Chief Learning Officer - February 2008 - (Page 47)

human capital organization. Titles such as “chief engineer,” “lead program manager” and “senior project manager” are used to identify managers and leaders of engineering and technical functions within an enterprise, though actual job descriptions vary widely. Today’s technical leaders, almost without exception, lack formal management training. Rather, their skills are in the engineering and science disciplines. In addition, their performance expectations vary widely, as well as their roles and responsibilities, depending on the organization. Therefore, it’s not surprising that technical leadership development activities vary greatly. However, one thing is common to all successful technical leadership development programs — the close alignment of program design with an organization’s mission, vision and values, as well as the strategic imperatives of the organization. Without this alignment, executive support and resource allocation, program sustainability is unlikely. In benchmark organizations like Rockwell Automation and GE Healthcare, the identification and development of the next generation of technical leaders is a strategic imperative for the global enterprises. Leading technology companies in Asia and the Pacific Rim also have recognized this best practice. In contrast to these structured rotational programs, many organizations promote technical leaders from the ranks, with little or no attention to a formalized development plan. Given the demographics and increasing demands on engineering and technical functions, attention to technical leadership development is critical to the future organizational performance and productivity. Developing Technical Leaders While many organizations pay attention to the development of key managerial talent, they often overlook the development of their technical leaders. Leadership at the team and project levels is as critical as leadership activities at the program and business-unit levels. Yet in most organizations, these needs go unmet. The chief learning officer is in the unique position to embrace and advance a vertically scalable leadership development program that accommodates individual development needs within the context of organizational performance requirements. At the team and project level, engineers must be able to incorporate leadership and managerial concepts into their work to enhance the performance of their work group. Development activities might be directed at improving performance in leading global project teams, employing effective communications tools and The rapid rate of technological change requires engineering managers to have an ever-increasing breadth of technical competency. 47 February 2008 I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer http://www.clomedia.com

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Chief Learning Officer - February 2008 Editor's Letter Table of Contents Business Impact Trends Best Practices Effectiveness Guest Editorial Learning Solutions Home Depot: Building Better Associates CLO Profile Environment Realizing the Vision of “One Philips” Tactics Sun Microsystems’ Next-Generation Worker Video Game Recruiting Tool Productivity The Regence Group: Blended Measurement Human Capital NASA: A Case Study in Technical Leadership Development Case Study Business Intelligence Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - February 2008

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