An Integrated Approach to the Development of Managers: The Role of the Management Development Practitioner
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb055365 |
| Date | 01 March 1978 |
| Published date | 01 March 1978 |
| Pages | 35-40 |
| Author | R.A. Burgess,B.G. Fryer |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
An Integrated Approach to the
Development of Managers: The Role of
the Management Development
Practitioner
R. A. Burgess
Professor
of
Construction,
University
of Salford
B.
G. Fryer
Senior Lecturer in Construction
Management,
School
of
Constructional
Studies,
Leeds
Polytechnic
Introduction and summary
Some recent research[1] lends support to the evolving
idea that management is specific to the situation, so that
neither the work nor development of managers can be
considered without reference to many variables. Case
studies of four organisations and interviews with more
than fifty managers in the construction industry suggest
that managers rely heavily on interpersonal, decisional and
problem handling skills, which they consider are largely
derived from their work experiences. Management
development programmes may assist the learning of such
skills but are unlikely to make their best contribution
unless organisations acknowledge learning as a mainstream
activity, giving more thought to their long range
development strategies, evolving suitable 'learning climates'
and encouraging their managers to take a greater measure
of responsibility for their own development. On the basis
of this research we concluded that the contribution of the
management development practitioner should be more
variable than has usually been the case. His role, like that
of the manager, should be largely determined by the
situation and he should be responsive to the particular
needs of organisations and individual managers. The
research supports the argument for greater emphasis on the
relationship between managerial action and learning and
suggests that the methods used should be more carefully
selected to suit individual managers' learning styles and
development objectives.
Aims and method of the research
This paper summarises part of a broader study into the
development of managers in the construction industry,
the aims of which were:
1 To describe the current management development
activities of some contracting organisations.
2 To identify the problems confronting such
organisations.
3 To attempt to prescribe more favourable conditions
and actions for developing managers in the future.
Case studies of two large and two small construction firms
were undertaken with a view to identifying significant
variables and contrasting approaches in manager
development. Surveys were carried out, including 53
partly structured and partly open-ended interviews with
managers at various levels of seniority in 12 construction
organisations. The case studies, although highly qualitative
in parts, were successful in identifying some general
features of manager development in the firms who
participated in the research and a number of common
problems were highlighted. In the structured elements of
the surveys it was possible to obtain some more
quantifiable data, although a large proportion of the
information collected was attitudinal rather than
observational. Care was taken in interpreting the results, as
it could not be assumed that the data obtained from a
relatively small sample of organisations and managers was
necessarily representative. The model evolved in the
research was developed from the cumulative evidence of
this and earlier studies.
Variables and interfaces in manager development
Figure 1 provides a framework for integrating some diverse
concepts which were examined in the research. Since the
data collected suggests a contingency approach to the
development of managers, the model is kept sufficiently
general to cope with differences within any of the main
variables. The model demonstrates some important
interfaces between the developing manager, his job, the
organisation employing him, the management development
practitioner and the available learning resources. The
practitioner may himself be employed by the organisation
or he may be a consultant or management 'teacher'. Whilst
the two-variable interfaces, such as that between the
manager and his job, have been quite extensively studied
and are therefore reasonably well understood, the three-
variable interfaces have been comparatively neglected. Yet
the latter seem important for integrating concepts about
development and may have considerable potential for
improving the processes involved.
To continue reading
Request your trial