Training Of Industrial Executives

Press, Volume C, Issue 29643, 13 October 1961, Page 6

Training Of Industrial Executives

"The Press" Special Service WELLINGTON, Oct. 12. Common sense was the first attribute required in the ideal chief executive in industry today, said the president of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association (Mr R. H. Stewart) in a paper presented to the annual conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation in Wellington. Other attributes required for the hypothetical, successful chief executive were leadership, enthusiasm, optimism. honesty, sense of justice, persistence, health, and personality, Mr Stewart said. “This sort of man is successful in his chosen career, and is the sort of person we all need in industry today. How to get him is the problem. because it takes years, at least 20, to evolve him,” Said Mr Stewart. He quoted an American survey of 900 top executives. Three were aged 40 and Under. 100 between 40 and 50. 340 between 50 and 80, 325 between 60 and 70, 60 between 70 and 80, and five between 80 and 90. Of this number, 57.9 per cent, had been with the game company for between 20 and 40 years, and 14.4 per cent, be’ween 40 and 50 years. Sixty per cent, of the executives had been hired by the companies when they were aged between 20 and 40, 9 per cent, under 20. and 14 per cent, between the ages of 40 and 50. Of the 900, 22.1 per cent, had had post-graduate study, 42 per cent, had graduated from colleges, 16 had attended college, and 19 per cent, high school. “If the same pattern applies in New Zealand, then the answer seems to be to seek a well-educated young man of about 20 with the qualities I

have discusesd and set about teaching him your business. “He may have to wait 20 to 30 years before he gets near the top. but he will be the one to. have Such men. with that kind of background and training have the continuous thinking so necessary in an expanding enterprise, and it appears contrary to popular belief that new blood is vital to a business. ‘•lt may be in the lower level management, but apparently in America this pattern not so. The point made is that 33 per cent, of all surveyed executives had never worked anywhere else before. That job was their only job. Of the balance, 26 per cent, had had one other job t 17 per cent, two jobs, 12 per cent, three jobs, and 11 per cent, four-plus jobs," Mr Stewart said.