skills approach

Leadership in Group Projects

June 1, 2016 by Mandee

A great leader must be able to bring a team together to reach a common goal through the process of applying skills and behaviors to create a solid group relationship for any given situation. It seems to be a universal feeling that when you start a new course and the professor mentions there will be group work, everyone tends to get distressed. Northouse (2016) describes a team as a group of interdependent members working towards a common goal through coordinated activities.

When it comes to team work, establishing a common goal seems to be the easiest part. These are typically assigned by the instructor of the course, or project manager, who divides you into your designated groups or teams. This is also the time for you to discover your team. I have been in a variety of group projects in my schooling and professional careers ranging from committees to essays, and on a variety of different subjects. Every team member has a variety of different ways to contribute to the team, some in more productive ways than others.

Coordinating activities in an academic setting proves to consistently be the difficult part of group work. In an academic setting, such as World Campus, you have to utilize various communication channels while dealing with individuals all over the country to guide the group towards the established goal. My experience has nearly always been negative. Without fail, there is at least one team member who doesn’t communicate or pull their weight, making it difficult for all other members. I found myself always promoting a highly directive, or task, relationship with my team without overstepping the bounds of supporting their insight into the project, which Northouse (2016) classifies as falling in the realm of coaching or directing leadership styles. Being directive, I took the lead in establishing “what is to be done, how it is to be done, and who is responsible for doing it.” (Northouse. 2016. p.94) However, I have always considered myself a good leader in deciding “how much task and how much relationship is required in a given context or situation” (Northouse. 2015. p.109).

Recently, during a group project, I found myself needing to adapt my leadership style. I was fortunate enough to have a team member who also proved to have strong leadership abilities in our situation. This individual contributed a different level of skills than I. Where I tend to excel in human skills, commonly referred to as “people skills” (Northouse, 2016, p.45), this person excelled in the technical skills, which is defined by Northouse (2016) as having “knowledge about and proficiency in a specific type of work or activity” (p. 44). I was able to adjust my typically directive leadership style for group projects, to accommodate this other individual and assist in leading from a more supportive and less directive role, classified as “supporting” in the situational leadership model (Northouse, 2016, p.95).

For group work, it is important to be able to adjust ones leadership style according to those skills displayed by other individuals in your group. A great leader must be able to bring the team together to reach their common goal through a process of applying skills and behaviors to create a solid group relationship for the given situation. Complimenting ones abilities with those of other group members can create and maintain a cohesive and complimentary team environment.

Northouse, P. (2015). Introduction to leadership concepts and practice (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7^th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.

Leadership: Putting it into Perspective

February 4, 2015 by Laura J Eisenhower

This week’s lesson describes some of the competencies required of those in a position of leadership. Social judgment skills are a vital component of any leadership position, but what happens if a leader lacks this important skill? According to the text, the skills approach tends to elicit hope that “many people have the potential for leadership” and “capabilities can be developed…via education and experience” (Northouse, 2013, p. 47). Unfortunately, not everyone takes the time to develop and continue to work on these skills, which often leads to resentment and unfair practices among leaders and followers.

Can leadership be effective without social judgment skills? There can be some degree of leadership without these skills, but the quality of the leadership will be questionable. Effective leadership is reflected in the satisfaction of the followers, and follower satisfaction is fulfilled via perspective and perception from the leader. Perception encompasses attention to how followers function within an organization, and behavioral flexibility entails adaptation to behavior dependent upon the insight of other’s perspectives. Social performance focuses on several areas, such as persuasion, communication, conflict resolution, and support. Now that we know what perception entails, I would like to cite a personal example of what happens to leadership when follower perspective is ignored (Northouse, 2013).

