Tag: Employee Onboarding

Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform inventions and scientific outcomes into new products and services that benefit society. Technology transfer is closely related to (and may arguably be considered a subset of) knowledge transfer.

A comprehensive definition of technology transfer today includes the notion of collaborative process as it became clear that global challenges could be resolved only through the development of global solutions. Knowledge and technology transfer plays a crucial role in connecting innovation stakeholders and moving inventions from creators to public and private users.

Intellectual property (IP) is an important instrument of technology transfer, as it establishes an environment conducive to sharing research results and technologies. Analysis in 2003 showed that the context, or environment, and motives of each organization involved will influence the method of technology transfer employed. The motives behind the technology transfer were not necessarily homogenous across organization levels, especially when commercial and government interests are combined.  The protection of IP rights enables all parties, including universities and research institutions to ensure ownership of the scientific outcomes of their intellectual activity, and to control the use of IP in accordance with their mission and core values. IP protection gives academic institutions capacity to market their inventions, attract funding, seek industrial partners and assure dissemination of new technologies through means such as licensing or creation of start-ups for the benefit of society.

Technology Transfer in practice

Technology transfers may occur between universities, businesses (of any size, ranging from small, medium, to large), governments, across geopolitical borders, both formally and informally, and both openly and secretly. Often it occurs by concerted effort to share skills, knowledge, technologies, manufacturing methods, samples, and facilities among the participants.

Technology Transfer process involves many activities, which can be represented in many ways, in reality, technology transfer is a fluid and dynamic process that rarely follows a linear course. Typical steps include:

• Knowledge creation
• Disclosure
• Assessment and evaluation
• IP protection
• Fundraising and technology development
• Marketing
• Commercialization
• Product development

Technology transfer aims to ensure that scientific and technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users who can then further develop and exploit the technology into new products, processes, applications, materials, or services. It is closely related to (and may arguably be considered a subset of) knowledge transfer. Horizontal transfer is the movement of technologies from one area to another.

Importance of Technology Transfer

Technology transfer is an important part of the technological innovation process, promoting scientific and technological research and the associated skills and procedures to wider society and the marketplace.

Tech transfer allows research to develop from the discovery of novel technologies along the value chain to disclosure, evaluation and the protection of these breakthroughs. From here, marketing, licensing and further development of products allow the research to become an impactful product, process or service for society. In addition, the financial returns afforded by a successful product can be reinvested into further research to begin the cycle again.

As a result, technology transfer creates revenues for universities to use for faculty recruitment, funding and more research. Companies are able to tap into the advances brought about by this academic research without having to spend on internal R&D to create new products to drive business forward.

The advantages of successful technology transfer can be felt through national and regional economies via growth through innovation, new ventures and stronger industry to boost employment.

Spin-outs

Spin-outs are used where the host organization does not have the necessary will, resources, or skills to develop new technology. Often these approaches are associated with raising of venture capital (VC) as a means of funding the development process, a practice common in the United States and the European Union. Research spin-off companies are a popular vehicle of commercialization in Canada, where the rate of licensing of Canadian university research remains far below that of the US. Local venture capital organizations such as the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) also sponsor conferences at which investors assess the potential for commercialization of technology.

Technology brokers are people who discovered how to bridge the emergent worlds and apply scientific concepts or processes to new situations or circumstances. A related term, used almost synonymously, especially in Europe, is “technology valorisation”. While conceptually the practice has been utilized for many years (in ancient times, Archimedes was notable for applying science to practical problems), the present-day volume of research, combined with high-profile failures at Xerox PARC and elsewhere, has led to a focus on the process itself.

Whereas technology transfer can involve the dissemination of highly complex technology from capital-intensive origins to low-capital recipients (and can involve aspects of dependency and fragility of systems), it also can involve appropriate technology, not necessarily high-tech or expensive, that is better disseminated, yielding robustness and independence of systems.

Informal promotion

Technology transfer is also promoted through informal means, such as at conferences organized by various groups, including the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), and at “challenge” competitions by organizations such as the Center for Advancing Innovation in Maryland. AUTM represents over 3,100 technology transfer professionals, and more than 800 universities, research centres, hospitals, businesses and government organizations.

The most frequently used informal means of technology transfer are through education, studies, professional exchange of opinions, movement of people, seminars, workshops.

There are numerous professional associations and TTO Networks enhancing different forms of collaboration among technology managers in order to facilitate this “informal” transfer of best practices and experiences.

