The identification of technical competency areas and subareas essential for first-line managers in the digital printing industry

The problem of this study was to identify and rank order digital imaging technical competency areas and subareas that first-line managers and potential managers in the digital printing industry should have in order to be effective. The purpose of this study was to provide graphic arts imaging technology and printing management educators and planners with competency areas and subareas useful for the development of an undergraduate digital imaging first-line management curriculum.;The Delphi technique was the methodology used in this study. The Delphi panel of experts was composed of digital image printing managers nominated by the Coordinating Director of the Digital Printing and Imaging Association. The framework of the questionnaire used to facilitate the rounds of questioning was based on the findings from the National Printing Skills and Knowledge Standards Project (1996). The Project's five major work areas in imaging became the basis for the first round questionnaire. During the first round, the digital imaging management expert panelists were instructed to rate the competency areas and subareas using a four-point Likert-type scale of importance and to add any areas or subareas they deemed necessary. To better facilitate the rounds of questioning, the questionnaire was placed on a Web site accessible from the World Wide Web by viewing a Web browser. The panelists all had Web access and were given the researcher's Web address, and instructed to fill out and submit the profile form and first round questionnaire electronically. Once the responses to the questionnaires were returned by electronic mail, the results were analyzed; the questionnaire was rewritten and posted to the Web site to reflect the panelists' responses; and the panelists were notified by electronic-mail to again rate the original competency areas and subareas and rate the new areas and subareas they had recommended. The submission and analysis of the second and third rounds followed the same procedure as the first. There was a 100% response rate for all three rounds. A consensus was reached after the third round. Two indicators of consensus were used to determine stability: the average percent change of the mean and a decreasing average standard deviation.;The findings from the Delphi digital imaging manager panelists were as follows: (1) All eight of the following competency areas identified were rated important by the panelists and are listed in their ranked order: Digital Imaging Management Operations, Job Engineering, Output, Production Techniques, Knowledge of Computers, Technical Services, Image Acquisition, and Assembly. (2) The four areas ranked highest, in order, were Digital Imaging Management Operations, Job Engineering, Output and Production Techniques. (3) Of the 56 recommended competency subareas, 43 were rated important by the Delphi panelists.;The conclusions reached in the study are that managerial competencies are the most important for first-line digital imaging managers to know. The competency area Digital Imaging Management Operations ranked higher than the other technical competency areas. Further research is recommended to be done to find the precise relationship between management and technical competencies.