I have worked for a company for ten years where the supervisors show a severe lack of social judgment skills. Most of the employees are blunt regarding their attitudes regarding issues within the organization, in a last-ditch attempt to get their ideas and issues heard. While the issues are often heard, they tend to “go in one ear and out the other”, and no attempts are made to facilitate change or address the problem. The issue here is not lack of communication between leaders and followers, but rather a lack of adaptation to the follower’s perspective. When changes are proposed, the leaders often fail to consider how the followers will respond to the change, which is dangerous as the followers or employees are the cogs and gears of the organization. Upset employees equal unproductive employees, as they feel unappreciated since their perspective was not taken into account during the decision making process. Change may be better accepted if it is communicated correctly, which is a key component of social performance. Leaders lacking in social performance often fail to solve problems to their follower’s satisfaction, thus compounding the problem when future issues are not resolved correctly. In terms of coaching new directives to employees or subordinates, the leaders often execute the direction but fail to pair it with the support and reassurance needed to complete the task.

So how does an organization function with a lack of social judgment skills? For starters, lacking social judgment skills can impact an interviewer’s perception of a potential employee. Ignoring employee issues only complicates matters, and employees and followers lose respect for leaders when their concerns are dismissed. Lack of communication sows discord between followers and leaders, as they feel left in the dark or out of the loop, and unimportant to the organization. An organization whose leaders fail to exercise social judgment skills create resentment and apathy within their company, as followers who feel disrespected by their leaders also fail to emanate respect as well. Perspective and perception must be instituted by those in a position of leadership, or followers will show discontent and possibly turn on the leader. Followers are just as much an integral part of the leadership process as the leaders themselves.

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications

Toy Story’s Woody: Toys Unite!

April 21, 2014 by Alicia McCormick

The Disney Pixar movie, Toy Story, is loved by young and old alike. This is the reason the beloved characters and story were continued through two subsequent movies, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, making it a trilogy of behavior to evaluate (and enjoy!). The characters in the movie span personality characteristics across many dimensions allowing the audience to relate to all the characters. The group of toys owned by Andy is a small, well-constructed work group in which Woody the cowboy is the leader. Woody’s leadership can be assessed through the “Leadership Grid”, developed by Blake and Mouton (1985) (Northouse, 2012) in reference to the skills approach. Woody employs a Team Management style when employing his leadership behaviors as compared to the Leadership Grid. Blake and Mouton (1985) state that most leaders have a dominant management style that they use most of the time; however they utilize a backup style in times under pressure (Northouse, 2012). Woody’s backup style lies with the Authority-compliance management spectrum.

The Skills Approach attempts to view leadership actions and behaviors. Two categories have arisen through both the Ohio State Studies in the late 1940s, based on studies by Stogdill (1948) and the University of Michigan Studies around the same time (Northouse, 2012). The most common developmental tool through this approach, the Leadership Grid, was created by Blake and Mouton in 1964 and has been revised several times (Northouse, 2012). The two categories according to the Leadership Grid by Blake and Mouton (1985) are concern for production and concern for people. These categories reflect initiating structure and consideration, coined by Stogdill (1974), and employee orientation and production orientation labeled by the University of Michigan studies (Northouse, 2012). Concern for production is attributed to issues such as attention to policy decisions, workload, and process issues (Northouse, 2012). In essence the concern for production behavior category is what the leadership behavior is seeking to accomplish. Concern for people contains such behavior as promoting positive social relations, good working conditions, and building organizational commitment and trust (Northouse, 2012).

Retrieved from: http://clouducation.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/5-educational-leadership-realities/