In addition to AUTM, other regional and international associations include the Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP), the Alliance of Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP), Licensing Executives Society (LES), Praxis Auril and others. There are also national Technology transfer associations and networks, such as the National Association of Technology Transfer Offices in Mexico (Red OTT Mexico), the Brazilian Forum of Innovation and Technology Transfer Managers (FORTEC), the Alliance of TechTransfer Professionals of the Philippines (AToP), the South African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA), and other associations.

They promote cooperation in technology transfer and the exchange of best practices and experiences among professionals, as today international technology transfer is considered one of the most effective ways to bring people together to find solutions to global problems such as COVID-19, climate change or cyber-attacks.

IP policies

Universities and research institutions seeking to partner with industry or other organizations can adopt an institutional intellectual property policy for effective intellectual property management and technology transfer. Such policies provide structure, predictability, and a n environment, in which commercialization partners (industrial sponsors, consultants, non-profit organizations, SMEs, governments) and research stakeholders (researchers, technicians, students, visiting researchers, etc.) can access and share knowledge, technology and IP. National IP strategies are measures taken by a government to realize its IP policy objectives.

A mock interview is an emulation of a job interview used for training purposes. The conversational exercise usually resembles a real interview as closely as possible, for the purpose of providing experience for a candidate. It can help a job applicant to understand what is expected in a real job interview, and can help an applicant improve his or her self-presentation. Mock interviews can be videotaped; the candidate can view the tape afterward, and get feedback.

A mock interview process helps candidates gain confidence with the chance to reflect on their non-verbal and verbal communication abilities. It also provides an opportunity for interviewees to make mistakes and work on correcting them in a safe atmosphere.

There are coaches who can provide feedback on aspects of the interview process. Mock interviews are most common for job interviews, but may also be used to train public figures to handle interrogations by journalists, as well as help candidates for office prepare for debates. Some organizations schedule mock interview events to help many students prepare for job interviews. For example, some schools have mock interview training days, often organized by career and guidance counselors. While the usual sense of the term is an exercise done as a form of preparation prior to applying for jobs, there is another sense of the term which describes a playful or non-serious interview. Mock interviews can help a person gain confidence for real interviews, as well as provide the interviewee with information about how to handle an upcoming interview.

Benefits of Mock Interviews

The mock interview approach is excellent for developing the candidate’s performance at job interviews and avoiding repeating the same mistakes in the future. Here are some of the skills the interviewee can improve during a mock interview:

• Confidence
• Effective responses
• Familiarity with the course of an interview
• Verbal and nonverbal communication

Change management is defined as the methods and manners in which a company describes and implements change within both its internal and external processes. This includes preparing and supporting employees, establishing the necessary steps for change, and monitoring pre- and post-change activities to ensure successful implementation.

Significant organizational change can be challenging. It often requires many levels of cooperation and may involve different independent entities within an organization. Developing a structured approach to change is critical to help ensure a beneficial transition while mitigating disruption.

Changes usually fail for human reasons: the promoters of the change did not attend to the healthy, real and predictable reactions of normal people to disturbance of their routines. Effective communication is one of the most important success factors for effective change management. All involved individuals must understand the progress through the various stages and see results as the change cascades.

Change Management Need

Change management is a complex process and requires serious attention as well as involvement from the management and people from all levels, in order to achieve a meaningful or a progressive transformation across various levels. For being ahead in the competitive race and gaining a winning edge, organizations have been focusing on expansion of business worldwide, achieving excellence in processes and operations, implementing innovations in technology and identifying/developing the right talent. The fast changes which have taken place and the way in which this has affected the strategies, people, policies and processes in an organization, it has become all the more imperative that organizations clearly establish a well-defined change management framework for realizing the strategic objectives. Change is inevitable and it can only be managed, failing which the organizations may cease to exist.

In the era of globalization, organizations function across the cultural boundaries with large investments in human capital as well as physical resources, give utmost importance to technological change and innovative practices for a leadership advantage. Business alliances like mergers, acquisitions, diversifications, takeovers and various other collaborative ventures have become the most preferred strategic best practices for the organizations to survive the fierce forces of competition, through transfer of people, technology, processes and leadership. For successfully handling this transition and converting the threats of change into opportunities, organizations must be flexible and open for Change Management.

