Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Development Of Leadership Skills: Experience And Timing, Michael D. Mumford, Michelle A. Marks, American Institutes For Research, Stephen J. Zaccaro, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

To develop organizational leaders we need to understand how requisite skills are acquired over the course of people's careers. In this article, a cross-sectional design was used to assess differences in leadership skills across six grade levels of officers in the U.S. Army. Increased levels of knowledge, problem-solving skills, systems skills, and social skills were found at higher grade levels. Certain skills and experiences, however, were found to be particularly important at certain phases of leaders' careers. These findings are used to propose an organization-based model of skill development. Implications of this model for leader development programs are discussed.