Woody is in the leadership position of the group of toys. His behavior is illustrated throughout all 3 of the movies. His style is reflective in Team Management on the Leadership Grid. Team Management leader behavior is seen as: “stimulates participation, acts determined, gets issues into the open, makes priorities clear, follows through, behaves open-mindedly, and enjoys working”(Northouse, 2012, p. 81). His leadership behaviors are committed to doing what will keep the toys safe and being available for their owner Andy when he needs them. Woody engages the toys in weekly meetings to keep all the toys committed and informed, to educate on safety and protocol, or as needed when a problem arises. During meetings the toys are encouraged to participate and share ideas with the group. In the original movie, when Andy is having a birthday party, the toys are congregated together to receive the information of which new toys Andy receives so that the toys are prepared for whatever comes their way. Woody continually supports the other toys by reaffirming their place in Andy’s room. No matter what Andy receives they will deal with it together and no one is being thrown away, a large fear among toys. The process by which they find out what Andy receives for his birthday is well constructed and orchestrated by Woody, showing his concern for production. The army guys are deployed orderly to obtain the information and Woody has the toys in Andy’s room gathered to hear the news. Woody knows what is needed to accomplish the goals that are set.

In Toy Story 3, Woody is concerned for the well-being of not only the toys but Andy as well. Although Andy has grown, Woody is committed to being available if he should ever need him or the other toys. Woody continually acts determined to this end and gets issues out into the open. Both the meetings and ultimate goal commitment are demonstrative of Team Management from the Leadership Grid (Northouse, 2012). Woody stimulates the group to share their ideas and thoughts so that they may stay together. The group’s thoughts are important to Woody as the leader and although he does not always agree with the group, he is continually open-minded in receiving their thoughts and ideas. The toys have also discussed what they have learned at such meetings as “Rust Prevention” and “Battery Safety” throughout the trilogy, illustrating Woody’s continual policy development and education to the group. His persistence to keep the group safe and committed through his openness to ideas, his stimulation of participation from the group, his determination, and making the priorities clear show his Team Management style of leadership.

Through the skills approach Leadership Grid, Blake and Mouton (1985) said that most leaders have a dominant style and at times, use a backup style (Northouse, 2012). There are times where Woody feels that the group is jeopardizing their safety and in these moments, while under pressure, employs his backup style. Woody tends to shift his style to the Authority-Compliance Management style as a backup. In this type of leadership style the leader is seen as controlling and demanding (Northouse, 2012). These situations tend to arise in the movies in several capacities. In Toy Story 3, Woody feels as though they should stay with Andy but the group does not want to be stored away and never played with so they feel they should move on. Woody attempts to assert his authority by demanding the group stay with Andy. When under pressure, Blake and Mouton (1985) state that the leader will resort to their backup style (Northouse, 2012). Woody only resorts to this type of behavior when he feels the group is making the wrong decision and feels pressured to do so as though he has no other option to change their minds.

Woody and the gang from Toy Story exhibit the leader and subordinate relationship that resembles Team Management Style from the Leadership Grid developed by Blake and Mouton (1985) (Northouse, 2012). As discussed, Woody only deploys his backup style when under pressure. The safety and commitment of the toys to Andy is fostered in a positive environment by Woody in order to preserve the group’s emotional needs and well-being. Woody displays more commitment to the overall goals and group than most leaders we see today.

References

Northouse, Peter G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Sixth Edition. Sage Publications.

What the Air Force Showed Me

February 9, 2014 by Jason Perrin

There are different positions of leadership in the Air Force. After 11 years (and counting) of service, I have been making my way up the chain. When I first joined 11 years ago, I assumed that leadership was something you were born into…something innate. However, after 11 years, I have come to realize that this is not the case. One can learn leadership skills. The skills approach, namely the three-skill approach, can be used to assess various leadership scenarios (and how they are learned) in the United States Air Force and the military.

My first taste of leadership came when I promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant. I was told that my new role was that of a “front line supervisor”. I was to have the technical knowhow to complete the job whilst supporting my subordinates in regards to their training and physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Northouse (2013) defined the technical aspect of the three-skill approach as “knowledge about and proficiency in a specific type of work or activity” (p. 44). The activity in question was the maintenance and repair of fighter jet avionics systems. I was never mechanically inclined growing up. I was also never interested in aviation. This technical skill was something that I learned. My behaviors were changed. I learned the technical knowledge needed to lead.

