First-time managers: Increasing chances of their success before the promotion

Industrial and Commercial Training. 2017. Vol. 49. No. 3. P. 132–138.

Плахотник М. С.

Conversations about support of first-time managers to ease their transition to management usually evolve around either the ways newly promoted managers could help themselves by developing certain skills, knowledge base, and attitudes (e.g., Gaster and Gaster, 2006; Seibly, 2014), or the ways in which organizations could implement certain training and development activities after employees are promoted to managerial positions (e.g., Sillett, 2015; Walker, 2002). Very little has been said about “the before” or the preparation period. If promotion to management is accompanied by tremendous pressure, stress, frustration, and losses and could lead to termination, why should we wait till one is promoted to provide some support? Could something be done earlier? Therefore, the questions that this article will address, what could be done before the promotion to management to help first-time managers succeed in their new roles? If we choose to have a preparation period, how would we approach those learning and development initiatives?

Ключевые слова: line managers, career development, rookie manager