BUS 486 Chapter 3: Ch. 3 Notes
21 Nov 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Ch. 3 – Skills Approach
- skills = what leaders can accomplish; traits = who leaders are
- Katz’s 3-skill approach: technical, human, conceptual
→ technical skill = knowledge about & proficiency in specific type of work/activity
➔ most important at lower & middle levels of management, less important in
upper management
→ human skill = knowledge about & ability to work w/ ppl
➔ important in all 3 levels of management
→ conceptual skill = ability to work w/ ideas & concepts
➔ central to creating vision & strategic plan for org
➔ most important at top management levels
- Mumford’s skill-based model
1) competencies
➔ problem-solving = leader’s creative ability to solve new & unusual, ill-defined
org problems
➔ social judgment = capacity to understand ppl & social systems
o perspective taking = understanding attitudes that others have toward a
particular problem/solution; empathy applied to problem solving
o social perceptiveness = insight & awareness into how others in org
function
o behavioural flexibility = capacity to change & adapt one’s behaviour in
light of an understanding of others’ perspectives in org
➔ knowledge = accumulation of information & mental structures used to
organize that informaion
2) indiv attributes
➔ general cognitive ability = person’s intelligence
o incl. info processing, general reasoning skills, memory skills, etc
o linked to biology, not experience
➔ crystallized cognitive ability = intellectual ability learned/acquired over time
➔ motivation
i. leaders must be willing to tackle complex organizational problems
ii. leaders must be willing to express dominance
iii. leaders must be committed to the social good of the organization
➔ personality = impacts dvlpt of leadership skills
3) leadership outcomes
➔ effective problem solving
➔ performance
4) career experiences = influence knowledge & skills to solve complex problems
5) enviro influences
➔ internal incl. technology, facilities, expertise of subordinates, communication
➔ external incl. economic/political/social issues
