Leadership competencies across organizational levels: a test of the pipeline model

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to test the pipeline model of leadership development by investigating how the competency profile change across position levels.Design/methodology/approachThe skill and importance ratings in leadership competencies were compared between four position levels. The data were from an archive 360 degree feedback (n=770). Six SMEs were also employed to rate the importance of the competencies.FindingsThe study found that the difference between two positions in terms of the relative importance of the competencies increases as the organizational hierarchical distance between the two positions increases. Comparing the skill ratings yielded similar results. Further, the correlation between the skill and importance ratings for the same position level was higher than correlations of the two types of ratings for different position levels.Research limitations/implicationsThe study discusses the implications of the research findings in the context of leadership development and succession management.Practical implicationsOne of the essential tasks in a succession system is to clearly define critical leadership skills at different levels of management. By defining the leadership pipeline, companies will be able to get their best people the right developmental experiences to help them transition from one position level to another.Originality/valueThe paper provides empirical support for the pipeline model of leadership skill requirement across the organizational hierarchy.

The Perceived Importance of Role-Specific Competencies for Health Care Leaders Establishes the Need to Expand Role Theory

“…38 A concern arises that as leaders cease to advance their learning of competencies, leaders will decrease the potential to transition to new roles within an organization. 2 Thus, as organizations prepare to meet their current and future challenges, identification of specific leadership competencies for various roles within an organization aids in accelerating a leader's knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to succeed and contribute in a new position.…”

“…2 Role responsible leadership competencies require that there be a clear description of competencies utilized by the various levels of leadership. It is evident that as the level of responsibility increases for a leader so too must the level of competency proficiency increase to meet the demands of the assigned position.…”

“…17 The proper selection and application of competencies are critical for present situations and for future challenges. 2,16,17 Competency frameworks are only as effective as current senior leadership's mandate regarding establishing employee development through adult teaching models. When leadership is firmly committed to competency development, the impact to the institution can be quite powerful.…”

“…This research seeks to demonstrate that health care leaders perceive that specific competencies are needed for role-specific job assignments. 1,2 In addition, this research will expand the base of knowledge of role theory.…”

Police Leadership Development: Intentions and Critical Success-Factors

“…In addition to the described tradition on leadership skills, there is also the idea of the "Leadership Pipeline" model. This model has been developed by Charan and colleagues and aims at understanding leadership requirements across hierarchical levels within an organization (see e.g., Dahl & Molly-Søholm, 2012;Dai, Tang, & De Meuse, 2011). While the Norwegian Police Directorate (NPD) has introduced co-workership as their main leadership initiative, such policies describe general leadership guidelines more than look into leadership requirements across hierarchical levels in the NPS.…”