MATCHING TRAINING TO THE NEEDS OF POLISH MANAGERS

This paper considers the needs of Polish managers in order to make rec ommendations for the design of training programmes. The experience of Polish managers is first considered through a comparison of theoretica l and actual organizational situations. We find that, as a result of p olitical competition, Polish managers should have developed some manag erial skills. Exploratory research in managerial skills, based on Katz 's (1955) model, is then reviewed, and we find that Polish managers do possess and use a wide range of skills. National business culture and the effects of relatively high power distance, thought to exist in Po land, on training are then discussed. Research into preferred learning styles, based on Honey and Mumford (1986), is then compared to resear ch conducted in the UK,US and Canada; the preferred learning style of Polish managers is found to be contemplative. Based on these findings, specific recommendations are made for the content and delivery of man agerial training programmes. Above all, trainers must be prepared to b e flexible and to listen to what their trainees tell them is needed fo r management in the transition economy. A consultative rather than pre scriptive approach is recommended.