An experimental study of the effectiveness of traditional and adjunct management training for entry level managers at a national aerospace research laboratory

Technical organizations face the challenge of developing effective managers from the staff of specialists and technologists. Effective technical management requires a blend of technical and managerial skill that varies with level of responsibility within the organization. Interpersonal skills have been determined to be a crucial factor in the transition from technologist to technical manager.;The objective for this study was to design and assess a training strategy that would be effective in developing interpersonal skills for entry-level technical managers. The construct chosen for evaluation was the change in attitudes of the trainees toward leadership interpersonal interactions between them and their subordinates as measured by the consideration and initiating structure scales of the Leadership Opinion Questionnaire (LOQ). The trainees' evaluation of the degree in which the training assisted them during the transition process was also assessed. In addition, a correlation between the changes resulting from the training and dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was also performed.;The subjects for this study were employees of a national aerospace research laboratory who had been chosen as candidates for entry-level management and supervisory training at the laboratory. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two training groups. Each group received identical training in the first phase of the study. Following this phase, one of the groups participated in an adjunct training curriculum developed to complement the first phase of the training. This program focused on increasing the awareness of the role of interpersonal skills in management, the development of these skills and transfer of these skills to the job.;As compared to a control group that did not receive any training each of the training group's scores on the LOQ indicated significant increases resulting from the training. The training group that received the adjunct training perceived the training eased their transition into a management position and improved their ability to transfer the management skills to their new job to a significantly greater degree than the group that received only the initial phase of training. In addition, significant correlation of results with personality type indicated the opportunity to tailor training modules as a function of personality type.