People skilled in specialist technical or professional areas are often wary of taking on leadership roles. Those technical experts that do take the plunge often find a lack of development opportunities limits their success.
Looking beyond the stereotypes, this practical research report builds a fuller, evidence based understanding of an expert as leader. Whether you are a technical expert in a leadership role or an HR professional responsible for developing people strategies for experts within your organisation, it will help you to understand:
- Do experts need to be led by experts?
- What motivates experts to become leaders and what stops them?
- What are the common characteristics of technical experts and the impact of these on their leadership style?
- How do excellent expert leaders develop?
- What learning and development strategies are effective in developing experts as leaders?
The report is based upon research we conducted in seven organisations that have a strongly scientific or technical base to their core functions. We draw insights and lessons from these successful organisations, which include ARM (semiconductor design and manufacture), BAM (construction), Cmed (clinical research), RBS Insurance and Syngenta (agricultural research).
