InformationWeek

November 9, 1998

Training Focuses On `Soft' Skills

Program teaches leadership, motivating

By Jennifer Mateyaschuk

echnology is playing a larger role in business, and IT projects are becoming more complex. That means technology managers increasingly need strong communication and leadership skills. Training companies are responding by introducing on-site programs to help technology managers develop "soft" skills.

A.E. Schwartz & Associates has developed a training program called management job coaching. The "coach," or instructor, comes to a company on either a biweekly or monthly basis and works with one group of managers to develop management skills. The company says the program uses role-playing, case studies, active-listening exercises, and brainstorming sessions to teach managers how to rely on each other, as well as how to communicate better with and manage employees.

Any manager in any industry can benefit from the program, but Andrew Schwartz, A.E. Schwartz's president, says that because of the growing need for soft skills within IT departments, many of his clients are technology managers. "Technology managers, as well as their employees, need soft skills more than ever because now every project they work on interfaces with other parts of the organization," he says.

Blessing/White Inc. has introduced several programs to help technical managers motivate their employees to solve problems creatively, develop and manage teams, manage change, and encourage self-management.

Peter Alexander, a senior consultant for Blessing/White, says IT managers need training because technology professionals tend to be achievement-oriented individuals who seek motivation from the work itself. "There's a fear of burnout for these employees, which occurs when they have underutilized skills, or when they're unable to change their working conditions," he says.