By improving the readiness for change, organizations can strengthen their adaptability mechanisms and build their internal competencies for facing future uncertainties or many such multiple change auguring situations. An organization’s readiness for change management influences organizational strategies and policy related decisions, as it involves a comprehensive, well planned approach and implementation of systemic interventions which would have an overall influence on the system, processes, people as well as the organizational structure as a whole.

Innovations in technology and research advancements, have created opportunities for working virtually across any part of the globe; changes in the organizational structure and hierarchy; changes in the human resource policies and regulations, has resulted in organizational reengineering and change in the style of working of employees.

For meeting the growing demands of ever changing business operations, more dynamic and flexible organizations have endorsed new methods of working like flexi work hours, work from home, freelancing opportunities, virtual method of working, business operation outsourcing and project driven operations, etc. which provide ample opportunities to the workmen to work as per their convenience and flexibility.

Organizations change for responding to the fluctuations or volatility in the business environment. Any change in order to have successful outcomes must involve comprehensive planning, focused approach and involvement of the key stakeholders in the entire process.

For any organization, people play a very vital role in driving business excellence as they are the most valuable assets. Hence, a change in the method of handling a job role, implementation of facilitating interventions and training people about the new practices or techniques, can result in impressive results in terms of the return on investment (ROI). How organizations manage change or respond to the business transitions largely depend upon the adaptability of people or readiness of the people in understanding the changes in the process and method of handling a job. Change management process may directly affect the human resource strategies of an organization depending upon the goals or strategies of an organization.

A well-defined change management process can help in mitigating risks related with the people side. If this aspect is ignored, it might result in increase in the overall costs, decline in productivity as well as employee motivation and increase in the absenteeism level and employee attrition. Hence, it improves the overall preparedness of the management and the decision-making authorities in understanding the need for managing change, the key processes involved in it and in understanding the operational technicalities connected with it.

Planned change if effectively implemented can be beneficial in terms of controlling costs, minimizing risks, reducing the stress and anxiety by controlling uncertainties. It helps in setting up new milestones, establishing objectives, defining priorities and identifying the limitations for driving excellence in new initiatives.

Effective Change management process help organizations in understanding the changing customer needs, meeting their demands and expectations much better since the requirements are well defined. If implemented with proper planning, change management does not affect the day to day functioning of an organization, rather it functions concurrently. Instead it creates a scope for establishing best practices, defining the operational framework and regulations for the people, processes and system. It engages people in the entire process and motivates them to work towards realization of a common goal or objective and deliver excellence in performance through collaborative efforts and involvement in the process as a whole. Research in this direction proves the fact that organizations which have an established change management process are more likely to excel in meeting the business goals or achieve excellence in their project outcomes.

Effective change management is the key to realization of operational effectiveness, plays a key role in creating an optimism in the organizational environment as it has holistic outcomes and enables achievement of outcomes by defining superior benchmarks and working towards it for realization of the set benchmarks.

Organizational change affect the leadership thinking style and may optimize the benefits by establishing the systems and processes in place, establishing an integrated framework for achieving the developmental goals with the complete involvement of people in the end to end stages of change management cycle.

Kotter’s change management theory

Kotter’s change management theory is one of the most popular and adopted ones in the world. This theory has been devised by John P. Kotter, who is a Harvard Business School Professor and author of several books based on change management. This change management theory of his is divided into eight stages where each one of them focuses on a key principle that is associated with the response of people to change.

Stages

• Increase urgency: This step involves creating a sense of urgency among the people so as to motivate them to move forward towards objectives.
• Build the team: This step of Kotter’s change management theory is associated with getting the right people on the team by selecting a mix of skills, knowledge and commitment.
• Get the vision correct: This stage is related to creating the correct vision by taking into account, not the just strategy but also creativity, emotional connect and objectives.
• Communicate: Communication with people regarding change and its need is also an important part of the change management theory by Kotter.
• Get things moving: In order to get things moving or empower action, one needs to get support, remove the roadblocks and implement feedback in a constructive way.
• Focus on short term goals: Focusing on short term goals and dividing the ultimate goal into small and achievable parts is a good way to achieve success without too much pressure.
• Don’t give up: Persistence is the key to success, and it is important not to give up while the process of change management is going on, no matter how tough things may seem.
• Incorporate change: Besides managing change effectively, it is also important to reinforce it and make it a part of the workplace culture.

Benefits of this model

• This is a step-by-step model that is easy to follow and incorporate.
• The main idea behind it is to accept the change and prepare for it rather than changing itself.

