Switching From A Technical To A Management Track

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Switching From A Technical To A Management Track
Karen Young Kreeger

The call to work with people and to make a contribution to the larger picture of one's employer is a lure for some scientists to leave the bench for leadership roles. Leslie May, senior R&D leader in the vinyl acetate monomer group at Dow Chemical in South Charleston, WV was on an analytical chemistry technical track for about 10 years. About three years ago, she made the switch and took a position as analytical resource leader for all manufacturing labs at the Dow site in Freeport, Texas, a position that involved increased interaction with people. "I found that I really liked it," she recalled. Following Dow's recent merger with Union Carbide she moved to the newly acquired West Virginia site to help implement some of the Dow corporate culture, especially employee empowerment.

For other chemists, moving to a managerial role was less deliberate. "I first wanted to be in a technical track because I always assumed or heard that anyone with a PhD has to manage people," says Thea Barbarakis, a manager in the immunochemistry R&D department at Bayer Corp. in Tarrytown, N.Y. "That's why I decided to get an MS when I started graduate school. I was happy with that decision." But as she gained more experience working in industry, she realized that not all managers have their PhDs.

Bayer recognizes employees that show certain characteristics or skills in effective leadership, and it is a company that places value on employee development, says Barbarakis, so "they sign us up for in-house classes." These courses included such topics as managing personal growth, persuasion, interviewing and hiring potential employees, leadership, and working in teams.

Polymer chemist George J. O'Neill, who retired from Eastman Chemical in Tennessee in 1998 as director of emerging technology and is now a career consultant and presenter for the American Chemical Society (ACS), was a research chemist before moving into management. At Eastman there's a technical advancement ladder and a management one. The crossover comes at the senior associate or lab head level, which is really a hybrid, a scientist with managerial responsibilities. These are usually researchers who have been with the company for 10 to 15 years and have been successful at coming up with new processes and products, as well as demonstrating their ability to work with a diversified team. "These are the growing steps to management," says O'Neill.
Lab chiefs at Eastman head up a team of other scientists as they continue to do some research, but they also must maintain an ability to work across a broad spectrum of departments like manufacturing, sales, and customer relations. What's key, he says, is "your ability to get along with people and recognize that they listen to different drummers than you do. Your ability to pick up on the rhythm of their drummer is critical. If you're unable to deliver your technical knowledge to them and understand where they're coming from, it makes for an awkward work situation. In some cases some individuals were barred from being on teams or from interacting with manufacturing. Not everyone is suited for management."

What's Important To Learn?

People management and how to guide the careers of others are two of the most important attributes that a manager must possess. Robert E. Lyle, who retired in 1991 as vice president for chemistry and chemical engineering at the Southwest Research Institute, an independent non-profit lab based in San Antonio, and now volunteers for career development projects for ACS, says that the most important quality to develop is interpersonal skills. Managers need to be cognizant of the way others feel in their decision-making process. But, he adds, that "doesn't mean being too permissive." Add to people skills some knowledge of accounting and the ability to delegate authority and responsibility to trusted employees.

"The biggest switch I had to make was knowing I had to make decisions whether it made people happy or not," concurs Barbarakis. "I couldn't make people happy all the time. But you have to make decisions whether they're wrong or right and live with them. That was a hard thing for me to change because before I just did my work and I had my end result and it was right and I felt good about it."

Along with new duties like hiring and firing, she says that she's also charged with keeping people motivated during major changes associated with ever-present acquisitions and mergers in the pharmaceutical industry. "I'm responsible for the professional growth of the people who work for me," she says. "What I'm really responsible for is giving them the time, resources, and encouragement to do that, just like I was given."

Cultural Differences

One of the salient differences between working at the bench and managing a group of scientists is the level of interaction with other people. "It relates to how most of us are trained as technical folks," says May, where research is judged primarily on individual accomplishment. To her, one of the key issues in moving into a leadership role-with responsibility for obtaining business results and setting goals and objectives-is how you have to engage, motivate, and inspire people to follow a vision, which is different from a technical role where you want to get the right results and understand the science. One is an individual role; the other is focused on giving other employees the resources to do their jobs, rather than sweating the details alone.

"What this means is that you have to be the kind of person that, either naturally or by experience, can take a lot of reward and enjoyment from seeing other people do well," says May. She adds that managers have to be confident enough to not micromanage, saying to yourself, "OK, just because I didn't do all the detail work, I am adding something to the organization by empowering these other people by developing their careers." This approach also makes good business sense because "we know it's also more effective and you engage people's creativity."

Joan Schmidt, manager, regulatory science at Bristol-Myers Squibb Corp. in Princeton, N.J. agrees that the "largest difference is interaction with people." Schmidt, who was a research chemist for seven years and transferred to regulatory affairs just over three years ago where she's in charge of organizing and filing applications for investigational new drugs and clinical trial applications in other countries, deals with clinicians, regulators, and health authorities, as well as different departments within BMS. She was looking for more interaction with people. "In a lab there's a limited amount of that and a lot of the job is being at the bench and doing science. If you really wanted to, you could still be a good chemist and not talk to virtually a soul all day. That's not what I was looking for."

Making the Transition

For people who are contemplating making this switch, creating an action plan is a good first step on the road from scientist to manager. Career change expert Jane Allen uses the analogy of a train trip to describe the process: You plan it, start at one location and go to your ultimate destination, with stops in between but there are no non-stop career trains. The change doesn't have to be painful but you need to know how you're going to move from the lab into management. Here are some pointers to keep in mind:

Ask yourself why are you interested in managing. Like any job search, some informational interviewing is useful here. Talk to people you know who are currently managers; ask them about what they like and don't like, their main responsibilities, skills, and other job-related questions. You may hear things you didn't consider.
In the same vein that scientists read technical journals, Leslie May recommends reading leadership and management literature. Take a look at The Wall Street Journal, Chemical Week, Fortune, or other periodicals that deal with management and personnel topics. What are the hot topics that managers are facing?
If you still feel this is a good move for you, start adding to your skill base. Take a class to help build your people management skills. Find a mentor who can assist you in reaching your goal. Identify volunteer opportunities where you can hone the same interpersonal and management skills you'll need as a manager.
Take advantage of opportunities that will allow you to demonstrate your managerial potential, such as leading a cross-functional team or taking a lead role on a project.

Karen Young Kreeger is a freelance science writer based in Ridley Park, PA.