Framework
Katz's three skills
The question it answers
When a manager is promoted from the front line to a more senior role, how should the balance between technical, human and conceptual skills change?
- Origin
- Katz, 1974
- Diagram type
- Comparison table
- Level of analysis
- Individual
Diagram
Katz's three skills
| Criterion | Technical skill | Human skill | Conceptual skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Using specialist methods, processes and tools | Working effectively with and through other people | Seeing the organisation as a system and how its parts affect each other |
| Matters most at | First-line level | All levels | Top level |
Pitfalls
Pitfall
Confusing skills (learnable) with traits (stable tendencies). Katz deliberately stresses skills.
Sources
References
Listed A–Z by author surname, Harvard style. A source with a DOI links to https://doi.org/…; one without links to its page or says plainly that it has no DOI.
- Katz, R.L. (1974) ‘Skills of an effective administrator’, Harvard Business Review, 52(5), pp. 90–102.No DOIhbr.orgSource page