EFFECTIVELY MANAGING SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS IN R&D LABORATORIES

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 four modules, or as many as ten 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 40-46 page set of notes in PDF format.

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
  • Post-doctoral students who are contemplating a career in industry or government laboratories.

Please note that some of these modules are designed for a government laboratory/non-profit client.

Choose from the Following Modules

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

  • Important Management Functions
  • Key Activities that Make up the Total Role of an Effective R&D supervisor/team leader
  • Factors that Influence an R&D Team/Group Leader's Behavior
  • Organizational Factors that Either Support or Inhibit the R&D Team/Group Leader's Ability to be Effective

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

  • Why Do/must Researchers Become R&D Supervisors/Team Leaders
  • Selecting the best R&D Supervisors/Team Leaders
  • Why Many Researchers Fail to Become Effective R&D Team /GroupLeaders
  • Orienting the Newly Selected R&D Team/Group Leader to Start Thinking Like a Supervisor/Team Leader
  • Transition Difficulties Researchers Can Experience, and How to Avoid them
  • Importance of Proper Training, Guidance and Mentoring, by Senior Management, in Developing the Managerial Skills of the New Team/group leader: and
  • Spotting and Correcting Poor Management Practices in Newly Appointed R&D Supervisors/Team Leaders

3. PROVEN LEADERSHIP STYLES FOR R&D TEAM LEADERS OR MANAGERS

  • Sources of Managerial Power
  • Effective Leadership Styles
  • Characteristics of Effective and Ineffective R&D Team/Group Leaders
  • Dealing with Ineffective R&D Team/Group Leaders
  • Impact of 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
  • Career paths for scientists and engineers
  • 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 (Full day)

  • 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 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

12. ROLE AND VALUE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (Designed for government/non-profit 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/non-profit 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. ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING COLLABORATIVE R&D ALLIANCES/PARTNERSHIPS (Designed for government /non-profit 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

 

15. TECHNOLOGICAL OBSOLESCENCE, STRESS AND BURNOUT IN AN R&D LABORATORY

 

  • Symptoms and Causes of Technological Obsolescence
  • Factors that Contribute to Technological Obsolescence in Canadian Labs
  • Impact of Technological Obsolescence
  • How to Combat Technolocical Obsolescence
  • Causes of Workplace Stress
  • Sources of Stress in Canadian Laboratories
  • Impact of Stress
  • Symptoms and Causes of Employee Burnout
  • Symptoms of Employee Burnout
  • Burnout Prevention

 

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

Mr. Clarke has designed and presented R&D management courses to scientific personnel in every Canadian science-based government department and agency and to personnel from Chinese and U.S. government, and industrial laboratories. Companies such as Dow Agro Science, Quakerchem, Trane, Cibasc, General Dynamics, Philips, UAES, Sauer-Danfoss, Visteon, Vishay General Semiconductor, and Diebold have sent people on their workshops. He has also been a consultant  to many federal and provincial government departments and agencies on S&T management matters.

 

Class Size:

The minimum number of participants is 15 and the maximum 28. Clients are encouraged to approach other government/private sector research establishments to build up a mixed group of participants to the minimum number.

A three day workshop consists of five modules; a two day workshop consists of three modules.

Workshop Fee: $375 - $425. per person, per day

The cost of attendance depends on the number of modules selected and the cost of travel and accommodation for the workshop presenter, availability of local resources (room, audio visual equipment, etc.).

Group rates available.

 

 



Clarke-Reavley Consultants 
Apt. 707  172 Wentworth Drive
Halifax, N.S., Canada, B3M 0P4
Tel: (902) 240-2401
 
Formerly Stargate Consultants Limited
E-Mail: Clarkerev@bellaliant.net