technical skill

Examples of technical skill in the following topics:

• Technical Skills of Successful Managers

  • Successful managers must possess certain technical skills that assist them in optimizing managerial performance.
  • Robert Katz identifies three critical skill sets for successful management professionals: technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills.
  • Of the three skill sets identified by Katz, technical skills are the broadest, most easily defined category.
  • Katz postulates that the higher up in the organization an individual rises, the more conceptual skills (and fewer technical skills) are necessary.
  • Senior managers need fewer technical skills because strategic decision-making is inherently more conceptual; mid- and lower-level skills such as data collection, assessment, and discussion are all more technical.

• Frontline Management

  • Frontline managers oversee primary production activities on a daily basis, so they need very high interpersonal and technical skills.
  • Managers have to deal with problems which require special skills to solve.
  • Frontline managers who are responsible for dealing directly with the operating personnel need very high interpersonal skills to motivate, supervise, and guide their subordinates, as well as communicate with managers of higher levels.
  • Frontline managers also need technical skills since they are dealing with job-related tasks that help achieve the goals and objectives of the organization.
  • These frontline managers will be directing operations at the facility, tracking employee behavior and interaction, assessing efficiency, and using technical skills to mentor workers and improve processes.

• Top-Level Management

  • Critical job skills of today's managers include the ability to work under pressure, to lead people, to manage conflict, to solve crises, to motivate people, and to intuit answers.
  • Many people work under top-level managers' supervision and look to them for guidance, so these are the skills which are needed to perform the various operations of the business.
  • Managerial skills include conceptual skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills.
  • These three managerial skills are used by different managers to various degrees.
  • Successful top-level managers usually display more conceptual than technical skill.

• Intellectual Skills of Successful Managers

  • Conceptual skills revolve around generating ideas through creative intuitions and a comprehensive understanding of a given context.
  • Conceptual skills represent one of the three skill sets identified by Robert Katz as critical to managerial success in an organization; the other two include technical skills and human skills.
  • While each skill set is useful in different circumstances, conceptual skills tend to be most relevant in upper-level thinking and broad strategic situations (as opposed to lower-level and line management).
  • As a result, conceptual skills are often viewed as critical success factors for upper managerial functions.
  • While all levels of management benefit from conceptual thinking, upper management spends the most time within this frame of mind (as opposed to thinking more technically—looking at and working with the detailed elements of a given operation or business process).

• Managing Organizational Priorities

  • Skilled managers may construct and implement an agenda in an organizational setting.
  • Creating a relevant agenda and distributing it to concerned parties in a timely fashion requires organizational ability, communication skills (including the ability to write clearly and concisely), and strategic know-how (knowing what to discuss and in what order).
  • Managers must be skilled in controlling the pace, tone, and trajectory of discussions at meetings.
  • The pursuit of agendas requires a similar set of managerial skills.
  • Good managers can balance the various interests, operations, and technical skills of a given team to ensure the objectives and timelines set forth in the agenda are carried out.

• The Trait-Theory Approach

  • These traits include dimensions of personality and motives, sets of skills and capabilities, and behavior in social relationships.
  • These include interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.
  • This model contends the following traits are correlated with strong leadership potential: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, honesty, charisma, intelligence, creativity, achievement motivation, need for power, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, technical knowledge, and management skills.
  • This diagram visually represents Zaccaro's theory that distal attributes (e.g., cognitive abilities, personality, values) serve as precursors for the development of proximal personal characteristics (e.g. social skills, problem-solving skills), both of which contribute to leadership.

• Leadership Traits

  • Some of the inherent leadership traits in Zaccaro's model include extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, honesty/integrity, charisma, intelligence, creativity, achievement motivation, need for power, oral/written communication, interpersonal skills, general problem-solving, decision making, technical knowledge, and management skills.

• Interpersonal Skills of Successful Managers

  • According to management theorist Robert Katz, management comprises three critical skill sets: technical, human, and conceptual.
  • The development of human skills—which could be perceived as a combination of social, interpersonal, and leadership skills—is central to the success of a manager.
  • Leading people represents a central component of human skills.
  • Human skills differentiate a manager from a leader.
  • Interpersonal skills and communication skills lie at the center of human-based managerial considerations.

• Financial Rewards for Managers

  • Career success and fulfillment hinge on effective human-resource management and empowering employees with the necessary tools and skills.
  • Promoting career success for employees and managers involves the creation of developmental goals that build stronger skills and aim toward fulfillment.
  • These may include coaching, higher education, mentoring, reflective supervision, technical training, and consultation.
  • Technical Assistance – Helping employees implement new technologies and acquire modern skill sets is a growing field in career development.
  • Technical training is provided to enable employees to be more effective with newer methodologies, tools, and equipment.

• Learning to Speak

  • Sending effective communication requires skill and an understanding of the audience.
  • The ability to communicate effectively in speech and in writing is one of the most valuable professional skills.
  • Sending messages and information so they are understood as intended and produce the desired effect demands certain technical competencies and interpersonal capabilities.
  • Effective ways to learn precise, professional oral and written communication skills include: