FROM BENCH TO MANAGEMENT

Abstract

FOR MANY BENCH CHEMISTS working in industry, the time may come when they leave the world of research and enter the world of management. The move can be self-directed, or higher-ups might tap the shoulders of those R&D workers who they believe have management potential. Regardless of how the transition comes about, understanding what lies ahead and how to prepare for it can ease the path, say both career counselors and those scientists and technicians who have already made the switch. It’s not wise to think about a transition to management until you understand research and the values of the company you are working for, says Joel Shulman, an adjunct professor of chemistry at the University of Cincinnati who worked at Procter & Gamble for 31 years, with 24 of them in management. “You can’t go in saying, ‘I want to be a manager.’ You have to be a scientist first,” says Shulman. He ...