The BigFive Leadership Competencies: Psychology s Best Kept Secret

Transcription

1 The BigFive Leadership Competencies: Psychology s Best Kept Secret Dr Peter Langford Director, Voice Project m: e: peter.langford@voiceproject.com.au :

2 agenda Straw poll The story of Voice Project Our research The big five Academics take Voice Project s take Your take? Examining the big five across different leadership levels Gap analysis Take home lessons Next steps Free surveys Page 2

3 straw poll There s a massive disconnect between science and practice when it comes to assessing human behaviour. This table shows the number of published peer-review studies for various models of behaviour. Models of Behaviour PsycINFO EBSCOHost Saville Wave 3 0 DISC 8 4 Life Styles Inventory/LSI 25 5 Occupational Pers. Ques./OPQ Multi-Factor Leadership/MLQ Myers-Briggs/MBTI Big Five/Five-Factor Model Page 3

4 the story of voice project Our core belief is... more voice = better world Voice Project began as a research program at Macquarie University exploring the impact of employee and client "voice" for improving engagement, leadership and service quality in private, public and not-for-profit sectors We've now conducted research involving over 3,000 organisations and implemented 500 consulting projects across 200 commercial clients involving 750,000 employees, leaders and clients in a wide range of industries and countries Our team of 16 people are headquartered on campus at Macquarie University, with a second office in Melbourne CBD Page 4

5 searching for a broad-based model Searching for a broad-based survey of workplace behaviour, in 2007 we developed an extensive list of potential survey items mirroring existing theories of leadership and organisational behaviour Examined psychometrics and validity of ratings of 3800 staff at all levels Published results in a peer-reviewed scientific conference paper In 2009 we refined the content into a 70- item, 10 minute survey through another study involving 360-degree surveys across 210 organisations Page 5

6 what we found The survey items formed into 22 lower level factors, which in turn grouped into 5 higher level factors high level factors 1 22 lower level factors vision & inspiration, high expectations, advocacy, verbal influence 2 time management, quality, speed, problem solving continuous improvement, intellectual stimulation, risk taking, optimism receiving feedback, empathy, developing others, recognition, performance correction, cooperation stress management, happiness, work-life balance, health & safety Page 6

7 full breadth of human behaviour Existing models of leadership assess a limited range of human behaviour, whereas the big five has been developed to represent the full breadth of human behaviours Indeed, the big five are considered to reflect five fundamental survival needs of individuals and groups No leader sets out to be a leader. People set out to live their lives, expressing themselves fully. When that expression is of value, they become leaders. So the point is not to become a leader. The point is to become yourself, to use yourself completely all your skills, gifts and energies in order to make your vision manifest. You must withhold nothing. You must, in sum, become the person you started out to be, and to enjoy the process of becoming. - Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader (1989) Page 7

8 full breadth of human behaviour I have only to let myself go. So I have said to myself all my life so I said to myself in the far-off days of my fermenting and passionate youth. Yet I have never fully done it. The sense of it of the need of it rolls over me at times with commanding force: it seems the formula of my salvation, of what remains to me of a future. I am in full possession of accumulated resources I have only to use them, to insist, to persist, to so something more to do much more than I have done. The way to do it... is to strike as many notes, deep, full and rapid, as one can... Try everything, do everything, render everything -be an artist, be distinguished to the last. - Henry James, Notebooks Page 8

9 academics take on the big five Rooted in a long history of theory and research, unfortunately the traditional labels aren t very user-friendly or marketable big five extroversion conscientiousness openness agreeableness emotional stability essence energetic, assertive, talkative organised, responsible, disciplined independent, curious, imaginative compassionate, cooperative, trusting satisfied, secure, balanced Page 9

10 voice project s take on the big five We ve adopted five action-oriented verbs that form the acronym v.o.i.c.e. (clearly we ve used some poetic licence!) big five voice organise innovate connect enjoy essence energetic, assertive, talkative organised, responsible, disciplined independent, curious, imaginative compassionate, cooperative, trusting satisfied, secure, balanced Page 10

11 voice values voice express & strive towards your vision & values organise plan, implement & monitor your approach innovate explore, learn & continuously improve connect involve, recognise & develop others enjoy find pleasure & health in work &life core behaviours Speak up, inspire, expand your reach & influence Be bold, have a bias for action, imagine & shape the future Play to your strengths, find your passion, stoke your enthusiasm Do what s important, live in a way that will make you proud Deliver exceptional quality within time & cost constraints Document, measure, focus & simplify goals, processes & outputs No complaints, no blame, no excuses, just solutions Take responsibility, work hard, own your outcomes Try new ideas, be curious, experiment, challenge tradition Read, ask, observe, practice, reflect... lots Deliver research-based practice & practice-based research Design products & materials to be user-friendly & attractive Add value & build trust with staff, clients, suppliers & community Praise & draw upon others diversity, capability & potential Stay in touch, manage expectations, resolve conflict Be kind & grateful, give back to the world wholeheartedly Celebrate your successes, savour your experiences Design work practices to be safe, flexible & sustainable Respect yourself -your highs & hang ups, run your own race Keep a great sense of humour play, joke, muck up, laugh lots

