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FEATURE SKILLS PAY THE BILLS IS MANAGEMENT EDUCATION WORTH THE INVESTMENT? IF IT RESULTS IN AN INCREASE IN THE EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF PLANTS, PROJECTS AND EMPLOYEES, THE ANSWER IS YES. By Dr. Joe McGuire, Dr. Lisa Breja and Billy Snead $ This is the second in a two-part series on the importance of management education for constructionmaterials producers. The first part featured information on building a world-class organization. – Ed. B eginning in March 2012 and ending in July 2012, 60 Oldcastle Materials Group (OMG) Midwest Group management and staff personnel were required to attend five Management Skill Development sessions sched‐ uled at three designated Iowa Community Colleges. To en‐ sure the information or message delivered to all participants was consistent, the same presenters were used in all sessions. In order to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of this management education program a 14‐item pre‐ and post‐training survey, using Likert rating scales, was given to all participants. In addition, all participants were asked to complete an 11‐item evaluation of the program, its out‐ comes and the instructors. The data derived from both sur‐ veys or rating scales will be discussed later. Comparison of Management Skill Self-Assessment Pre/Post Survey Items. Sometimes when programs such as this are undertaken, questions might be asked regarding their value to the company, whether they were of benefit to the participants or if learning took place. In an effort to answer these questions, a Management Skills Self‐Assessment Survey was designed to elicit feedback from the participants to see how they viewed or rated their management skills prior to participating in the program. Likewise, the same survey was given to them following the fifth session in an effort to measure changes which may have occurred as a result of being involved in the program. By comparing data generated from responses provided by the partici‐ pants, conclusions concerning the training program can be made. Item Number 1: I have the ability to communicate clearly with my co-workers. The ability for plant, project or other field‐level managers to communicate with all levels of management, co‐workers and team members is one of the most important skills they must possess. Prior to being involved in this training pro‐ 12 ROCKproducts • JULY 2013 gram, participants rated this item at 4.7 indicating they be‐ lieved they had approximately average communication skills. After completing this management training program, the average score of the participants was raised a full two points to a 6.7 average. This would seem to indicate partici‐ pants' communication skills or level of knowledge in this area increased substantially. Item Number 2: As a manager I am able to delegate tasks without hesitation. For a variety of reasons, the ability to delegate tasks is one the skills most managers lack and one aspect of the job they find difficult to perform. Prior to taking this training, partici‐ pants felt they had adequate delegation skills as indicated by their average rating of 4.8. But when training was completed they had raised the average rating to 5.7, which supports the premise that they had increased their knowledge level and skills in this area. Item Number 3: I know the difference between being a manager and being a leader. Knowing when to lead and when to manage situations are important skills managers should have. Prior to training participants believed they possessed a grasp of these con‐ cepts as indicated by their average rating of 5.2. Following the training, participants indicated they had developed a better understanding of leadership and managing tasks in the workplace. The average rating following training on this item was 5.6. Item Number 4: I feel comfortable giving positive feedback to my team members. Managers generally felt they had adequate skills to give positive feedback or compliments to members of their team. Participants in this training program reported they believed they had above average skills in this area (rated at 5.8 on the pre‐training survey) but as a result of this train‐ ing, they increased their knowledge on giving positive feed‐ back to others as indicated by a raise in the average rating to 6.2 on the post‐survey. www.rockproducts.com