My Perspectives on Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies for Technical Leaders
An informed perspective from a technical leadership study
Knowledge, skills, and competencies matter to technical leaders. These 3 cognitive constructs enable technical leaders to survive and thrive in business organizations. Therefore, I want to provide a useful perspective to these critical points.
In this article, I provide an informed perspective on these three cognitive constructs extracted from a dissertation of my Ph.D. Thesis, by defining and identifying relationships, adding clarity based on a literature review of the existing body of knowledge and reflecting upon findings of the related research study.
I also provide my observations and findings in a cognitive study that I conducted to understand the learning patterns of technical leaders working in IT (Information Technology) departments of large business organizations.
Introduction
Definition and context of knowledge, skills, and competencies in the workplace helped me create a framework for the hypotheses of the mentioned study.
I searched the literature using two fundamental learning types for technical leaders: formal and informal learning. The search provided some patterns. I want to communicate the patterns in this article.
These three concepts are considered to be key parameters for the two major issues of the research.
Formal and informal learning for the cognitive abilities of technical leaders depicts considerable implications in IT workplaces. The initial research assumption was that knowledge, skills, and competencies were related and needed to be analyzed by comparing and constructing the inherent meaning.
The following figure illustrates the framework to understand knowledge, skills, and competencies as parameters of formal and informal learning implications for technical leaders in information technology departments of large business organizations. Question marks prompt the required input from the study.
Knowledge
In this section, I provide an overview of the implications of knowledge in the cognitive profile of technical leaders.
Knowledge constitutes garnered information and understanding about a subject matter which a person has in his or her mind and which is shared for a purpose. According to Webster's dictionary, knowledge is:
(1) : the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (2) : acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique b (1) : the fact or condition of being aware of something (2) : the range of one’s information or understanding <answered to the best of my knowledge> c : the circumstance or condition of apprehending truth or fact through reasoning
It can be useful to deconstruct this definition to add clarity to the meaning of knowledge for the research framework. The first part of the definition (the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association) is relevant to our two major themes of the study: formal and informal learning patterns of technical leaders.
We understand from the definition that experiences, and associations are key components of knowledge. These two concepts are closely used in both learning types in the learning, education, and cognitive science literature.
The second part of the definition (acquaintance with or understanding of science, art, or technique) is also related to knowledge gained both in academic and practical settings. For example, “science and art” are very much formal-oriented disciplines, whereas “techniques” may be more relevant to practical settings.
Even though we may learn theoretical techniques in academic settings, practical technical knowledge can be acquired more effectively in the workplace.
One of the most interesting parts of the definition appeared to be “the circumstance or condition of apprehending truth or fact through reasoning”. It is evident that the concepts of truth, facts, and reasoning are related to both formal and informal learning frameworks.
Knowledge can be in different formats. It is a comprehensive topic covered in various disciplines, such as knowledge management.
There are numerous research projects focusing on different perspectives in academic and industry settings.
However, in my study, I focus on particularly interactive and tacit knowledge, which seem to have a significant role in understanding the learning patterns of technical leaders.
Rumelhart, D. E. (1980) discussed the view of interactive knowledge within the context of learning with the use and development of schemas.
A schema is a mental representation of a set of related categories in knowledge constructs. When we come across something new in our lives, we select one of our repertoires of schemas to make sense of it. This schema theory sees learning as an interaction between the learner and the learned.
Knowledge in the workplace
In my observation during the lifecycle of this study, I identified that knowledge was a significant part of the technical professionals in the workplace.
For example, team leaders in corporate business organizations require knowledgeable technical leaders to join their talented teams.
Knowledge is so desirable that managers are looking for knowledgable technical leaders to delegate responsibilities, team leaders are choosing and categorizing their teams according to their knowledge levels, and individual professionals are choosing knowledgable colleagues to work with.
The concept of knowledge in this study refers to technical IT knowledge. The objective of technical knowledge is to enable technical leaders to conduct their IT work practices and engagements effectively and lead client initiatives sustainably.