Nudge Theory

Nudge Theory or Nudge is a concept that finds use in behavioral science, economics, and political theory but can be applied to change management in organizations and businesses as well. This theory is mainly credited to Cass R. Sunstein and Richard H. Thaler. Nudging someone or encouraging and inspiring them to change is the basic essence of this theory. Nudge theory is not only helpful in exploring and understanding existing influences but also explaining them to either eliminate them or change them to an extent where positives may begin to be derived.

It is important to note that there are many unhelpful ‘nudges’ around which can either be deliberate or may just be accidental. What this theory mainly seeks is to work upon the management as well as the understanding of the many influences on human behavior that lead to the changing people. It focuses on the design of choices which is responsible for directing our preferences and influencing the choices that we make. What this theory says is that choices must be designed in such a way that it can be aligned with the way people think and decide.

As compared to other theories, Nudge Theory is more sophisticated in its approach and is radically different from other ways of transitioning. This theory eliminates traditional change methods like punishment enforcement and direct instructions. One of the main benefits of this theory is that it takes into account the difference in feelings, opinions, and knowledge of people and also considers the reality of the situation as well as the characteristics of human nature and behavior. It thus minimizes resistance from employees of a company and is very well applied in several industries.

Bridges’ Transition Model

Bridges‘ transition model was developed by William Bridges who is a change consultant, and this theory came into the eye of the public after it was published in the book “Managing transitions”. The specialty of this model or theory is that it concentrates and focusses upon transition and not change as such. The difference between transition and change may be subtle, but it is important to understand it. Where transition on one hand is internal, change on the other is something that happens to people, even when they don’t realize it. Transition is something that happens to people when they are going through the change. Change can be instant, transition may take time.

The model focuses on three main stages that are given as follows:

• The Neutral Zone: This is the stage of uncertainty, impatience, and confusion. This stage can be considered as the bridge between the old and the new when people are still attached to the old but trying to adapt to the new. This stage is associated with low morale and reduced productivity, and one may experience anxiety and skepticism as well when going through this stage. But despite this, the neutral zone may also include innovation, renewal and a burst of creativity.
• Ending, Losing, and Letting Go: When people are first introduced to change, they may enter this first stage that is marked with resistance and emotional discomfort. Some of the emotions experienced at this stage include fear, resentment, anger, denial, sadness, frustration and most of all-disorientation. One has to realize that he/she is coming near to a certain end so as to accept new beginnings.
• The New Beginning: When the neutral phase is passed through support and guidance, the stage of acceptance and energy enters the picture. At this level, people begin to embrace the change and understand its importance. They are beginning to build the skills needed to reach the new goals and may start to experience benefits of the change already. It is associated with high levels of energy, new commitment and a zest to learn.

Kübler-Ross Five Stage Model

The Kübler-Ross five stage model was developed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross after she pursued her research on the dying and death. This model is also thus known as the Grief Model as it talks about the various emotional states and stages a person goes through when he/she discovers that he/she may be nearing their end. The model can also be applied to other life situations such as loss of job, changes in work and other less serious health conditions. The model helps to understand and deal with personal trauma and has been widely accepted worldwide. The following are the various stages that are associated with the Kübler-Ross model:

Anger: When the news actually gets absorbed, then the first reaction is usually that of anger. The denial converts into anger when one realizes that the change will actually affect them and is for real. One starts looking for someone to blame during this stage. For different people, there can be different ways of directing anger.

Denial: Denial is the first stage of the model and is a stage when one is unable to accept the news. It is like a buffer or defense that a person tends to create due to the inability to absorb the news. One may experience shock as well as a sense of numbness during this stage and this happens because every person shows resistance towards change and may not want to believe what is happening.

Bargaining: The next step or stage involves bargaining so as to avail the best possible solution out of the situation or circumstance. Bargaining is a way for people to avoid ending up with the worst-case scenario and is a natural reaction to avoid the extreme change.

Depression: When one realizes that bargaining isn’t working, he/she may end up getting depressed and may lose all faith. This is the phase when one is not bothered by anything and moves into a sad and hopeless state of mind. There are many ways to observe or identify depression and some of them include low energy, non-commitment, low motivation and lack of any kind of excitement or happiness.

Acceptance: When one realizes that there is no point in being depressed or fighting change, he/she may finally accept what is happening and may begin to resign to it. There are different ways in people handle this stage. While some may begin to explore the options left with them to make the most of the situation, others may just feel that no option is left for them and may just resign to destiny.

