Technical Management for the Performing Arts

Chapter 4Personnel

The successful management of a project’s most precious resource—the people involved—is far more complex than overseeing materials and equipment. In spite of this, personnel management is one of the least emphasized areas of study in performing arts education. This is similarly the case in manufacturing and other industries, where personnel management training takes a back seat. So called “hard skills” like welding, construction, and assembly are emphasized over “soft skills” such as communication, task assignment, mentoring, evaluation, and performance review. Successful personnel motivation and supervision are the hallmarks of the effective technical manager and are practical soft skills that can be learned through practice ...