Technical knowledge can be gained from multiple sources. From the literature review, I identified the following frequently used keywords as technical knowledge sources:
· Technical books,
· Technical journals,
· Technical online publications,
· Technical vendor publications such as white papers[2],
· Technical seminars, conferences, symposiums, and forums
· Technical discussion meetings and briefings,
· Technical short (crash) courses,
· Practising in the lab,
· Practising at projects and initiatives,
· Formal courses in technical fields
Learning and education literature confirms that knowledge is the primary goal of formal education. It is clear that the academic world revolves around knowledge acquisition.
It is evident in the literature that compared to “skills” and “competencies”, knowledge is more theoretical than practical in nature.
Therefore, knowledge may relate to both formal and informal learning styles and cognitive patterns of technical leaders.
In my study, I focused on specific technical knowledge and compared it to technical skills and competencies to identify relationships.
The following diagram depicts the basic knowledge classification.
Skills
My understanding of the skill, from the established literature, broadly speaking, is the knowledge and ability that enables us to perform an activity such as a job, a game, or a sport well. I checked the Webster dictionary to find an established definition for the concept of skill.
: the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance b : dexterity or coordination especially in the execution of learned physical tasks 3 : a learned power of doing something competently : a developed aptitude or ability <e.g. language skills>
The definition “the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance “ looks relevant to a workplace context. Undertaking a task in a professional work environment requires knowledge to be used effectively and readily in execution. Performance is a key requirement of business goals.
The second definition of skill, “a learned power of doing something competently: a developed aptitude or ability, “ depicts a relationship with both knowledge and competence concepts.
The keyword “a learned power” can be related to the concept of skill with knowledge. The term “learned power” seems to be associated with formal settings. Whereas “ doing something competently ” relates to the skill with competence, therefore, it seems to be associated with practical settings.
The term “a developed aptitude or ability “ relates to both formal and informal settings. Leaning literature depicts that we develop aptitude and abilities in both academic and practical environments.
From these definitions, we understand that “skills” can relate to both formal and informal settings as a parameter in the learning context.
Let’s look at skills in the workplace using the framework in the following diagram.
When I was observing the technical leaders in IT business organizations, I merely focused on technical IT skills. I observed that technical skills could be transferable. It was also evident that a generic skill could be transferred to a technical skill as a business requirement. For example, a technical leader can have good reading, comprehension, and reasoning skills, which can be invaluable for a technical design job function.
In my observations, it was evident that technical skills were considered significant requirements for technical leaders in the workplace. Workplaces belonging to corporate business organizations are very much focused on skillful technical leaders to achieve business goals.
In the literature search, I came across the following sources and activities for which technical leaders could build their skills:
· Writing technical books, industry articles, technical blogs,
· Presenting in industry seminars, conferences, symposiums, forums,
· Chairing workplace meetings, briefings, brainstorming, and planning sessions,
· Teaching technical courses,
· Practicing in the lab,
· Participating in and leading projects and initiatives.
Comparing knowledge and skill sources from the literature indicates that technology leaders need to participate in a specific activity to acquire skills.
For example, reading a book versus undertaking an activity in a technical lab environment or a technical work setting.
Some participants in the research argued that technical leaders needed to learn and gain knowledge before acquiring skills.
However, from the observations, it was evident that acquiring knowledge did not directly help technical leaders gain skills. Skill-building required hands-on engagement.
Another group of research participants argued that knowledge resources and constructs were directly related to skill formation, such as practicing at work while repeating some day-to-day technical tasks could help the technical leaders learn and acquire skills.
Their premise was that learning habits could turn into skill sets. They characterized it as the transition from a knowledgeable to a skillful state.
At later stages of the research lifecycle, analysis of collected data revealed that in the workplace settings, technical knowledge turned into technical skills when it was used in practice within a task context and with constant repetitions.
This finding helped the research audience to understand the relationship between technical knowledge and technical skills.
Competencies
As a common source, I used the Webster dictionary to understand the established definition of the competency concept:
1 : a sufficiency of means for the necessities and conveniences of life <provided his family with a comfortable competence — Rex Ingamells> 2 : the quality or state of being competent: as a : the properties of an embryonic field that enable it to respond in a characteristic manner to an organizer b : readiness of bacteria to undergo genetic transformation 3 : the knowledge that enables a person to speak and understand a language
From these definitions, we understand that competency is a skill that allows a person to undertake a duty with confidence and in an effective manner to achieve business objectives.