Before you can promote to Staff Sergeant, an Airman must first complete Airman Leadership School (ALS). ALS teaches a new supervisor how to write evaluations, promote discipline, and sharpens interpersonal skills. The interpersonal skill is where I was lacking. I was never one who could easily read others’ emotions and work well with others. ALS taught me to sharpen those skills and enhance my interpersonal communication, which was lacking. The human skill is the second of the three-skill approach and is defined as the ability to work with others. The ability to work with peers, subordinates, and management. At this level of my career, I was now high with technical skill and human skill. This is something very common to those in supervisory management (Northouse, 2013).

About 7 years into my career, I was promoted to the rank of Technical Sergeant (TSgt). A TSgt needs to not only be technically proficient, but needs to start acting in a middle management role. Again, this was something I was not accustomed to doing. Again, I was able to learn these skills and start designed shift schedules and job priorities. I needed to balance leave requests, training, school requests, and off-base incidences. My conceptual skills have become to emerge. Conceptual skills are needed for a company to create a plan or mission and carry it through. It is outside-the-box thinking. It is working with ideas and concepts (Northouse, 2013).

Throughout my career so far, I have grown to realize that leadership skills are not innate like I once thought so long ago. The Air Force has given me the tools needed to learn to be an effective leader in the situations presented to me. The theory behind the three-skills approach also backs up what I have been learning and why it is important to know and utilize these skills. I have learned the knowledge, human, and conceptual skills needed to be effective as an Air Force enlisted leader.

References

Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. (6^th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Failing as a Leader

September 22, 2013 by sbm5171

“Man, I just got put in as a team leader. I sure hope I fail at it!” – Said No One Ever

From the time I was 22 until I was 31, I worked for one company. During my time there, I saw a wide variety of people get put into leadership roles, myself included. The majority of those put into leadership roles exceled in the roles that they were put into a supervisory/leadership role over. Their annual reviews showed shining examples of employees; they were the kind of employees that employers would give their 1st quarter profits in order to employ. All in all, on paper, they all seemed like perfect leadership material.

The majority of those promoted were either demoted or fired from the company within a year of their placement.

Wait, what? What happened? These employees were shining stars! They were made for greatness! How did they turn out to be such horrible leaders? One possible explanation may tie into Robert Katz’s Three Skills Model which explains the skills approach to leadership.

In Katz’s model, there were three skills that a person needed to be a leader: technical, human, and conceptual (PSU WC LC, Pp.4). As a brief explanation, technical skills would be the skill set you would need to complete your job. For instance, a medical transcriptionist would need to know medical terminology in order to complete their job. Human skills are referred to as “people skills” (PSU WC LC, Pp.4), such as being able to defuse a stressful situation before it implodes. Conceptual skills would be the skills of a leader to plan future endeavors for the organization. Though Katz stated that all of these skills are important to leaders, he also stated that that those in different levels of leadership would need to have a stronger representation of each skill with low level managers being most proficient in technical, mid-level being a mix of technical and human, and high level being a mix of all, but a stronger base in conceptual. This is explained by what their responsibilities would be within the organization (Northouse, 2013).

How does this skills approach possibly explain failed leaders? Let’s say that someone is a low level leader and they are great at it. This leader has to rely on their technical skills. This same leader is promoted to a mid-level leadership position. After a few months, there are complaints of this leader failing to communicate and not providing clear instructions, which leads to this person losing their leadership position. In this example, the leader would be lacking the human skills that Katz said were important. I believe this may tie into why a leader can fail. If an organization is promoting from within, they will naturally go to those who are best at their jobs. It can be extremely hard to measure someone’s “people skills,” though, before you move them into a higher position. It may have even appeared that the person had good people skills because of their previous teams’ success, but perhaps that team didn’t call for the leader to have human skills.

The good thing is that these skills can supposedly be taught. Just go search “leadership books” on Amazon.com. There are plenty of people ready and willing to help you.

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Pennsylvania State University. Skills approach [Website]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa13/psych485/001/content/04_lesson/04_page.html