Overview
This lecture covers the skills approach to leadership, emphasizing the competencies needed for effective leadership and outlining both the original and expanded models, as well as their practical strengths and weaknesses.
Skills Approach to Leadership
- The skills approach focuses on a leader's competencies, unlike the trait approach which highlights innate characteristics.
- Katz's three skills approach includes technical, human, and conceptual skills.
- Technical skills are job-specific knowledge and proficiency.
- Human skills are interpersonal abilities to relate to people at all levels.
- Conceptual skills involve working with ideas, vision, and solving organizational problems.
- Different leadership levels require varying degrees of these skills; lower levels need more technical, upper levels need more conceptual.
Expanded Five-Component Model
- Researchers later expanded the model to five components: competencies, individual attributes, career experiences, environmental influences, and leadership outcomes.
- Competencies include problem-solving skills, social judgment skills, and knowledge.
- Individual attributes are general and crystallized cognitive ability, motivation, and personality.
- Career experiences shape and enhance a leader's competencies.
- Environmental influences (internal and external) affect how competencies are applied.
- Leadership outcomes are influenced by competencies, attributes, experience, and the environment.
Key Leadership Competencies
- Problem-solving skills: ability to define issues, analyze causes, identify constraints, plan, forecast, think creatively, evaluate ideas, apply wisdom, and articulate vision.
- Social judgment skills: understanding people and social systems, being perceptive and aware of others' needs.
- Knowledge: specialized information and expertise in the leader's field.
Nine Problem-Solving Skills
- Problem definition
- Cause/goal analysis
- Constraint analysis
- Planning (mental simulation)
- Forecasting (anticipating outcomes)
- Creative thinking (alternative solutions)
- Idea evaluation (assess viability)
- Wisdom (contextual appropriateness)
- Sense making/visioning (articulate vision to followers)
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Skills Approach
- Strengths: Focuses on abilities that can be developed, makes leadership accessible to all, and provides a framework for leadership education and development.
- Weakness: Descriptive rather than prescriptive; does not explain how competencies directly result in effective leadership performance.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Skills Approach — Leadership theory emphasizing learnable abilities and competencies over inherent traits.
- Technical Skills — Job-specific knowledge and proficiency.
- Human Skills — Interpersonal and relational abilities.
- Conceptual Skills — Ability to work with ideas and vision.
- Competencies — Capabilities leaders use for effective performance.
- Problem-Solving Skills — Steps and abilities to resolve issues and create solutions.
- Social Judgment Skills — Understanding and insight into people and social dynamics.
- General Cognitive Ability — Innate intelligence.
- Crystallized Cognitive Ability — Knowledge gained from experience.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review and reflect on your own technical, human, and conceptual skills.
- Identify areas to develop problem-solving and social judgment skills.
- Prepare for an upcoming intensive to practice social judgment skills in diverse cultural settings.