Topic 18 Leadership Development and Succession

Leadership Development “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” ~John F. Kennedy

Leadership is developed through: Experience Education Self-Awareness

Sources of Experience Sources of Experience – The two major developmental factors in any work situation are work associates and the task itself. Work associates can serve as positive or negative models. Work- related tasks give the leader an opportunity to become an effective and innovative problem solver.

Learning from Experience Amount of Challenge Variety of Tasks or Assignments Relevant Feedback

Broad Experience Broad Experience- Many aspects of leadership are situational. Gaining managerial experience in different settings is therefore advantageous. Multifunctional managerial development is an organization’s intentional efforts to enhance the effectiveness of managers by giving them experience in multiple organizational functions.

Mentoring Our experience is strengthened through mentoring.

Mentoring Informal mentoring ◦ Occurs when a protégé and mentor build a long-term relationship based on friendship, similar interests, and mutual respect. Formal mentoring ◦ Occurs when the organization assigns a relatively inexperienced but high-potential leader to one of the top executives in the company.

Mentoring Leadership practitioners should look for opportunities to build mentoring relationships with senior leaders whenever possible.

Mentoring Coaching often comes from a mentor, a more experienced person who develops a protégé’s abilities through tutoring, coaching, guidance, and emotional support. A mentor is often a person’s manager, but it can also be a staff professional or a co-worker. Mentoring is traditionally thought of as an informal relationship based on compatibility between two personalities. Yet a current study found that 31 out of 79 supervisory protégés were classified as formal.

Definition of Coaching Coaching is a process used to encourage employees to accept responsibility for their performance, enable them to achieve and sustain superior performance, and treat them as partners in working toward organizational goals.

Coaching (continued) Formal Coaching ◦ One-on-one relationship between the manager and the coach. Informal Coaching – five steps: ◦ Forge a partnership ◦ Inspire commitment ◦ Grow skills ◦ Promote persistence ◦ Shape the environment

Useful Factors in Coaching

The Need for Coaching Managers are increasingly being called upon to function as performance coaches for their employees. Many managers and supervisors are frustrated by their attempts to manage employee performance. Coaching is a positive approach to managing performance.

Skills Necessary for Effective Coaching Communication Interpersonal Skills Demonstrating commitment to and respect for the employees

Leadership Development through Education and Training University Courses Leadership Training Programs

Management Education Management education is the acquisition of a broad range of conceptual knowledge and skills in formal classroom settings in degree-granting institutions Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programs in business administration Executive education programs

Management Development Management development is an organization’s conscious effort to provide its managers and potential managers with opportunities to grow, learn, and change, in hopes of producing over the long term a cadre of managers with the skills necessary to function effectively in that organization.

Management Development (cont.) Strategies used to develop managers include management education, management training, and on-the-job experiences. Management development activities account for approximately 30% of all funds budgeted for training by organizations.

Management Training and Experiences Company-designed courses Company academics or “colleges” On-the-job experiences

Designing Effective Training Clear learning objectives Clear, meaningful content Appropriate sequencing of content Appropriate mix of training methods

Designing Effective Training Opportunity for active practice Relevant, timely feedback High trainee self-confidence Appropriate follow-up activities

Special Techniques for Leadership Training Behavior Role Modeling ◦ Uses a combination of demonstrations and role playing ◦ Based on social learning theory ◦ One of the most effective training methods for managers

Special Techniques for Leadership Training Business Games and Simulations ◦ Requires trainees to analyze complex problems and make decisions ◦ Evidence of its usefulness ◦ Serious limitations in most large-scale simulations

Special Techniques for Leadership Training Case Discussions ◦ Clarify expectations for trainees. ◦ Ask questions to encourage and facilitate participation in the discussion. ◦ Emphasize the complexity of problems and the desirability of identifying alternative remedies. ◦ Use different diagnoses as an opportunity to demonstrate how people approach a problem with different assumptions, biases, and priorities. ◦ Ask trainees to relate the case to their work experience. ◦ Vary the composition of discussion groups to expose trainees to different points of view.

