1. Managerial Traits and Skills
Chapter 7
Managerial Traits and Skills
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2. Learning Objectives
Understand how conceptions about the importance of traits have changed over the past 70 years
Understand the types of research methods that have been used to study leadership traits and skills
Understand what traits and skills are most relevant for effective leadership
Understand how traits and skills are related to leadership behavior
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

3. Learning Objectives
Understand how the relevance of a trait or skill depends on the situation, type of organization, and national culture
Understand the traits and skills that cause some people to derail in their managerial careers
Understand the limitations of the trait approach
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

4. Nature of Traits and Skills
Trait – Variety of individual attributes, including aspects of personality, temperament, needs, motives and values
Need (motive) – Desire for particular types of stimuli or experiences
Values – Internalized attitudes about what is right and wrong, ethical and unethical, moral and immoral
Skill – The ability to do something in an effective manner
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

5. Three-Factor Taxonomy of Skills
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6. Research on Leader Traits and Skills Stogdill’s Review of the Research (1948 & 1974)
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

7. McCelland’s Managerial Motivation
Measured with the Thematic Apperceptions Test (TAT)
Need Basis
Need for power
Socialized power orientation
Personalized power orientation
Need for achievement
Need for affiliation
Optimal Pattern for Large Organizations
Strong socialized power orientation
Moderate need for achievement
Low need for affiliation
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

8. Miner’s Managerial Motivation
Measured with a Sentence Completion Scale
Correlates with Advancement
Desire to exercise power
Desire to compete with peers
Positive attitude toward authority figures
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

9. Critical Incident Research on Competencies
Measured with Behavior event interview
Traits of Effective managers
Strong efficiency orientation
Strong socialized power orientation
High self-confidence
Strong belief in self-efficacy
Internal locus of control
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

10. Critical Incident Research on Competencies
Interpersonal Skills of Effective Managers
Strong oral presentation skills
Strong interpersonal skills
Ability to manage group processes
Ability to build member identification and team spirit
Conceptual Skills of Effective Managers
Inductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

11. Longitudinal Research with Assessment Centers
Utilize Multiple Methods to Assess Traits & Skills
Advancement Predictors after 8 years (AT&T Study)
Desire for advancement
Dominance
Interpersonal skills
Cognitive skills
Administrative skills
Advancement Predictors after 20 years
Achievement orientation
Self-confidence
Energy level
Low need for security
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

12. CCL Research on Mangers Who Derail
Advancing Managers versus Managers who were Dismissed, Transferred, Retired Early, or Plateaued
Traits, Skills & Competencies of Successful Managers:
Emotional stability
Lack of defensiveness
Integrity
Interpersonal skills
Technical and cognitive skills
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13. Managerial Traits Effectiveness
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14. Big Five Personality Traits
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15. Managerial Skills and Effectiveness
Technical Skills – Include knowledge about methods, processes, and equipment for conducting the specialized activities of the manager’s organizational unit
Conceptual Skills – Involve good judgment, foresight, intuition, creativity, and the ability to find meaning and order in ambiguous, uncertain event
Interpersonal Skills – Include knowledge about human behavior and group processes, ability to understand the feelings, attitudes, and motives of others, and ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

16. Other Relevant Competencies
Emotional Intelligence
Social Intelligence
Systems Thinking
Ability to Learn
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17. Situational Relevance of Skills
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18. Situational Relevance of Skills
Transferability of Skills Across Organizations
Difficult to transfer lower-level managerial skills
Disagreement about transferability of upper-level managerial skills
Requisite Skills and the External Environment
Mix of skills changes over time
Impacted by:
Globalization
Technological development
Social change
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations

19. Application for Managers
Guidelines for Understanding and Improving Relevant Competencies
Maintain self-awareness
Develop relevant skills
Remember that a strength can become a weakness
Compensate for weaknesses
© 2006 Prentice Hall Leadership in Organizations