In recent years, workforce and leadership competencies, and their importance in the workplace in the forest sector, have gained considerable attention. In contrast, the ability of higher forestry education to develop the appropriate skills in supervision and management has been criticized. The main aim of dissertation was to advance the development of supervisory and management competence in higher forestry education. More specifically, it evaluated: i) the importance and competency gaps in the different supervisory and management skills at the beginning of forestry professionals’ careers, and the necessity to include the teaching of these skills in higher forestry education (study I), ii) the current supervisory and management competencies of mid-career forestry professionals in comparison to the requirements that emerge during advancement of their divergent careers (study II), and iii) the organizational and employer perspectives on supervisory and managerial work in the forest sector, including its characteristics, current and future challenges, and the competencies needed for supervisory and managerial duties (study III).
The thesis was conducted through survey questionnaires (I and II) and in-depth interviews (III) that produced data for both statistical and qualitative content analyses. Supervisory duties were found to be typical among early-career forestry professionals, and supervisory skills were also seen as important for all regardless of their position (I). During work experience and career progression, gaps and weak development in several important supervisory skills, self-management, and change management skills were revealed (II). Leadership skills were recognized as a key requirement in forestry organizations (III). The competencies of forestry professionals with regard to human relations, feedback provision, and change management need improvement. The role of supervisors as coaches or mentors will be important in the future but is currently threatened by large team sizes and an overwhelming number of duties.
To conclude, the need for generic skills in the context of management was emphasized. Supervisory competence cannot be achieved through theory alone; practical training and experience are also essential. Higher forestry education should invest more in the teaching of supervisory and management skills through the expansion and diversification of pedagogical practices.