Conceptual skills
| Conceptual skills |
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| See also |
Conceptual skills are premised on a general analytical ability. Conceptual skills may be thought of as:
- Logical and critical thinking
- Proficiency in concept formation
- Conceptualization of complex and ambiguous relationships
- Creativity in idea generation and problem solving
- Ability to analyze events and perceive trends
- Ability to anticipate changes
- Ability to recognize opportunities and potential problems (both inductively and deductively)
- Possessing an understanding of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship
- Broad-based knowledge of innovation (new products, technologies, techniques, new sources) and commercialization
- Defining strategies for reaching a goal
- Formulating the course of processes (M. L. Springer 2016, P. 245).
Conceptual skills in enterprises
In some regards, it is expected that all participants with an awareness of the technology leadership body of knowledge would be equally educated in these conceptual skills and possess the ability to function in a conceptual capacity. In reality however varying levels of leadership, relative to management, are expected to demonstrate an increased conceptual capability with a declining expectation in technical skills (M. L. Springer 2016, p. 245). Conceptual skills are important and relevant for all individuals regardless of their place in organization. Conceptual skills consume more of a top executive's time) while technical skills are more important for new employees and frontline supervisors (R.Gulati, A.J. Mayo, N. Nohria 2013, P. 9)
The role of a manager in connection with conceptual skills
In enterprises conceptual skills mainly depend on the manager's (generally on upper-level managers) ability to think in the abstract. Managers need the mental capacity to understand the overall workings of the organization and its environment to grasp how all the parts of the organization fit together and to recognize the implications of any one problem for others. Thanks to conceptual skills managers might to view the organization in a holistic hammer. This ability allows them to think strategically, to see the big picture and to make broad-bases decisions that serve the overall organization (R. W. Griffin 2013, p. 8). Conceptual skills of managers allow them also to:
- think through and work with ideas, which form the enterprise and its vision for the future,
- expressing these ideas in verbal and written forms,
- understanding and expressing the economic principles underlying their company effectiveness.
In other words, conceptual skills allow managers to give abstract ideas meaning to make sense of abstract ideas for their supervisors, peers and subordinates (W.G. Rowe, L. Guerrero 2012, p. 84)
Upper-level managers, who do not have strong conceptual skills, they can jeopardize the whole organization. Conceptual skills are also important in middle management, and as we move down to lower management levels, conceptual skills become less important.
References
- Glenn R. W., Guerrero L. (2012), Cases in Leadership, Sage, page 84
- Griffin R. W. (2013), Fundamentals of Management Seventh Edition, Cengage Learning, page 8
- Gulati R., Mayo A. J., Nohria N. (2014), Managemen, Cengage Learning, page 9
- Gultepe N., Celik A. Y., Kilic Z. (2013) Exploring Effects of High School Students’s Mathematical Processing Skills and Conceptual Understanding of Chemical Concepts on Algorithmic Problem Solving, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 38 Issue 10 Art. 7, page 106-122
- Hodge K., Danish S., Martin J. (2012), Developing a Conceptual Framework for Life Skills Interventions, The Counseling Psychologist XX (X), pages 1-28
- Mutisya S. M., Rotich S., Rotich P. K. (2013) Conceptual understanding of science process skills and gender stereotyping: A critical component for inquiry teaching of science in Kenya’s primary schools, Asian Journal of Social Sciences& Humanities, Vol.2 No.3, page 359-369
- Springer M. L. (2016), Project and Program Management: A Competency-Based Approach, Third Edition, Purdue University Press, page 245
Author: Beata Franczyk
