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The need to develop new skills among middle managers has been increasing since the early 1990s. This need arises from the changes in the workplace environment associated with the realities of downsizing, the quality movement, and the increased use of teams. This article reports on the experience of one downsized, quality‐conscious, team‐based organization in identifying the development needs of its middle managers. The process used by the case study organization to identify the development needs among its middle managers is outlined. This process can be seen as an example of how development needs can be identified. The findings from the identification process within the case study organization present an initial list of development needs among today’s middle managers. Recommendations on training courses for middle management development are proposed. These recommendations provide initial guidance to organizations interested in developing their middle management assets.

The purpose of this study is to unfold the role of managerial characteristics in developing the dynamic capabilities necessary to serve foreign customers and compete in export market ventures.

The authors test their proposed model using path analysis with data collected from export managers working in 204 small- and medium-sized Turkish exporters operating in various sectors.

The findings suggest that the positive effect of export managers’ process thinking skills on dynamic capabilities increases when the export managers’ learning and avoid orientations are low and prove orientation is high and export venture experience (duration and scope) increases. In addition, it has been found that export managers’ process thinking skills have an indirect effect on export performance through export venture dynamic capabilities.

This study makes three contributions. First, the authors conceptualize and operationalize dynamic capabilities in the context of exporting. The authors empirically validate export venture dynamic capabilities as a higher-level construct composed of sensing, seizing and reconfiguring elements pertinent to the firm’s export market operations. Second, based on the micro-foundations approach of competitive advantage, the authors study managers’ process thinking skills in exporting firms and how these abilities support dynamic capability development in export ventures. Finally, the authors investigate how the impact of export managers’ process thinking skills on export venture dynamic capabilities is influenced by their goal orientations and certain objective exporter characteristics pertaining to different aspects of export venture experience.

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the questions as to how important skills are; which skills can best be learned at school, and which skills can be acquired better in the workplace.

The authors exploit data from a survey among professional tertiary education and training business administration students and their employers in Switzerland.

The authors find that skills used in the business processes strategic management, human resource management, organizational design, and project management are most suitable to be taught in school. However, the results further suggest that soft skills can be acquired more effectively in the workplace than at school. The only exceptions are analytical thinking, joy of learning and organizational soft skills, for which school and workplace are similarly suitable.

The paper provides empirical evidence regarding the optimal choice of the learning place for both human resource managers as well as educational decision makers who aim to combine education and training, e.g. in an apprenticeship.

Little evidence regarding the optimal learning place exists.

Describes the philosophy and process underpinning a skills development programme which is an integral part of the Professional Management Foundation Programme for part‐time students of the Institute of Personnel Management. Reviews current thinking about the nature of managerial skills and their development, describing a process used in skills development. This process applies and develops current theory. Identifies resources and evaluates the process against criteria relevant for effective learning. Discusses applications and describes recommendations for future development.

The design and execution of business processes are important drivers of organizational performance. Organizations design their operations around cross-functional processes adopting business process management (BPM) methods, tools and systems. This often involves assigning BPM accountability to senior executives such as the chief operating officer (COO), chief information officer (CIO), or chief technology officer (CTO). Some organizations appoint a chief process officer (CPO), a phenomenon raising important questions about the skills and responsibilities of this position within the top management team. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical study to explore the skills and responsibilities of CPOs and differences to other executives.

The authors conducted an exploratory content analysis of job resumes from LinkedIn.com to investigate the skills and careers of individuals appointed as COO, CIO, CTO and CPO in organizations from different industries and sizes. The content analysis was complemented with expert interviews of CPOs to obtain rich insights into their perception of the responsibilities of this position.

CPOs possess a unique skill set to serve as change agents. Their skills enable them to serve as integrators and influencers across managerial ranks and corporate functions. COOs, CIOs and CTOs possess more specialized skills related to their corporate function, whereas CPOs are more generalists who facilitate process-oriented strategy and execution, driving cultural change throughout the organization. These findings are consistent across industry and size.

This is the first paper to examine the CPO position in relation to other senior executive positions. Hence, it addresses an important gap in the BPM literature which can help organizations to make informed decisions whether they need a CPO position or have it become a part-time role of one of their existing C-level positions.

Training alone is not sufficient to enhance organizational effectiveness to a greater level because not all knowledge obtained from the training is properly transferred and applied to the organization. This study aims to investigate whether efforts invested by Malaysian manufacturers in employee training and knowledge transfer affect organizational effectiveness.

This study adopted a quantitative research design. The questionnaire developed for this study captured the training related to individual/managerial skills, the knowledge management process in place to capture and apply the knowledge obtained through training, and the organizational effectiveness. A closed‐ended online survey was sent to 1,000 members of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) throughout Malaysia and 88 manufacturers responded. The unit of analysis was an organization.

The study found the following: training employees to acquire individual/managerial skills and process skills helps in improving organizational effectiveness; knowledge application and knowledge protection interact with individual/managerial skills training to improve organizational effectiveness; and knowledge acquisition, knowledge application and knowledge protection interact with process skills training to enhance organizational effectiveness.

