Translating Training Into Leadership

Andrea Piotrowski

• Publisher: Momentum Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781945612268
• eBook ISBN: 9781945612275
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Nutrition, Dietics & Bariatrics

This book highlights the training in professional psychology programs that prepares students and psychologists to be effective leaders. The scientist-practitioner model promotes proficiency in both clinical and analytical skills that are important in leadership positions, though the translation of these skills into leadership roles is often neglected by psychologists. The first part of the book briefly reviews basic concepts related to management and demonstrates that the foundational and functional competencies acquired in professional psychology programs are readily transferable into these positions. Specific examples of psychological concepts that benefit leadership roles are also discussed. The latter part of the book examines the gaps and limitations of skills in training programs that are important in leadership positions and how concepts related to industrial/organizational psychology could fill these gaps. Two psychologists in leadership roles are profiled to illustrate the benefits of psychology training to leadership positions and ways in which limitations can be successfully addressed. A resource list related to leadership and management skills development is also provided to supplement the competencies already acquired in training.

CHAPTER 1

Leadership, Management, and Psychologists in the Workplace

Professional psychologists¹ are well-positioned to take on a range of leadership roles in public and private organizations, yet graduate students and psychologists often only see themselves in careers focused on the provision of direct service to patients and possibly conducting research. Most professional psychologists are trained in a scientist-practitioner model giving them competency not only in the knowledge and the provision of care (i.e., assessment, diagnosis, treatment) for mental health and behavioral difficulties, but also in areas that are important within systems and management, such as developing, implementing, and evaluating programs; designing research studies; writing proposals for grant funding; supervision; navigating and mediating conflict; and collaborating with various disciplines and organizations. The specialized level of training in understanding cognition and behavior places professional psychologists in a powerful and influential position to lead and make impactful changes.

The development of analytical, training, and clinical skills in professional psychology graduate programs provides a foundation for psychologists to be well prepared to take on leadership roles in public mental health (Chu et al., 2012a, 2012b), as well as other healthcare facilities or programs (Mayberg, 1997), not-for-profit organizations (Kelly & Finkelman, 2013), government departments (e.g., Mental Health Chief with the Department of Veterans Affairs; Azar, 2011), and even businesses (Kelly & Finkelman, 2013). Despite this level of training, psychologists are often overly cautious about what falls within their scope of practice and might hesitate to apply for management or leadership positions due to a belief that they are underqualified.

It has been reported that professional psychologists are spending increasingly more time in administrative or management activities, rather than only providing direct service to patients (Kelly & Finkelman, 2013). In a 2015 survey of 77,881 members (i.e., associates, members, fellows) of the American Psychological Association (APA), 40.6% of members reported being involved in management/administration activities and 9.4% of members identified management/administration tasks as their primary work activity (APA’s Center for Workforce Studies, March, 2016). In comparison, data from 2009 (APA Center for Workforce Studies, February 2010) found that 31.5% of members reported being involved in management/administration activities and 7.7% of members identified management/administration tasks as their primary work activity. Data about psychologists involved in management/administration tasks were also highlighted in a survey by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA; Votta-Bleeker, Tiessen, & Murdoch, 2016). Survey results of 4,441 psychology graduates found that, on average, respondents reported that 10.4% of their total time at work is accounted for by management/administration tasks, in addition to 3.5, 3.0, and 2.0% in development or design, program evaluation, and public policy, respectively. Despite this trend, psychologists either involved in, or transitioning into, management roles are often “learning on the job” and graduate students have little exposure to direct training in leadership within their curricula, practica, or residency unless opportunities are sought out.

The purpose of this book is to highlight the training and competencies of professional psychology graduate programs and how these developed skills prepare psychologists for a range of leadership roles in management and administration. The gaps and limitations of essential training in leadership within programs are also discussed. Although the primary focus of this book is on leadership roles within the healthcare system (e.g., participant on a task force focused on health, leader of a new departmental initiative, program manager of a health clinic), the content is applicable to positions on psychology or nonpsychology boards, in business, in government, and in consultation.

This book is organized into five chapters: Leadership, Management, and Psychologists in the Workplace; Conceptualization; Training; Profiles of Psychologist Leaders and Future Directions; and Evaluation and Resources. In Chapter 1, a brief overview of concepts related to management and leadership is presented to show how many of the basic skills required to work in these areas are transferable from the skills acquired in professional psychology graduate programs. With additional training, these skills can be further developed and customized to a specific role in the workplace. Examples of leadership concepts, including general leadership models, effective leader behaviors and attributes are described and compared to professional psychology skills. This chapter concludes with a description of various activities and leadership positions that are well suited to psychologists within the workplace.

Chapter 2 further elucidates the idea that the training in professional psychology programs prepares graduates to be leaders within organizations. This chapter begins with a review of the accreditation requirements for professional psychology graduate programs developed by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA, 2011) and the American Psychological Association (APA, 2015) that provide psychologists with the foundation of skills needed for leadership roles. Building upon these standards, examples of basic theories and concepts learned through coursework, practica, and residency programs are discussed to demonstrate how each concept or developed skill is easily transferable to the skills that would be of benefit in a management or leadership role. To provide more specific information of these concepts and skills, foundational and functional competencies for effective leadership by professional psychologists are outlined. These competencies are derived from those proposed for community psychologists (Chu et al., 2012a, 2012b) since the breadth of roles in this area of specialization can be easily generalizable to leadership roles in other settings. Competencies in healthcare leadership models are presented as comparisons to the competencies related to professional psychologists as well as benchmarks to evaluate leadership performance.

