Lesson 3: Skills Approach

Question 1

(T/F) The skills approach is relatively new and has not been widely used in training and development.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The 4 individual attributes of Mumford’s Skills Model:

Answer 2

General Cognitive Ability
Crystallized Cognitive Ability
Motivation
Personality

Question 3

Environmental influences are…

Answer 3

Factors in a situation that lie outside the leader’s competencies, characteristics, and experiences.

Question 4

(T/F) The skills approach provides a structure consistent with leadership education programs.

Answer 4

True

Question 5

(T/F) Mumford’s research studied military personnel rather than business and organizational leaders.

Answer 5

True

Question 6

Experiences that contribute to a leader’s knowledge and skills

Answer 6

Challenging assignments, mentoring, appropriate training, and hands-on experience

Question 7

What individual attribute begins to decline in later adulthood?

Answer 7

General cognitive ability

Question 8

Bill is in charge of hiring a new manager for the first shift on the production line. According to Katz’ model, Bill should be looking for a person with what types of skills?

Answer 8

Human and technical skills

Question 9

Jim is a district manager of Wendy’s West Michigan. When he hires people, the most important thing he looks for is whether people are good problem solvers. Which approach or model is Jim using?

Answer 9

The Mumford Skills Model (focus on competency: problem solving).

Question 10

(T/F) Technical skills grow in importance as one moves up the managerial hierarchy.

Answer 10

False

Question 11

The 3 competencies from the Mumford Skills Model

Answer 11

Problem-solving skills
Social judgment skills
Knowledge

Question 12

What approach presents a competency-based approach to leadership?

Answer 12

Skills Approach

Question 13

What skills are most important for leaders operating at lower levels of management?

Answer 13

Human and technical (not conceptual)

Question 14

(T/F) Social judgment is an individual attribute in the skills model.

Answer 14

False

Question 15

(T/F) Career experience is a strong influence on a leader’s competencies.

Answer 15

True

Question 16

(T/F) Motivation and personality fall within the competencies component of Mumford’s skills model

Answer 16

False

Question 17

How should the performance outcome be measured?

Answer 17

Standard external criteria

Question 18

(T/F) The skills approach suggests that many individuals have the potential for leadership.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

(T/F) Human skills are important at all levels of management.

Answer 19

True

Question 20

(T/F) Katz states that human skills are most important for middle and top management levels.

Answer 20

False. Needed for all levels.

Question 21

In the skills model, crystallized knowledge refers to which of the following?

Answer 21

Intellectual ability acquired over time.

Question 22

Is the skills approach descriptive or prescriptive?

Answer 22

Descriptive

Question 23

General cognitive abilities:

Answer 23

Perceptual processing, information processing, general reasoning skills, creative and divergent thinking, memory skills.

Question 24

The individual attributes factor in the skills model suggests

Answer 24

that the skills model is not just a competency-based model, and that traits are important to leadership.

Question 25

(T/F) Crystallized cognitive ability refers to one’s innate intellectual ability or intelligence.

Answer 25

False.