12 voice values voice express & strive towards your vision & values organise plan, implement & monitor your approach innovate explore, learn & continuously improve connect involve, recognise & develop others enjoy find pleasure & health in work &life core behaviours Speak up, inspire, expand your reach & influence Be bold, have a bias for action, imagine & shape the future Play to your strengths, find your passion, stoke your enthusiasm Do what s important, live in a way that will make you proud Deliver exceptional quality within time & cost constraints Document, measure, focus & simplify goals, processes & outputs No complaints, no blame, no excuses, just solutions Take responsibility, work hard, own your outcomes Try new ideas, be curious, experiment, challenge tradition Read, ask, observe, practice, reflect... lots Deliver research-based practice & practice-based research Design products & materials to be user-friendly & attractive Add value & build trust with staff, clients, suppliers & community Praise & draw upon others diversity, capability & potential Stay in touch, manage expectations, resolve conflict Be kind & grateful, give back to the world wholeheartedly Celebrate your successes, savour your experiences Design work practices to be safe, flexible & sustainable Respect yourself -your highs & hang ups, run your own race Keep a great sense of humour play, joke, muck up, laugh lots

13 performance overview & dominant types High Expectations Vision & Inspiration Quality Time Developing Others Empathy Receiving Feedback Happiness Stress Intellectual Stimulation Continuous Improvement High Expectations Vision & Inspiration Quality Time Developing Others Empathy Receiving Feedback Happiness Stress Intellectual Stimulation Continuous Improvement High Expectations Vision & Inspiration Quality Time Developing Others Empathy Receiving Feedback Happiness Stress Intellectual Stimulation Continuous Improvement High Expectations Vision & Inspiration Quality Time Developing Others Empathy Receiving Feedback Happiness Stress Intellectual Stimulation Continuous Improvement High Expectations Vision & Inspiration Quality Time Developing Others Empathy Receiving Feedback Happiness Stress Intellectual Stimulation Continuous Improvement High Expectations Vision & Inspiration Quality Time Developing Others Empathy Receiving Feedback Happiness Stress Intellectual Stimulation Continuous Improvement High Expectations Vision & Inspiration Quality Time Developing Others Empathy Receiving Feedback Happiness Stress Intellectual Stimulation Continuous Improvement voice organise connect enjoy innovate Medium >=80% 50<80% <50% High Low Legend Page 13 Verbal Influence Advocacy Speed Problem Solving Performance Correction Recognition Cooperation Work-Life Balance Health & Safety Risk Taking Optimism Verbal Influence Advocacy Speed Problem Solving Performance Correction Recognition Cooperation Work-Life Balance Health & Safety Risk Taking Optimism Verbal Influence Advocacy Speed Problem Solving Performance Correction Recognition Cooperation Work-Life Balance Health & Safety Risk Taking Optimism Verbal Influence Advocacy Speed Problem Solving Performance Correction Recognition Cooperation Work-Life Balance Health & Safety Risk Taking Optimism Verbal Influence Advocacy Speed Problem Solving Performance Correction Recognition Cooperation Work-Life Balance Health & Safety Risk Taking Optimism Verbal Influence Advocacy Speed Problem Solving Performance Correction Recognition Cooperation Work-Life Balance Health & Safety Risk Taking Optimism Verbal Influence Advocacy Speed Problem Solving Performance Correction Recognition Cooperation Work-Life Balance Health & Safety Risk Taking Optimism manager supporter inventor healer visionary

14 the big five across levels Frontline Workers PERFORMANCE Middle Managers Senior Executives Frontline Workers IMPORTANCE Middle Managers Senior Executives VOICE Vision & Inspiration High Expectations Advocacy Verbal Influence ORGANISE Time Quality Speed Problem-solving INNOVATE Continuous Improvement Intellectual Stimulation Risk-Taking Optimism CONNECT Receiving Feedback Empathy Developing Others Recognition Performance Correction Cooperation ENJOY Stress Happiness Work/Life Balance Health & Safety Page 14

15 gap analysis Behaviours towards the right (higher importance ) correlate more strongly with composite effectiveness score. Ideally, behaviours should rest in the oval where there is a good match between performance & importance. Behaviours in the bottom right corner are potential priorities for action. maintain promote nce higher performan lower Speed Time High Expectations Verbal Inf luence Cooperation Health & Safety Risk Taking Work-Lif e Balance Receiving Feedback Quality Problem Solving Recognition Happiness Empathy Continuous Improvement Stress Perf ormance Correction Advocacy Optimism Developing Others Vision & Inspiration Intellectual Stimulation Gap analysis from 1,248 employees rating 211 leaders, predicting a composite effectiveness score comprising turnover, absenteeism, & manager reports of productivity, change & innovation, customer satisfaction, & achieving objectives limit lower importance prioritise higher Page 15

16 take home lessons from our big five research 1. Advocacy, developing others, optimism and happiness are four important drivers of organisational outcomes that are often neglected in competency frameworks 2. Intellectual stimulation and performance correction are two of the biggest competency gaps for most leaders 3. Conversely, speed and time management are perhaps overemphasised in many models 4. Behaviours that are important for senior executives are also important for frontline staff Page 16

17 how to move towards the big five There are some cultural obstacles to implementing the big five actions 1. affirm 2. model 3. communicate 4. develop 5. resource description Design values & competency models to reflect all parts of the big five Senior staff must role model the behaviours they desire from staff Be transparent with information & support bottom-up communication Give staff the knowledge & skills to make effective decisions Provide the budget, tools, staffing, etc to implement & experiment 6. enable Devolve decision-making rights 7. evaluate Measure behaviours & outcomes to manage risk & reward performance Page 17

18 Questions? Dr Peter Langford Director, Voice Project m: e: : Page 19