Throughout this book, the argument is made that professional psychologists have the basic training for leadership roles, yet there remain gaps in skill development in most current training models. Chapter 3 focuses on training and discusses the gaps and limitations in skills that are important to management roles and leadership positions. The challenges faced by psychologists who strictly try to apply skills learned in graduate school to a management framework are also discussed. A description of a training model and other learning opportunities for students interested in management roles are provided. As an example, the guidelines and topics taught in industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology are described given the focus of I/O psychology on psychological concepts to address specific issues (e.g., conflict management, absenteeism, leadership development) related to the workplace. Further training recommendations that go beyond formal schooling are provided for students and practicing psychologists.

To illustrate the leadership roles that can be held by professional psychologists, Chapter 4 profiles two psychologists—one psychologist who holds a number of leadership roles because of her position as the head of a Clinical Health Psychology Program, and another psychologist who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Canadian Mental Health Association and whose role is not psychology-specific. After highlighting these profiles, the future direction of professional psychologists and the need for advocacy are discussed. Every psychologist is an advocate in a formal or informal capacity and recognizing the importance of being an advocate demonstrates good leadership.

Chapter 5 briefly describes certain assessments that are used to evaluate general leadership effectiveness. Given that the content of this book provides only a glimpse of the skills developed in graduate school that are transferable to management and leadership roles, the Appendix outlines a list of resources focused specifically on management, administration, and leadership development to supplement the foundational training already acquired in professional psychology graduate programs. Throughout each chapter, examples are provided to illustrate how graduate school training is applicable to leadership concepts.

Leadership

Attributes and Behaviors of Effective Leaders

Considerable discussion has emerged in the research literature about whether leadership qualities are innate or can be learned. In an investigation of genetic factors and personality on leadership roles in male twins, Arvey, Rotundo, Johnson, Zhang, and McGue (2006) suggested that 70% of leadership qualities can be learned and only 30% seem to be associated with an innate quality. Other research focusing on transformational leadership skills (subsequently discussed) found that some of these skills can be acquired through training (Barling, Weber, & Kelloway, 1996). More specifically, these authors found that subordinates rated the managers who completed transformational leadership training as being higher on measures of intellectual stimulation, charisma, and individualized consideration (e.g., the supervisor provides individualized support to an employee) compared to a control group whose managers did not complete the training. In the group whose managers were trained in transformational leadership, there was also evidence showing an increase in subordinates’ commitment to the organization, and some support for positive changes in financial performance of the organizations, based on results comparing data between the training group and controls on preand post-test measures. These findings support the value of good leadership training programs, even for individuals who might not be considered “born leaders.”

A brief review of the relevant research pertaining to attributes of effective leaders, and general leadership models will be presented to further explicate the skills associated with effective leadership. The discussion of these topics is illustrative rather than exhaustive, as new research continues to clarify and sharpen our understanding of effective leadership.

Emotional Intelligence

The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) has been gaining in popularity for more than 20 years. There have been various definitions of EI but, for the purposes of this chapter, EI is comprised of competencies in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social skills that are utilized appropriately and sufficiently to be effective in a given situation (Boyatzis, Goleman, & Rhee, 2000). In a literature review of EI and leadership development, there is still debate about the actual impact of EI in leadership development, though many critics of EI recognize its potential if more rigorous research was conducted (Sadri, 2012). Cherniss (2010) discusses the similarities and differences between the models of EI and further distinguishes EI and emotional and social competence (ESC), the latter of which would include the ability to influence others.

Although several conceptual models of EI have been proposed (e.g., Bar-On, 1997; Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002a; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2004), the model proposed by Goleman et al. is emphasized because it is prominent in the literature. This group developed an emotional competence inventory through their research and found that highly effective leaders show a number of strengths that fall under the rubric of personal and social competence:

Personal Competence

1. Self-awareness

a. Emotional self-awareness: having the ability to read one’s own emotions and understanding the impact of emotions

b. Accurate self-awareness: being aware of one’s strengths and limitations

c. Self-confidence : possessing an accurate sense of self-worth and abilities

2. Self-management

a. Emotional self-control: managing disruptive emotions and impulses

b. Transparency: showing honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness

c. Adaptability : showing flexibility to adapt to changing situations and overcoming obstacles

d. Achievement orientation: having the desire to improve performance to meet one’s standards

e. Initiative: being ready to act and take opportunities

f. Optimism : having the ability to see the positive aspects of situations

Social Competence

1. Social awareness

a. Empathy : having the ability to sense other people’s emotions, understand their perspective, and show interest in their concerns

b. Organizational awareness: being aware of the current information, decision networks, and politics of the organization

c. Service : recognizing and following the needs of the client

2. Relationship management

a. Inspirational leadership: guid...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 Leadership, Management, and Psychologists in the Workplace
• Chapter 2 Conceptualization
• Chapter 3 Training
• Chapter 4 Profiles of Psychologist Leaders and Future Directions
• Chapter 5 Evaluation and Resources
• Appendix: Resources for Additional Information and Training in Management and Leadership
• References
• About the Author
• Index
• Backcover