This synthesis will be of interest to administrators, human resource managers, technical managers, and those who develop training courses for departments of transportation (DOTs). It describes the management philosophies that support the management training and development programs, such as the need for effective leadership, customer service as a primary mission, increased workforce productivity, employee involvement, teamwork for more effective results, and the need for a systems perspective by management. Major issues, including the increasing nonengineering functions within DOTs, the aging and diversity of the workforce, recruitment of entry level professionals, employee retention, and the use of contract services are discussed. This report of the Transportation Research Board examines the types of management and development training courses that are considered important by state departments of transportation, costs of training, types of participants, topics that are covered, needs for transportation-related courses vs. administrative training, and the development of courses within the DOT. Suggestions for future management training objectives are also presented.
The report for this topic can be purchased at https://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=3369