Abstract

(New) Skills Needed to be an Effective Research Manager: A Retrospective and Prospective View
There have been many workshops, sessions, webinars, and articles about what skills are needed to be an “effective” Research Manager or Administrator (RMA). While we consider what “effective” means, and there may be varying opinions on that depending on our role and type of organisation, we realize that what was needed in past years, may in fact not be relevant in 2023. It is broadly accepted that RMAs require a mix of content, technical, and relational skills. How has this balance changed over the years as regulations have become more complex and research itself more collaborative? And are there new skills that have emerged as being required – particularly at management and leadership levels? We believe that there are new skills now required that will become increasingly important for RMAs in the future, particularly for those at management and leadership levels. These new skills include the ability to reposition what we do in the bigger picture of research and within new institutional contexts. It also includes the ability to take a researcher centred view of our activities ensuring that we can indeed support research and researchers.
This session, presented by a panel of three experienced research administration leaders with more than 80 years of collective RMA experience will explore what it took “back then” to be effective and successful, and what has had to change through the years to maintain and increase the level of effectiveness. We will discuss how this may lead to some insights into the skills required in the future. Each of the three presenters have been leaders (presidents) of their respective RMA Societies (SRAI, ARMA and ARMS) as well as institutional leaders and so can bring both a strategic and operational perspective to this presentation.

Our goal is to provide participants with broad guidelines on the skills needed to plan and implement a career pathway in research administration.

Our Learning Objectives are:
For participants to explore and understand what it means to be an effective RMA and how that can be demonstrated.
To identify and distinguish the skills needed to be effective and ultimately successful as practitioners and leaders in research management and administration.
To explore how the skills needed to be an effective RMA have changed over time and are likely to change into the future.
To assist participants with broad guidelines to map a career pathway in research management and administration.