Program Requirements & Details

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REQUIREMENTS
Eligibility Requirements
Attendance Requirements
Course Substitution
Outside Requirements
Course Descriptions
Certification Requirements

Eligibility Requirements
The Florida Center for Public Management does not have an entrance examination or specific eligibility requirements for participation in the Florida Certified Management Program.  When considering an individual for the program one should be aware of the participant’s abilities and aptitudes.  Successful completion of the CPM courses and coursework requires a high degree of conceptual ability, reading comprehension skills, and written and oral communication skills.

Successful completion of the management development courses, reading applications, examinations, and  projects comprising the Certified Public Manager Program requires a high degree of conceptual ability, reading comprehension, and written and oral communication capabilities.  FCPM does not require testing or other proof of a candidate's educational or ability level prior to admission to the CPM program.

Candidates for Certified Public Manager typically will hold a management or management staff position in a Florida governmental organization.   A management position is defined as one  which requires direction and supervision of more than one other employee.   A management staff position is defined as one which, while not requiring direction and supervision of others, directly serves management by providing high-level technical or professional expertise.

The Florida Center for Public Management is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap, disability, or veteran's status in its admissions, program accessibility, or services.

Attendance Requirements
Attendance is required and is recorded each day in all CPM training classes.  Should a  candidate be unable, due to unavoidable circumstances, to complete a level, she/he may make up the days missed at another time. CPM program staff will gladly work with any candidate to identify other times and  locations  for  making up missed course work.  Participants must have  attended at least one day of classroom training in order to make up missed course work.

Course Substitution
It is difficult to meaningfully assess the quality and substance of training or course work  completed in other settings.  More importantly, the CPM program is highly interactive;  the opportunity to explore management problems and solutions with one's colleagues is a critical component of the CPM program which  is  not provided by individual growth activities.   Therefore, no course substitution or exemption through testing is permitted in the CPM program.
                              
Outside Requirements
FCPM is responsible for providing instructional guidelines for completing the three reading applications and the three applied projects.  FCPM is also responsible for providing all test instruments covering the in-class portion of the program.  The agency/participant is responsible for purchasing the books for the 3 required readings and all supplies or materials required to complete the applied projects, reading applications, and applied tests.

Course Descriptions
The following is a brief description of each CPM level. The specific content of each may vary
with the needs of the participants. Course content is routinely revised to keep it current.

LEVEL I: Management of Individual Performance
This four-day management development course is designed to introduce concepts and techniques of modern management as they apply in the governmental setting.  Emphasis is placed on goal-setting as essential in developing and maintaining a motivated and productive work climate. The Level I course describes and illustrates modern management attitudes, practices, and techniques and focuses on manager/employee relationships.
Topics: Managers as Learners, Personal Styles, Leadership, Delegation, Motivation, Goal-Setting, Performance Feedback, and Coaching and Counseling.

LEVEL II: Management of Group Performance
Level II is a four-day management development course designed to introduce concepts and techniques involving the development and maintenance of cohesive and productive work groups. It emphasizes the dynamics of manager/work group interaction.
Topics: Personal Styles In Groups, Problem-Solving and Decision-Making, Managing of Organizational Conflict, False Consensus, Group Leadership, Group Dynamics, Teams, and Work Process Improvement.

LEVEL III: Management of Organizational Performance
Level III is a four-day management development course designed to introduce fundamental issues in the relationship between individuals and the organization. It reviews individual and organizational productivity, covers some measurements for productivity, and suggests ways for productivity evaluation.
Topics: Productivity and Public Management, Program Evaluation and Management Review, Organizational Communication, and Project Management.

LEVEL IV: Managing Organizational Effectiveness
The Level IV four-day management development course provides managers the opportunity to study the management functions of planning, implementing, and evaluating.
Topics: Power and Influence in Organizations, Ethics and the Responsible use of Power in the Organization, Integrating the Individual and the Organization, and Organizational Change.

