A proposed training program to develop the skills of managers of scientific institutes in the field of strategic planning

Abstract

Study Objectives: The study aims to determine the importance of developing the strategic development skills of the directors of scientific institutes. It further seeks to identify the significance of statistical differences at the level of (0.01) among the means of scores measuring the importance of developing the strategic planning skills of scientific said directors from their own perspective, which are attributed to educational qualifications - specialization – and years of service in the field of education. The study also aims to build a training program for developing the strategic planning skills of the directors of scientific institutes.

The most significant findings of the Study were as follows:

There is a high level of agreement among subjects as regards the importance of developing the strategic planning skills of scientific institutes’ directors, from their own perspective.

Statistically significant differences were found at the level of (0.01) among the means of study subject responses as to the overall score of the importance of developing the strategic planning skills of the directors of scientific institutes; specifically, at the “Specialization” variable, in favor of study subjects specializing in “Sharia Studies”.

Statistically significant differences were found at the level of (0.01) among the means of study subject responses to the importance of developing the strategic planning skills of the directors of scientific institutes, and the sub-dimensions represented in the (strategical development stage during plan development- post-plan stage (evaluation) at the “Years of Service in the Educational Field” variable, in favor of directors with less than 5 years of experience.

An integrated training program for developing the strategic planning skills of the directors of scientific institutes is required, to include an introduction to the program, description of program’s importance, main objective, detailed objectives, content (training units), targeted audience, trainers, requirements, duration, training requirements, training methods, and program evaluation. Once completed, the program should be presented before a group of experts in management and educational leadership for arbitration.

The researcher provided a set of recommendations, including:

Adopting the proposed training program for developing the skills of scientific institutes’ directors in the field of strategic planning.

Raising awareness among the directors of scientific institutes on the importance of developing the skills of such directors in the field of strategic planning; particularly, the pre-planning stage, and its importance in enhancing the plan and improving its success chances, noting that this stage came last in terms of significance.