Developmental Activities Multisource feedback Developmental assessment centers Developmental assignments Job rotation programs Action learning

Sources of Information for 360-Degree Feedback

Types of Leadership Development Programs Feedback-Intensive Programs Skill-Based Programs Conceptual Knowledge Programs Personal Growth Programs Socialization Programs Action Learning Programs Coaching and Psychotherapy

Continuum of Practical Options for Multifunctional Managerial Development

Self-Awareness Leadership Development Through Self-Awareness ◦ An important mechanism underlying self-development is self- awareness, insightfully processing feedback about oneself to improve personal effectiveness. Self-awareness occurs at two levels. Single-loop learning occurs when learners seek minimum feedback that might substantially confront their basic ideas or actions. Single-loop learners think defensively. Double-loop learning is an in-depth type of learning that occurs when people use feedback to confront the validity of the goal or the values implicit in the situation.

Single-Loop Learning Single-loop learners seek relatively little feedback that may significantly confront their fundamental ideas or actions. ◦ Individuals learn only about subjects within the “comfort zone” of their belief systems.

Double-Loop Learning Double-loop learning involves a willingness to confront one’s own views and an invitation to others to do so, too. ◦ Openness to information and power sharing with others can lead to better recognition and definition of problems, improved communication, and increased decision- making effectiveness.

Self-Help Leadership Development Self-awareness involves insightfully processing feedback about oneself to improve personal effectiveness Levels of self-awareness ◦ Single-loop learning ◦ Double-loop learning Self-discipline is mobilizing one’s efforts and energy to stay focused on attaining an important goal

Single-Loop Learning Versus Double-Loop Learning

Self-Discipline Leadership Development Through Self- Discipline ◦ Leadership development requires considerable self-discipline, mobilizing one’s effort and energy to stay focused on attaining an important goal. Self-discipline plays an important role in the continuous monitoring of one’s behavior to ensure that needed self- development occurs.

Self-Help Activities Develop a personal vision of career objectives. Seek appropriate mentors. Seek challenging assignments. Improve self-monitoring.

Self-Help Activities Seek relevant feedback. Learn from mistakes. Learn to view events from multiple perspectives. Be skeptical of easy answers.

Systems Perspective on Leadership Development Relationship Among Approaches Integrating Developmental Activities

Creating a Learning Climate ◦ Make job assignments that allow people to pursue their interests and learn new skills ◦ Establish work schedules that allow enough free time to try new methods ◦ Provide financial support for continuing education by employees ◦ Arrange special speakers and skills workshops for employees ◦ Establish a sabbatical program to allow employees to renew themselves

Creating a Learning Climate ◦ Establish a career counseling program to help employees develop self-awareness and find ways to achieve their full potential ◦ Establish voluntary skill assessment and feedback programs ◦ Make pay increases partly dependent on skill development ◦ Provide awards for innovations and improvements ◦ Use symbols and slogans that embody values

Leadership Succession An orderly process of identifying and grooming people to replace managers Succession planning is linked to leadership development in two ways ◦ Being groomed as a successor is part of leadership development ◦ The process of choosing and fostering a successor is part of a manager’s own development

Developing a Pool of Successors Evaluate the extent of an organization’s pending leadership shortage Identify needed executive competencies Identify high-potential individuals for possible inclusion in the pool Establish an individually tailored developmental program for each potential candidate

Developing a Pool of Successors (cont’d) Select and place people into senior jobs based on their performance, experience, and potential Continuously monitor the program and give it top management support

Leadership Pipeline A model of leadership development that tightly links leadership development with management responsibilities at each level of the organization

Six Levels of the Leadership Pipeline (at GE) 1. Managing individual contributions 2. Managing managers 3. Being a functional manager 4. Being a business manager 5. Being a group manager 6. Being an enterprise manager

Summary Leadership and management development are widely practiced in many firms Leadership development may include self- development or an organizationally supported leadership development program Education, leadership experience, and mentoring are all contributors to leadership development

Summary (cont’d) There are many different types of leadership development programs The evaluation of a leadership development program can take a traditional approach, specifying objectives and then measuring whether they were met, or a domain of impact approach, examining the ranges of possible effects a program might have

Summary (cont’d) Leadership succession is linked to leadership development Middle managers are likely to be the next top business leaders

Characteristics of Successful Leaders Ability to develop or adapt Establish collaborative relations Ability to build and lead a team Non-authoritarian

Characteristics of Successful Leaders Consistent exceptional performance Ambitious

Characteristics of Derailed Leaders Inability to develop or adapt Poor working relations Inability to build and lead a team

Characteristics of Derailed Leaders Authoritarian Poor performance Too ambitious