MANAGING SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS

TRAINING PROGRAM

Design Your Own Workshop

Because R&D organizations cannot afford to have their scientific staff away from the laboratory for extended periods of time, this program allows management to select the modules they need that will have the greatest immediate payoff for their organization.

Past clients have selected as few as two modules, or as many as eight to meet their training needs. All of these modules are designed to provide R&D managers with the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage highly trained professionals in the challenging environment of an R&D laboratory. The modules in this workshop draw heavily on the vast literature on the management of technological innovation and R&D management. Each module comes with a 30-40 page set of notes.

Who Should Attend

R&D personnel in the following categories would benefit from this workshop:

  • First or second level R&D supervisors (e.g., Section Head, Group or Project Leaders)
  • Scientists, engineers or technologists who are being considered for promotion to supervisory positions
  • Scientists or engineers who take on temporary supervisory roles such as project leaders.

Please note that some of these modules are designed for a government laboratory client.

Choose from the Following Half-day Modules

1. WHAT AN EFFECTIVE R&D TEAM/GROUP LEADER DOES

  • Important Management Functions
  • Key Activities of an Effective R&D Manager/Team Leader
  • Factors that Influence an R&D Team/Group Leader's Behavior
  • Organizational Factors that Support or Inhibit Effective R&D Management

2. EASING THE TRANSITION FROM RESEARCHER TO SUPERVISOR/TEAM LEADER

  • Selecting the Best R&D Managers/Team Leaders
  • Orientation of New R&D Leaders
  • Training R&D Supervisors/Team Leaders
  • Importance of Mentoring
  • Transition Difficulties to Avoid

3. LEADERSHIP STYLES APPROPRIATE TO THE R&D ENVIRONMENT

  • Sources of Managerial Power
  • Effective Leadership Styles
  • Characteristics of Good and Bad R&D Team/Group Leaders
  • Dealing with Ineffective R&D Team/Group Leaders
  • Impact Leadership Style on Creativity and Productivity

4. EFFECTIVELY MOTIVATING YOUR R&D TEAM TO BE CREATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE

  • Key Motivational Theories
  • Motivating Research Engineers and Scientists
  • Identifying R&D Personnels' Motivational Needs
  • Rewarding and Recognizing R&D Performance
  • Motivational Tools (e.g., Dual Promotion Ladders)
  • Actions to Increase Researchers' Motivation

5. IMPROVING TEAM INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN THE R&D ENVIRONMENT

  • General Reasons for Poor Communication
  • Communication Improvement Techniques
  • Sources of Communications Difficulties in R&D
  • Avoiding Interpersonal and Intra-organizational Communications Problems

6. IMPROVING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN THE R&D SETTING: MANAGING OR DEALING WITH POOR PERFORMERS

  • Types of Substandard Performance in R&D
  • Reasons for Poor Performance
  • Conducting Performance Appraisals: Why and How
  • Correcting Substandard or Disruptive Performance
  • Dealing With the Disruptive Engineer or Scientist

7. MANAGING AN R&D TEAM

  • Selecting Team Members
  • Organizing the Team
  • Rewarding and Motivating the Team
  • Organizational Actions that Support or Inhibit the Team
  • Characteristics of an Effective Team

8. EFFECTIVELY MANAGING CONFLICT AND CHANGE IN R&D

  • Types of Conflict in the R&D Setting
  • Causes of Conflict Among R&D Personnel
  • Conflict Resolution Techniques
  • Introducing Change Effectively
  • Reasons Employees Resist Change
  • Reducing Resistance to Change

9. MANAGING TIME, MEETINGS AND DELEGATION

  • Identification and Avoidance of Time Wasting Activities
  • Delegation Techniques
  • Managing Productive Meetings

10. GROWING A CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT

  • What is Creativity and Innovation
  • Elements of an Organizational Climate or Culture
  • Review of Studies of Creativity in an R&D Environment
  • Encouraging Idea Generation
  • Lowering the Organization's "Terror Quotient"
  • Creativity and Innovation Poisoners
  • Managerial Actions to Support a Creative and Innovative Culture

11. MANAGING THE NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS [Under construction]

  • Technological Innovation Process - Market Pull vs. Technology Push
    Product Life Cycles
    Key NPD Activities
    R&D Project Screening and Selection Criteria
    Factors Associated with NPD Success
    Factors Associated with NPD Failure

Sub-topics subject to change

12. ROLE AND VALUE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (Designed for government clients)

  • Definition of Technology Transfer
    Role of Government Laboratories
    Importance to a Country
    Fit with Departmental Mandate
    Evaluating the Transfer Process
    Value to the Receiving Company
    Value to the Government Laboratory and Researcher

 

13.  PROMOTING EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (Designed for government clients)

  • Technological Innovation Process
  • Technological Transfer Process
  • IP Communications Strategies
  • Role of the Inventor(s)
  • Marketing Technology to the Private Sector
  • Technology Transfer Best Practices
  • Impediments to Technology Transfer

14. MANAGING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

  • Government IP Policies
  • Disclosure and Patent Protection Procedures
  • Anatomy of a License
  • Establishing Royalty Rates
  • Revenue Distribution Policies
  • Conflict of Interest Issues in Government Labs

15. ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING COLLABORATIVE R&D ALLIANCES/PARTNERSHIPS (Designed for government clients)

  • Picking a Partner/Adopter
  • Qualifying a Partner
  • Factors Associated with Successful Partnerships
  • Difficulties in Establishing a Partnership
  • Difficulties that Can Occur During the Course of a Partnership
  • Establishing a Consortium

 

Workshop Director: Thomas E. Clarke, M.Sc., M.B.A.

Mr. Clarke has designed and presented R&D management courses to scientific personnel in Canadian, Chinese and U.S. government and industrial laboratories for over 30 years, and has been a consultant  to several government departments and agencies on S&T management matters.

 

Class Size:

The minimum number of participants is 12 and the maximum 24.

 

Workshop Fee:

The cost of attendance depends on the number of modules selected and the cost of travel for the workshop presenter. Group rates available.

 

 



Stargate Consultants Limited
1687 Centennary Drive, Nanaimo, B.C.
Canada, V9X 1A3
Tel: (250) 755-3066
E-Mail: stargate1@shaw.ca