Some implications of validation of the Leadership Pipeline concept: Guidelines for assisting managers-in-transition.

Abstract

This article provides a brief commentary on the literature review and the two studies presented in this special issue of The Psychologist-Manager Journal, with an emphasis on their value in substantiating the practical application of the Leadership Pipeline concept. In particular, the author provides recommendations for mentors and coaches who work with managers-in-transition. The author uses the triple challenge notion of what tasks, activities, and functions managers-in-transition need to let go, preserve, and add on at each successive level of management as an organizing principle for translating the research findings into practical applications. The author concludes with a discussion of the distressed manager-in-transition. If mentors and coaches can understand, empathize with, and cope effectively with people in distress without becoming excessively anxious themselves, they can more effectively help managers-in-transition to navigate the promotional crossroads and increase their likelihood of making a successful upward transition.It is a pleasure to provide the summary article for this special issue of The Psychologist-Manager Journal that is focused on how job requirements change with each level of management in an organizational hierarchy. I have been fascinated with this topic as a reflective practitioner for decades. In this summary article, I first identify the major takeaways from the research articles in this issue and make recommendations for future research. Then I turn my attention to an important practical implication of this research: The challenges managers face in adapting to a higher level job and its unique set of job demands. The remainder of the article provides guidance and suggestions for helping managers make a successful upward transition.

Developing leaders by supporting their transitions into senior positions

“…This is to be expected because promotion is associated with the need to acquire new skill sets (Bebb 2009;Freedman 2011). One caveat here, according to Watkins, is that managers in transition who rely too heavily on skills and strategies that worked for them in the past are setting themselves up for failure (Watkins 2009).…”

“…The anticipation and speculation associated with the new leadership position soon turned into the harsh reality of performing in the new role when the incumbents realised that the realities of their situation differed considerably from their expectations (Freedman 2011). Failure in senior management positions is not uncommon and fulfilling the objectives of the role may be equally difficult, with one survey showing that less than one-third of transitioning executives reported having met all their objectives after 18 months in the position (Martin 2015).…”

“…Leadership transition is viewed as a highly significant life event in the career path of an individual and it acts as a handful of triggers that open the opportunity for significant growth and learning, yet organisations rarely have validated general frameworks or theories for leadership development (Avolio & Hannah 2008:331). By promoting someone who is not well supported before and during the transition, organisations potentially set the individual up for failure, with negative consequences for both the individual and the organisation ( Newly promoted leaders' ability to learn is a crucial element of their ultimate success (Freedman 2011). Learning can take many forms.…”

“…The concept of a leadership pipeline suggests that changes are required in individuals in terms of their appearance, knowledge, behaviour, attitudes and values as they progress up the ladder (Kaiser et al 2011). They face a so-called triple challenge of having to decide which aspects of their previous roles they need to let go of, which to preserve and which to build on (Freedman 2011 complexity where each level of work is related to the time span required by the executor to complete the task (Jaques 1996). This theory supports the view of Charan et al that different skills and abilities are required by leaders operating at different levels and it reinforces the view that change and transformation are required to successfully perform at a new level.…”

“…Part of managing people is the ability to delegate (Freedman 2011;Martin 2015). Some participants, especially the ones who performed the tasks themselves before, struggled with this.…”