Analysis shows that many scientists and support staff have moved into roles where they require the skills to manage teams and projects and also to introduce new working methods and systems
Lack of management skills is a criticism often levelled at engineers and scientists.
The University of Oxford has developed two intensive one-day courses for engineers, scientists and other staff in hi-tech companies on 16 and 17 November 2005 to address this skills gap.
Successful Change Management for Engineers, Scientists and Staff in Hi-Tech Companies (16 November), and Effective Project Management for Engineers, Scientists and Staff in Hi-Tech Companies (17 November) Training needs analysis shows that many engineers, scientists and support staff have moved into roles where they require the skills to manage teams and projects and also to introduce new working methods and systems.
These two courses have been developed especially for such staff.
Successful Change Management (16 November).
This one-day practical course will investigate the theory of change, apply tried and tested tools and develop skills.
The application of these tools and skills will be addressed at individual, team and organisation levels in the following areas: understanding change, arguments for change, introducing change, handling resistance, smoothing the path, ensuring momentum, examining the future.
This course is aimed at engineers, scientists, managers and other staff from all sectors who are responsible for, or involved in, managing change from small scale interventions to large scale restructuring.
The course will be taught by John Wilson, a specialist in professional development at the University of Oxford.
Effective Project Management (17 November).
This course is about the management of projects in high-technology and science-based settings, but the emphasis is on the management aspects and not on technology per se.
The examples and materials that discussed relate to R and D, product development, and software projects.
Usually, many of the delegates are themselves scientists and engineers who are in the process of taking on more managerial roles and responsibilities, but that does not need to be the case.
This course will look at: tools for improving the management of R and D projects, product development performance - measures of success and failure, benchmarking product development, what is the best way to structure a product development team?, project management for R and D, understanding project planning, using scheduling tools, getting the most from project teams, managing when projects fail and if things go wrong.
The course will also show how to manage when the worst happens.
The course will be taught by Steve New, a specialist in project management from the University of Oxford's prestigious Said Business School.
