Professional Services
Cross-Cultural Technical Training for Energy Companies
Center for Applied Psychological Research (CAPR)
A Center within the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Science-Based
Providing energy companies with research solutions to challenges posed by recent
demographic shifts in their technical workforce
Program-oriented
Establishing evidence useful to design best practice-based programs in recruiting,
training and retaining the future energy workforce
Cross-cultural
Designing strategies and measuring effectiveness of integrating non-Western nationals
through assessment, mentoring and career development
Introduction
The Center for Applied Psychological Research at the University of Houston has been conducting research on accelerated technical development of geoscientists and engineers since 2004. Current and previous research partners for projects pertaining to training needs analysis, cross-cultural mentoring and cross-cultural technical training include Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, Esso Angola and ZADCO.
The Challenge
Energy companies are now global players – many recruit more than 50% of their professional technical workforce in non-industrialized, non-Western countries. Their educational as well as cultural background and experience differ significantly from those of Western hires. In order for non-Western hires to develop at an accelerated pace and allow for nationalization of the energy workforce in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Angola, technical training programs need to effectively match the educational, experiential, technical and cultural profiles of the new hires.
The Solution
The challenges energy companies face in integrating non-Western new hires can be met through the development of research and best practice driven approaches to technical training, individual and organizational assessment and cross-cultural mentoring programs.
Projects
- Training needs analysis projects are an integral part of our research work for organizations. In working closely with our partner organizations in the energy sector, projects are completed in partnership with faculty and graduate students. To date, the Center has completed approximately fifteen needs analysis projects examining training needs in the domain of engineering and geoscience (reservoir engineering, production and facilities engineering, drilling engineering, fractured reservoir modeling and analysis, negotiation, mentoring).
- Optimizing technical instruction projects have examined the role of instructor characteristics and behaviors in optimizing the teaching of advanced engineering and geoscience material. Currently, in collaboration with one company, we are currently examining whether instructor behaviors that promote student learning and knowledge transfer in Western settings translate to Non-Western settings.
- Mentoring programs provide our partner organizations with systematic research results on how to assess mentoring needs and effectively design mentoring programs focused on the technical development of non-Western engineers and geoscientists. Based on our research, we have developed customized mentoring training programs for expatriate mentors and their national protégés.
The Opportunity
The Center for Applied Psychological Research is interested in expanding the partnerships with organizations in the energy sector that are facing challenges in training engineers and geoscientists (both Western and Non-Western) in a maximally effective way utilizing state of the art-research and assessment practices.
Project Principals
Christiane Spitzmueller, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Alan L. Witt, Ph.D.
Professor
Center for Applied Psychological Research