Organizations are urged to devise training modules depending on the needs of individual employees, create an environment that will encourage the trained employees to apply their skills (knowledge), and develop policies to retain these employees.

This paper addresses an important and not so well researched issue. It analyzes the interactions between the dimensions of knowledge management practices and type of training in improving the organizational effectiveness of manufacturing firms in Malaysia.

To explain and demonstrate an interactive approach to skill development and knowledge attainment that may serve varied purposes for employee learning and development.

The paper explains in detail and demonstrates the process of skill charting. Skill charting is an interactive, constructivist approach to learning. The process, as a training design, is contrasted with a more traditional training design to demonstrate how performance was improved.

Team leaders trained with skill charting performed more effectively, in general, with regard to several performance behaviors than did a comparable group of team leaders trained with other methods. The findings support the efficacy of skill charting as a process.

The skill charting process as presented in this paper adds to the tool‐box of the professional trainer, the human resources specialist, and managers. The process, as a sequence of events, offers a template for a variety of employee development activities. The process can be used for training purposes, for exploration of new skills, for some change initiative, and for other purposes. The approach involves employees directly in performance improvement as well as increasing the likelihood that changes in work practices will achieve greater employee acceptance.

The skills‐charting process offers a practical tool and multi‐faceted resource. While related to quality improvement tools such as the Affinity Diagram and the Relationship Diagram, the process offers a wide range of training and development possibilities that spring from graphical and representational origins. The grounding of the approach in transformative and constructivist learning concepts establishes strong motivational prompts for participants.

The purpose of the paper is to address the fundamental nature of skill and identify how an examination of skill may be introduced into theoretical understanding of the entrepreneurial process.

The paper undertakes a fundamental review of skill.

Skill is an under‐researched construct. Skills once learnt are discounted, undervalued and largely ignored, excepting when they are not executed. Skills are multidimensional and continuous, and context‐related. They are not the same as competencies. Skills associated with the entrepreneurial process are primarily theoretical constructs and have been associated with opportunity recognition theory. The initiation of the process through alertness may be challenged and substituted with identification of a social/market valued need. Adopting different paradigmatic approaches to entrepreneurial behaviour yields different issues including problems of measurement and how skills are valued socially, politically and economically. Insufficient empirical research has been carried out to test theory, and identify critical skills.

Further empirical research is needed to test and build theory that resonates with practitioner – in particular of the entrepreneur – understanding. Education and training policies should reflect sound theory and practice and where appropriate fund further work on the nature and development of entrepreneurial skills.

A fundamental review of skill has not been carried out academically since 1990; this paper is timely as it not only addresses that gap, but develops the work by applying an understanding the issues of researching skill to the entrepreneurial process.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the skill mapping process in a manufacturing organization and to examine its relationship with the select performance indicators, such as quality and defects. This paper also explores the role of the supervisor in the whole process of skill mapping of the blue-collar employees.

The study uses a case-based approach and the company selected is Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, Swaraj Division, located in Phase 4, Industrial Area, Mohali (Punjab). The qualitative aspect of the paper is based on ten semi-structured interviews of the senior-level managers. These interviews are conducted in order to understand the role of the supervisor in skill mapping process and its relationship with the organizational performance. The quantitative aspect is based on the regression analysis to find out the impact of skill index on select performance indicators.

The results of the study indicate that the role of the supervisor in performance appraisal is very important in the whole process of skill mapping. Swaraj is an example where a robust skill mapping process for blue-collar employees have supported the business in improving the skill of employees and consequently supporting the business to perform well on key deliverables, such as better quality and less defects. The select variables are inter-correlated and variations in the select organizational performance indicators (production and defects) are due to variations in the skill index of the blue-collar employees in the manufacturing organization. The performance indicators of the manufacturing organization in terms of manufacturing defects have declined and also the production has increased, which is a good indicator for the organization.

The present study is of interest to researchers who are trying to understand the system for skill mapping and utilization of appraisal inputs in improving organizational performance.

To the authors’ best knowledge, this paper is one of the first to address the skill mapping process in a manufacturing organization especially for the blue-collar employees.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on improvements to professional teaching practice within an undergraduate university business programme to more effectively teach an employability skill and enhance the student experience of teamwork.

A three‐phase approach to teaching teamwork was introduced. Tuckman's model of team development was explicitly taught and used as the conceptual framework for the student teamwork process. Assessments were constructively aligned to address team skills and engage students in team processes. A questionnaire was developed to guide team member expectations of teamwork. Two online surveys tracked the development of student team skills and were used in feedback loops for student learners and facilitators. The use of reflective weblogs provided insights to student perspectives.

Student engagement in teamwork was aided by the use of team surveys to assist students to explicitly make connections with the generic skills underpinning effective teamwork and a questionnaire to establish team norms. The teaching strategies employed developed a greater level of awareness in students, contributing to the development of their team skills.

The student experience of working in teams can be enhanced by providing a clear, conceptual framework for developing team skills. The teaching practices implemented can be replicated and address student perceptions of working in teams in order to effect positive change and develop transferable team skills.

The case study highlights the applicability of explicitly teaching team skills to positively enhance the student experience in a unique generic skills programme.