Executive Training And Development

Gray, Robert D., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. Publication Rights Reserved This paper is to be presented at the 38th Annual Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME in New Orleans, La., on October 6–9, 1963, and is considered the property of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Permission to publish is hereby restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words, with no illustrations, unless the paper is specifically released to the press by the Editor of the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the Executive Secretary. Such abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is granted on request, providing proper credit is given that publication and the original presentation of the paper. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines with the paper. Executive training has two coequal objectives: to help all members of management improve their performance and to prepare at least some for advancement. Since individuals, jobs and companies vary, each program must be tailored to fit specific needs. Development of executives requires the proper "climate" and adequate information on individuals and jobs. Everyone in management can contribute to the development of himself and his subordinates. The success of a program and the company itself depends upon an appropriate philosophy of human relations based on sound principles of economics, psychology and management expressed in effective policies implemented with consistent procedures. OBJECTIVES The success of a program of executive training and development, like the successful execution of any other program, depends upon a clear understanding of its objectives. What do you want to accomplish? Why? To be effective, your program of executive training and development must give equal weight to two objectives;—To prepare some individuals for advancement to meet the current and future needs of the organization—To help many individuals do a better job of managing, in order to be more effective in their present positions The necessity of having two coequal objectives can be best understood by examining seven assumptions which underlie a program of executive training and development. BASIC ASSUMPTIONS The first assumption is that the company or organization which is initiating or maintaining a program of executive training and development expects to continue its operations indefinitely. If this observation does not apply to you, if your company is planning to liquidate its assets or terminate its activities in some other fashion in the near future, it is probable that your present management group can accomplish these results. If, on the other hand, your company would like to be in business 10, 20, 30 or more years from now, you need to give serious thought to a program of executive training and development. This conclusion is especially valid if you can accept the second assumption: Managers are necessary. The production of any economic good or service involves equipment, materials and manpower. It is true that one company may differ from another, or that one industry may differ from another, with respect to what kind and how much of each are used.