Community Forum – Training Technical Managers

How do you prepare technical managers for success?

We would like to learn how other organizations prepare their technical management for success.  Specifically, what type of development/training programs do organizations have in place to prepare technical managers for leadership roles?  – Vice President, Research & Technology, Large Global Chemical Company 

Community Responses

J. Stewart Witzeman Ph.D., Director, Eastman Research Division, Eastman Chemical Company and IRI Chairman
We have a company-wide basic supervisory curriculum that covers the key issues such as HR issues, coaching, etc. On top of that our R&D group leaders (the first level of supervisor) have a self-organized ‘Group Leaders Network’ where current topics of interest are covered, including company initiatives, etc. This group is just those who supervise R&D personnel, so there is a little more specificity to topics of interest to R&D in these conversations. We have also found use of more seasoned group leaders as mentors (either formal or informal) a great help to new group leaders.  Our HR folks have also developed some check lists for new group leaders that the supervisor can use to make sure key items are covered.  Recently the research directors (the people who supervise the first level supervisors) have also self-organized a ‘Directors Network’. People issues are a major topic we cover in our meetings.

Courses like the IRI Shaping Innovation Leaders Course are used for selected individuals who are thought to be future leaders in the company.  I also use RTM articles and Brown Bags as an ongoing opportunity for all levels of management for continual learning.

Other outside classes such as the MIT Sloan courses are used selectively to help with certain needed skills.  For example, they have a very good course on ‘Business Technology Strategy’ that we send individuals with a lot of business interface to.

Terry Say, Say Consulting, LLC., IRI Emeritus Member
In my 38 years of chemical industry experience I found that the best training for technical managers was to give them a working knowledge of all functions of the company – sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing, HSE, etc. and to teach them to be able to communicate successfully with all disciplines and levels, inside and outside the company.