MGMT 685

Module 4 Critical Thinking

If you are seeking an innovative leader for an organization, what do you think are the ten
most important characteristics for the leader to have? How will you determine if an
individual has those characteristics? Discuss how executives can ensure a successful fit.

The ten most important characteristics for a leader to have include: commitment to purpose and
vision, communication, wisdom and expertise, patience for listening, integrity, transparency,
motivation, respect, authenticity, and interpersonal skills.

Determining if individuals have these characteristics could be found in different ways. There are
various personality tests that help companies engage in finding the right individual fit for the job.
In the Human Resources class which is a part of the Master of Science in Management program,
we learned about various testing measures that can be a part of the employment process or could
even be a part of performance reviews for longer tenured employees. While these tests help to
evaluate entry to mid-level management positions, they provide some insights into the individual
and could be used to help identify individual characteristics. These measures would have to be
valid and reliable and meet EEOC guidelines. Two common types of personality tests are the
Myers-Briggs Test and the Birkman Method. There are also cognitive ability tests which provide
assessments of general intelligence or aptitude for a particular job. Furthermore, skills testing
measures the ability of an individual to apply specific knowledge sets. While these outputs are
only as good as the inputs, they may provide some valuable results to help understand and
evaluate the individual. Employee referrals and references for new employees will also provide
an understanding of the true individual based on personal experiences. The resume is also a
glimpse of the individual through job experiences, items to help understand qualifications, and
highlights of accomplishments.

Executives can ensure a successful fit through looking for fit through personality-job fit, ability –
job fit, and person-organization fit. Personality-job fit relates to individual personalities. As
personalities help define who we are and how we act and react in various situations, each
individual is different and many traits define these personalities. Personality types should be
matched with placement in positions that can be enhanced by the particular personality traits,
which is the personality-job fit. Ability-job fit is attributed to the individual’s physical and
intellectual skills. Analysis of the individual’s abilities helps executives to understand the
limitations and make determinations that will enhance the fit to promote motivation, job
satisfaction, and productivity. The wrong fit can lead to turnover. Person-organization fit
identifies cultural and structural characteristics of the organization and how well the candidate
may fit. For example, consideration could be given to centralized verses decentralized and highly
controlled verses flexibility. Ensuring a successful fit can be analyzed through these fit elements.
In addition executives can build fit by aligning the purpose of the process with the skills needed
for that process. Executives can promote learning and sharing of knowledge to increase
effectiveness of the processes by reducing barriers between teams and departments. Attention to
the key fit elements desired for the innovation process are also relevant to ensuring a successful
fit. For radical changes (strategic, high uncertainty, and wide firm impact) the key elements of fit
would be a multi-skilled team that is aligned externally. For a continuous change innovation (low
to medium uncertainty, low firm impact, and high team impact) the key elements of fit are the
imperative need for team coordination and a need to share documented learning with peers.