; job analysis, job descriptions and person specifications; advertising, shortlisting and selection; interviewing, assessment and testing; communication, outcomes, feedback and record-keeping; effective induction; performance, skills and training needs analysis; learning opportunities, career development strategies and personal development planning.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand the skills, principles and practice required for effective coaching or mentoring in a veterinary organisational context.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Define and justify the use of coaching or mentoring to benefit individuals and/or organisations
• Explain and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be an effective coach or mentor
• Evaluate the impact of coaching or mentoring on the individual and/or organisation
• Identify potential barriers to coaching or mentoring relationships and develop strategies to minimise these

This module will cover: organisational factors affecting coaching or mentoring (culture, values, support); the business rationale for using coaching or mentoring, alignment with individual and organisational objectives; responsibilities, contracting and relationship management, ethics, record-keeping and confidentiality; coaching and mentoring theory and models; key skills and behaviours for coaches and mentors, communication skills; impact assessment and reflective practice; membership bodies and codes of practice.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand how to motivate people, and develop the ability to develop and lead teams to improve performance.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Evaluate the factors affecting performance and motivation in the workplace
• Assess the effectiveness of measuring team performance against organisational goals
• Apply motivational techniques to increase team performance
• Evaluate the role of leadership in supporting teams to achieve goals
• Critically review own ability to lead teams to achieve goals

This module will cover: theories of motivation; factors affecting motivation and performance; feedback, recognition, reward and incentive systems and their impact; mindset theory; patterns of behaviour and approaches to negativity in the workplace; theories of authority, power and accountability; delegation, empowerment, trust and respect; relationship between team performance and organisational goals; team roles, development and context; techniques to evaluate team leadership performance.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand and be able to implement and evaluate marketing concepts, recruit and retain clients, and understand current and future client needs.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Explain the marketing mix and evaluate a range of marketing strategies
• Develop and implement recommendations to improve marketing strategies
• Identify and analyse current and future client markets
• Appraise the client supply chain and make recommendations for improvement

This module will cover: environmental scanning and situation analysis; primary and secondary data collection and analysis; development, implementation and evaluation of marketing plans; market segmentation and differentiation strategies; marketing mix and extended mix; product, service, B2C and B2B marketing strategies and techniques; client relations and key account management; buyer behaviour and purchase decision-making; customer supply chains, sourcing and procurement, value chain analysis; customer service standards; competitor analysis, identification of best practice and benchmarking.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand how budget construction and control are used to manage performance, review performance, and put together a financial case for a new project.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Explain and apply the financial concepts use to inform management decisions
• Review an organisation’s financial planning process and make recommendations for improvement
• Measure and monitor financial performance using a range of financial evaluation techniques

This module will cover: budget planning and preparation; responsibilities of budget holders; budgetary control, organisation and administration; variance analysis and corrective actions; cost analysis, revenue, capital expenditure and break-even analysis; financial evaluation techniques; factors considered in revenue expenditure recommendations; and presenting financial information.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand how to develop a culture of innovation and improvement in your organisation, and be able to effectively lead your organisation through change.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Explain leadership and team responsibilities in shaping organisational culture
• Support staff to innovate and contribute creative ideas in the workplace
• Evaluate new opportunities, assess feasibility and viability, and justify managed risk
• Create, implement and monitor a change management plan in consultation with appropriate stakeholders

This module will cover: organisational culture, leadership styles and their relationship with vision and values; motivation, reward and recognition; stakeholder mapping; types of innovation, phases of innovation activity, promoting creativity; evaluation and validation, feasibility and contingency planning; improvement techniques, incremental vs business process re-engineering; tools for effective critical decision-making; project management tools and techniques; human and financial factors; risk and uncertainty management; and intellectual property.

The purpose of this module is for you to understand the role of veterinary work in contemporary society, the influences on and by workplace culture, and the impact of personal and professional ethics on a veterinary organisation.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Analyse the nature and purpose of a veterinary organisation and its people
• Evaluate the impact of the social and cultural environment on the way a veterinary organisation operates
• Analyse an organisation’s policies, ethics and cultural norms and the impact they have on people and performance

This module will cover: organisational models, structures and types, their roles and purpose; learning organisations and professionals; demographic trends in populations, work and employment; human factors and social attitudes influencing the veterinary workplace; external factors influencing workplace change (technological, competitive and social development); organisational governance, ethics and values; ethics, beliefs and value judgements (personal, professional, business and veterinary sector); organisational subcultures, ‘blame culture’, organisational politics and problem-solving; mapping the ethics and culture of an organisation; and corporate social responsibility.

The purpose of this module is for you to bring together your learning from all the modules you have studied and reflect on how your knowledge and understanding has impacted you, your work and your organisation. You will carry out a work-based project with the support of your tutor.