I observed a trend in technical leadership education and learning toward competency. The terms and practices called Competency-Based Training (CBT), Competency-Based Education (CBE), and Competency-Based Learning (CBL) became popular in educational and learning discussions in the industry.
These trends started in the early 90s. For example, according to Magnussan, K. and Osborne, J (1990), CBE was a form of educational technology that emphasized the acquisition of specific and predefined skills.
The CBE movement has gained momentum in North America, and not surprisingly, the debate over the efficacy and role of CBE systems within education has also become heated.
In a theoretical framework, Ashworth, P. D, Saxton, J (1990), asserted that the individualism and lack of awareness of social context betrayed by the notion of competence were disturbing.
These thought leaders believed that competence was the embodiment of a mechanistic, technically oriented way of thinking which was normally inappropriate to the description of human action or the facilitation of training of human beings.
Reflection of competencies in the business workplace
Hodkinson, P (1992) stated that the role of competence dominated in the workplace and was seen as a composite of skills and knowledge and, where possible, were to be tested through it.
In this artifact, the relationship between knowledge, understanding, and performance was seen as linear and unproblematic.
For example, the argument was that if an employee had the right skills, knowledge, and understanding, he or she would give the right performance. Assessment of that performance was also assumed to be straightforward.
This model was based on an implicit belief system.
The belief and perceptive norms reflected a competent professional in the workplace as someone who was knowledgeable, skillful, and the one who could also apply these skills and knowledge to specific work requirements in a confident manner.
In my observations and the final research findings, no one directly coming into the IT industry from formal education did match this criterion in underpinning theories.
For example, graduates with first-class honors or master's degrees in IT discipline were sought after. However, it was clear that these knowledgeable graduates were far from being competent in the workplace.
From this point of view, it was possible to conclude that competence was an element of informal learning which took place at work and only could be gained via appropriate experience in practical settings.
As Burges, T. (1986) highlighted, a well-balanced education should embrace analysis and the acquisition of knowledge.
However, research findings depicted that knowledge constructs must include the exercise of creative skills, the professional competence practice to undertake and complete technical tasks, and the ability to cope with everyday life at work to meet business objectives; also doing all these things in cooperation with others.
The analysis of findings helped me create the following di representation of knowledge, skills, and competencies related to the cognitive attributes of technical leaders to perform well at work.
Summary of Conclusions
The research findings confirmed the following four items:
1. There was a close relationship between knowledge and skills.
2. There was a close relationship between skills and competencies.
3. Knowledge assisted in the formation of technical skills and technical skills were able to help technical leaders to gain more knowledge.
4. There appeared to be not a direct relationship between knowledge and competency. However, skills appeared to be a proxy between knowledge and competency.
A three years of recorded observations at specific IT environments enabled me to formulate the relationship between knowledge, skill, and competency, as depicted in the following table.
The clear finding: it was impossible to be competent in a technical leadership role with mere formal academic qualifications.
During the research discussions, there was the perception that we learned at school we might have obtained some transferable skills.
The findings confirmed that we were unable to be skilled and competent for a technical leadership role with the so-called transferable skills gained from academic environments.
However, some knowledge and skills gained in academic settings helped some technical leaders as a supplementary capability.
Another finding of the study was that knowledge, skills, and competencies were related to each other in a one-way hierarchical manner for the cognitive capabilities of technical leaders in the IT workplace. The following figure depicts the relationship in a graphical presentation.
The research findings revealed that to be competent in the workplace, a technical leader needed to hold skills and knowledge. The simple logic in this diagram was that if an employee did not know, he/she could not be skillful, and if the employee was not skillful, he/she could not be competent.
Thank you for reading my perspectives.
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Source of Content
Extract from one of the learning dissertations of Dr. Mehmet Yildiz [a Ph.D. Thesis] as part of his professional doctoral studies hosted in RMIT University (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) Academic Library in Bundoora, Victoria.
MLA, APA, and Chicago Trabian Citation: Yildiz, Mehmet. “Discovering and Evaluating the Roles of Formal and Informal Learning for the I/T Professionals of Two Large Corporate Organisations .” Thesis (Ph.D.) — RMIT University, 2003., 2003. Print”.
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Disclaimer: Please note that this post does not include professional advice. I shared my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only for information.
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