توسعه حرفه ای مدیران

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FOR
MIDDLE MANAGERS

ABSTRACT
This qualitative research project aims to examine a problem that concerns the
professional development requirements of middle managers in a New Zealand
multi-site state sector organisation from the middle managers’ perspective.
The organisation’s (allocated pseudonym is Justcorp) business plan stated as a
strategic priority that it needed to build the capacity of its employees for the
realisation of its vision. The objectives for this priority focussed on the
organisation’s recruitment and retention, strengthening leadership, providing
comprehensive training packages and enhancing team functioning. To deal with
this, ten middle managers with different responsibilities relating to the core
business have been employed across the three sites of Justcorp. These middle
managers were responsible for the management of staff, resources and service
to clients which placed them in a vital role in Justcorp.

For this research, ten participants from the three national sites were interviewed
on their recent experiences surrounding their professional development and how
it had affected their work. They were asked to identify the skills and abilities that
were important for the middle manager’s role and to describe how in the future
professional development could be delivered and organised in Justcorp. The
interview findings were further discussed by a focus group involving five of the
initial ten participants.
This research found that all ten participants had undertaken some activities of
professional development. The impact on their work varied according to
suitability of the activity to their tasks and opportunities available to them in
Justcorp. In response to how future professional development requirements
could be addressed participants focussed on the attributes that middle managers
required for their role and how a process could be developed.

Participants recognised leadership and management education and training as
essential elements of their development. The factors enabling and inhibiting the
provision of middle managers’ professional development were identified and
were generally considered as lacking a process.
The conclusions from this project and the key research aims that guided it were
directed at how to adequately provide a model of professional development for
middle managers in Justcorp. The model needs to commence at induction and
cater for the development of the individual, improve middle management practice
and assist Justcorp in the achievement of its vision.