In understanding the skills approach and applying them across the many different spectrums of work; makes one wonder if biases are taken into consideration when selecting leaders.
The skills approach is primarily descriptive; which means that it describes both good and bad patterns of behaviour; without necessarily predicting future success or failure (PSU WC 2016, pg 6). Which brings me to a dilemma in understanding what right is to look like; considering that I am a supervisor, and have been for 12 years; who thrives to enhance my abilities daily to be the best leader possible, but for some reason it seems as if I keep moving down the order of merit list when the organization hires new personnel.
What seems to be true is when the institution is hiring for a position; the supposed “qualified personnel”, whether they are in a supervisory or management position; there is a presence of bias rather than using the skills approach. This same bias I have personally experience firsthand; is also present in the skills model. The skills model was designed to test and develop problem solving skills in organizations (Northouse, 2016, pg. 47). What I consider to be the bias; is the amount of positions that have been identified in conducting the skills model research. When in fact after serving 20 years in the military and having 15 years of those in leadership positions (Enlisted); which were not included in the research causes the views of others within the group to negate my abilities. When in fact I have more institutional knowledge than the newly hired individual. The neglect on this part of not incorporating these leadership positions reflects why it is considered as a weakness in the skills approach (PSU WC 2016, pg 7). None the less if the main idea of the skills approach is to develop leaders who are willing to learn. Why is it that biases like this are over looked when it comes to selecting qualified personnel?
Regardless of the methodology of the skills approach models that may be used to teach leaders ways to improve upon leadership qualities, biases can and will hinder those that choose to be effective leaders.
Although the skills approach is an effective means of identifying certain behaviors whether they are good or bad, it has been my experiences that there are leaders who are good at leading however, they lack the necessary skills to identify potentially qualified personnel and or there is a bias such as in my case.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Penn State World Campus (2016). PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. Lesson 4: Skills Approach. Retrieved from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1803831/modules/items/21139803
pxn5027 says
I’m sure that biases do exist within leaders, but I’m not entirely certain that they exist within the skills model. I can possibly see biases as being a result of experience combines with problem solving and the components of individual attributes though (Northouse, 2016). Another way it could possibly be associated is through environmental influences, such as internal or external influences, I would like to think of these as maybe the buddy system, or being one of the good ol’ boys (Northouse, 2016). You understand your situation the most here with what you are talking with though, and I definitely see where you are going with it.
Its unfortunate that your military experience as a leader doesn’t seem to go far. I have always heard that experience is the one thing a company cannot teach you, that is why they look for leaders with your kind of experience because its easier to teach you the skills necessary to do the job, than it is to lead and deal with situations in a leadership role. When it comes down to the skills model though, I see it ultimately as a map for the skills of leadership. I think it shows you all the paths that are necessary, but it can’t take every situation into account, its up to the user/leader to determine that path that they take.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (Seventh ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Catherine Marie Lacasce says
Your blog post about biases definitely brings to light the known “flaws of the system”. There are infinite factors that affect leadership and psychologists have yet to define and describe them all. When I think about the psychological models that we have discussed so far in this course, I recognize that psychologists have described leadership in its purest forms and do not go into all of the intricacies that are found in the real world. For example, the skills approach discusses how a leader is most effective when they demonstrate certain skills. As specifically outlined in the Katz 3-skill approach, technical, human, and conceptual skill all play a huge part in how effective a leader can be (Northouse, 2016, p. 45). If you look at just the skills approach, it leads one to believe that leaders should be hired solely based on the skills they possess, and if those skills translate to what the organization is looking for.
We all know, and it’s outlined a little bit in your post, that this doesn’t happen in a perfect world. There are contaminates like biases that prevent the hiring of the “right” individual to be clear cut. The personal biases of the hirer play a part in the hiring of a leader as well as the politics of the overall organization. These biases do exist and although it’s unfortunate, I don’t believe there is a place in some of the psychological models to address that. In my opinion, it is not the obligation of every study to discuss what contaminate the hiring of the most skilled applicants for a leadership position. Northouse does talk about how a leader in one situation is not the best fit for a leader in another, but does not go into the exclusion of what would be arguably the more appropriate leader (Northouse, 2016, p.7). There may be studies out there that discuss biases in and of themselves, but they should remain independent of leadership behavior models like the skills approach.
References:
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California:
Sage.