Competence Based Management is comparatively a modern method to find on the means by which firms achieve excellent performance and also more important sustain that good performance. The significance of this method lies in the fact that it can provide a theoretical explanation about the way in which firms will be able attain and also sustain competitive advantage. This management approach provides the theoretical approach that can explain this method in a methodical and ordered manner.

In this method it is important to give stress to the competence of an organization rather than the environment in which it functions. So it is rather a method that looks inward into the organization. Therefore, this theory will be useful to understand the abilities of an organization that help it to achieve competitive advantage. It is considered to be based on four pillars namely dynamic, systemic, cognitive and holistic aspects of competences of the organization. Fundamentally competence should include these four natures of the organization to attain competitive advantage.

For every position, employees require specific competencies; qualities they need in order to perform their work well. In most cases, they are already in possession of these qualities.

At the same time, there are also many possibilities for developing various competencies. This is exactly what competency management is all about. When developing their competencies further, employees will be able to perform their tasks even better.

This will ultimately benefit the company. Many companies engage in competency management because it allows them to align business objectives with the knowledge, skills, and professional attitude of their employees. If it is clear what competencies are required, companies may adjust their recruitment policy accordingly.

Steps:

1. Description of General Core Competencies

By first determining which core competencies are important, the organisation can create a general portfolio of the people it’s looking for. What is the company’s core business, how does it distinguish itself from competitors, and how does the company aim to profile itself to the outside world?

This step is at the strategical level, and revolves around the question of which core competencies are required to remain successful in the coming years.

For instance, an airline company will place great importance on competencies such as customer focus, service-oriented, solution-oriented, and communication. These are the competencies required of employees in every department and within all business units.

2. Development of Competency Profiles

Once the core competencies are clear, one can start determining the competencies of the individual employee. Naturally, these must be derived from the core competencies.

Each department requires specific knowledge, skills and professional attitudes. In the same airline company, technical and analytical insight will be important among the technical staff, whereas stress-resistance will be considered one of the core competencies for the cabin crew.

If job-oriented competencies are not yet clear, it may help to establish profiles on the basis of interviews with managers and employees.

Moreover, the established competency profiles may be added to the job descriptions. A complete list of competencies may also be included in a competency handbook as a useful way to contribute to competency management.

3. Making Competencies Measurable

Once it is clear which competencies apply to the various positions within an organisation, it is recommended to make these competencies measurable. Competencies may be linked to result areas and performance indicators.

This will take place at department level (tactical level), and it is the task of managers to clearly communicate this to their employees. By indicating in advance what is required of employees and how individual competencies are measured, everyone will know what is required of them.

This is made even clearer on the basis of SMART objectives; what are the Specific expectations, how is it Measurable, is it Acceptable and Realistic, and what is the Time frame?

For example, based on the number of complaints handled, this approach allows the airline company to evaluate how customer-oriented an employee has been in handling complaints during the past year.

4. Create Support

Regular employees will not necessarily like it if only management and middle management are in charge of determining the competency profiles. They’ll get the impression that all the decisions are made for them.

By involving employees in drawing up the competency profiles, they will be more inclined to take these competencies to a higher level. Competency management will only be successful by creating support among employees.

In addition, employees must understand its usefulness. In the event of any resistance, it is the task of management to conduct individual conversations with employees.

5. Implementation Competency Management

Ultimately, all competencies must be integrated into the human resources policy. The implementation of competency management is only a fact once it has become part of the corporate culture.

At the operational level, the competencies will then form the basis of both the selection process and development process of current staff. Competency profiles are implemented and used during assessment, performance, and personal development interviews, as well as during general job interviews.

Features

• Pinpointing triggers for each role.
• Identifying the key success factors.
• Laying direction for superior performance.
• Serving means for communicating performance expectations.
• Ensuring that the employees obtain greater transparency about their roles.
• Providing opportunities for development.
• Setting defined expectations from employees.
• Creating a more empowered workforce.
• Employing the workforce effectively.

Objectives

Objectives set out both the general and definite intents of the organization. Strategy is thus formed by the objectives. Over all objectives identify the following:

• The intention of the organization
• Long and short-term aspirations and ambitions of the organization
• The decision-making structure of the organization
• The foreseen results of its plans and actions.

The main determinants of the objectives of an organization are:

• The characteristics of its business activities
• The available resources
• The organizational culture
• The stakeholders and the influence they exert
• The operational environment