LEVEL V: Social Change And Its Impact On Public Management
The Level V four-day management development course examines changes in society-at-large and  their probable impact on public organizations and managers. It reviews the most successful contemporary management practices, analyzes significant administrative theory, and reviews contemporary research.
Topics: Social Change and Impacts on Public Management, Planning and Budgeting in Public Organizations, Organizational Design, and Organizational Dynamics.

LEVEL VI: A Systems Focus
This four-day management development course focuses on the systems approach to management. Basic concepts of systems theory are introduced and the manager will have hands-on experience with familiar and unfamiliar systems. The manager will examine two applications of the systems approach: behavior modification as a way of looking at individual change and organizational development as a way of looking at organizational change.
Topics: The Systems Approach, Systems Analysis and Modeling, and Systems Applications: Behavior
Modification and Organizational Development.

LEVEL VII: Policy Perspectives
Level VII is a four-day management development course presented in seminar format. It examines how policy is made in public organizations, giving special attention to presenting policy arguments and developing the skills of reasoned argument. Managers will have an opportunity to present a policy argument with critique.

LEVEL VIII: Contemporary Issues In Public Management
Level VIII is a three to four-day management development seminar. Seminars will be presented on contemporary issues affecting public management and government in general. Level VIII is presented for participants who have completed all other program requirements. It is also open to all current participants, regardless of stage of completion of program, and past graduates of our program. Registration for Level VIII includes the closing banquet and public graduation ceremony.

Certification Requirements
The Florida Center for Public Management recommends that participants follow the curriculum in the recommended sequence if they intend to complete the CPM program through to certification.  The program  is designed to build upon the theories and learning experiences of preceding levels and assignments.

As the sequence below indicates, the certification track may be viewed as two separate phases:

Phase One: THE CERTIFICATE IN SUPERVISORY MANAGEMENT
The Florida CPM program awards a Certificate in Supervisory Management (CSM), an interim designation which recognizes partial completion of the CPM program and mastery of fundamental management concepts and techniques.  The CSM is awarded to candidates who:
        1. Attend Levels I, II, III and IV of the Certified Public Manager course series and pass the comprehensive
                open-book exam on those levels;
        2. Read the first two required readings and pass the applications on those; and
        3. Successfully complete the first work-related project.

Phase Two: THE CERTIFIED PUBLIC MANAGER DESIGNATION
The Certified Public Manager (CPM) certificate is awarded upon the completion of the following requirements:
         1. Course work.  Attendance is required and is recorded each day of every class, in CPM Levels I through
                 VIII.
         2. Readings.   Three books are required which complement and enrich the concepts introduced in the
                classroom.  The cost of  these  books is not included in the program  fees. It is the responsibility of 
                the participant to obtain these books which are  available in many bookstores.
           Reading 1 Application:  Carr, Littman, and Condon, Improvement Driven Government:Public Service
                for the 21st Century 
           Reading 2:  Scholtes, The Team Handbook
           Reading 3:  Osborne and Gaebler, Reinventing Government
         3. Exams.   Written exams over the levels  (except  Level VIII) and application assignments follow the
                readings to evaluate and strengthen the candidate's understanding of the content of the classroom
                and the outside reading materials.  Scores are recorded and reported  only  as "pass" or
                "resubmit" and pass is assumed  if  the  participant is able to  correctly answer 70% of what is asked
                on an exam.  The reading applications  require  a  participant to report  in writing the results of a
                completed application of  the concepts presented  in  the readings within their workplace.
         4. Projects.  Three work-related projects are required of participants to demonstrate the transfer of public
                management concepts to their workplace.
                Project 1:  "Is Productivity More Than a Slogan in Your Organization?"
                Project 2:  "Is Your Unit Ready for a Performance Audit?"
                Project 3:  "Shaping Your Executive Growth:  Past,  Present and Future"
 

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