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
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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.
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