Behavioral Competencies - Leadership Cluster Flashcards
How do you define leadership & navigation? (behavior competency)
Leadership & navigation is defined as the:
- knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed to create a compelling vision and mission for HR that aligns with the strategic direction and culture of the organization,
- accomplish HR and organizational goals,
- lead and promote organizational change,
- navigate the organization, and
- manage the implementation and execution of HR initiatives
What are the sub-competencies of “leadership & navigation”?
Navigating the organization, vision, managing HR initiatives, and influence
(Sub-competency) Navigating the organization
Works within the parameters of the organization’s hierarchy, process, systems and policies
Understanding work roles, organizational relationships, political environment to develop and implement needed changes/resolve issues
Situational Leadership
Situational leadership is rooted in adaptability as the theory purport that there is no universally applicable way to lead. To remain effective, a leader’s style must adapt with the situation.
A leader should consider the circumstances and his/her followers when planning and making decisions. Depending on the circumstances and the maturity and ability of the team, a leader may lead by directing, engaging, collaborating, or delegating.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership involves championing a shared vision with employees. It requires changing the attitudes and assumptions of the team while building commitment for the organization’s mission, objectives, and strategies. Leaders inspire awareness of and dedication to the group’s mission.
Followers are empowered by facts, resources, and support so that they can then approach work in a committed, concerned, and involved way.
What are the characteristics of a transformational leader?
- Charismatic: gains buy-in for the vision and mission, earns respect and trust, and instills pride
- Inspirational: communicates heightened performance expectations and encourages big-picture thinking
- Intellectually stimulating: promotes learning and development and advocates for the use of logic and rationality to solve problems
- Individualized consideration: coaches followers, treats each person individually, and gives personal attention
Participative Leadership
How can this be achieved?
Participative leadership allows all employees to be more informed and involved in the operations of the organization. This can be achieved by supporting them when they make mistakes, treating them with consideration and respect, inviting them to recommend innovative ideas and suggestions, and providing training and development opportunities to help them advance
Inclusive Leadership
Inclusive leadership is promoting an atmosphere of respect, in which all employees have equal ability to share and utilize the skills they bring to the organization. It requires a willingness to listen with understanding and an ability to communicate with diverse populations across differences.
Inclusive leadership involves being conscious of cultural values while bridging behavioral gaps and leveraging differences to increase performance.
What are some leadership traits that encourage inclusion?
Empowerment
Accountability
Courage
Humility
What are some things inclusive leaders will do?
- Support staff development
- Demonstrate confidence
- Hold employees accountable
- Set personal interests aside
- Act on convictions and principles
- Admit mistakes
- Learn from criticism
- Seek contributions from others
Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory or “Theory X/Y”
There are two ways for leaders to view employees, either through:
- THEORY X: employees are seen as lazy and only motivated by disciplinary action
- THEORY Y: employees are viewed as willing, hard workers who need to be shown the importance of their work to facilitate continued motivation
What are the phases a team member goes through in relationship with their manager according to the Leader-Member Exchange Theory (Herzberg)?
- Role-Taking: Role-taking occurs when team members first join the group. Managers use this time to assess new members’ skills and abilities.
- Role-Making: In this stage, managers generally expect that new team members will work hard, be loyal and prove trustworthy as they get used to their new role. The theory says that, during this stage, managers sort new team members (often subconsciously) into one of two groups - in group vs. outgroup.
- Routinization: Once team members have been classified, even subconsciously, as In-Group or Out-Group, that classification affects how their managers relate to them from then on, and it can become self-fulfilling.
Taylor’s scientific management
People could be motivated by their working conditions and noted that employers should provide adequate safety measures, lighting, and tools to do the work. Employees will change their behavior when they know they are being observed.
McClelland’s acquired needs theory
Motivation is primarily intrinsic and arose from a blend of three main needs
- Achievement: embracing challenges, being goal oriented, and taking calculated risks
- Affiliation: wanting to belong, yearning to be liked, and focusing on collaboration over competition
- Power: wanting to influence others, being competetive, and striving to attain a high status
Skinner’s operant conditioning
Motivation is based on extrinsic factors such as reward and punishment. Employers can influence behavior through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement, which results in employees acting in certain ways to receive prizes or to avoid discipline
Servant leadership
These leaders possess a serve-first mindset, and they are focused on empowering and uplifting those who work for them. They are serving instead of commanding, showing humility instead of brandishing authority, and always looking to enhance the development of their staff members in ways that unlock potential, creativity and sense of purpose.
Transactional leadership
Transactional leadership is defined by control, organization, and short-term planning. Leaders who adopt this style rely on a system of rewards and punishment to motivate their followers.
What are a few key assumptions associated with transactional leadership?
- Rewards and punishments are motivating for followers
- Adhering to the instructions of the leader is the primary goal of followers
- Followers have to be monitored to ensure that performance standards are met
Contingency theory
The contingency theory of leadership supposes that a leader’s effectiveness is contingent on whether or not their leadership style suits a particular situation. According to this theory, an individual can be an effective leader in one circumstance and an ineffective leader in another one.
To maximize your likelihood of being a productive leader, this theory posits that you should be able to examine each situation and decide if your leadership style is going to be effective or not.
What are the different phases a people manager may go through as they work with a growing employee?
Directing, coaching, supporting, delegating
What is “directing”?
What types of individuals are best suited for this people management phase?
Directing involves limited flexibility for the employee and is characterized by defining, planning, teaching and monitoring.
Individuals in this learning stage have high commitment but minimal skills and need clear standards, goals, and timelines with regular feedback.
What is “coaching”?
What types of individuals are best suited for this people management phase?
Coaching involves supportive direction characterized by praise, encouragement, prioritizing, and feedback.
Individuals in this stage have some commitment and skills but still need recognition and feedback while they try to develop more effective ways to perform tasks.
What is “supporting”?
What types of individuals are best suited for this people management phase?
Supporting involves less specific direction and is characterized by listening, collaborating, and appreciating.
Individuals at this innovative stage are more confident, skilled, and self-reliant problem solves.
What is “delegating”?
What types of individuals are best suited for this people management phase?
Delegating involves lots of flexibility with little direction and is characterized by trusting, empower, acknowledging, and challenging.
Individuals at this final stage have high commitment and excellent skills. They are ready for trust, responsibility, authority, variety, and challenges.
What is “mentoring”?
A mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor whose only goal in the mentoring relationship is to support the professional and personal development of their mentee. The mentor is usually more senior and/or more experienced than the mentee and serves as an advisor, model, counselor, and guide to someone with less experience. The mentor is responsible for sharing knowledge and providing advice and counsel to the mentee.
Goal-setting theory
Dr. Edwin Locke concluded that employees are driven by explicit, measurable goals that are challenging but attainable.
- If employees take part in collaboratively setting the goals and objectives, they will be more vested in attaining them.
- Providing feedback to employees is critical to energizing employees and assisting them with handling specific situations that arose
- The goal should provide both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards that result in employee satisfaction
Expectancy theory
Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory assumes that rationality will drive employees toward the option that provides maximum pleasure and minimal pain.
Increased effort would eventually lead to better performance as long as employees have the necessary tools to get the job done.Employees will be motivated if they believe that favorable performance will return a desired reward.
