Traditionally, management expertise has been considered as a transferable skill from one industry to another. The belief is that leadership skills required across industries would be relatively similar, so someone with a proven track record in one field, can easily transfer the skill somewhere else. This theory though has been lately challenged with several studies contesting that people with specific domain knowledge tend to outperform the generalists, such as hospitals being run by doctors doing better than those run by professional managers. No doubt there exist several skills such as critical thinking, talent management, written and oral communications, motivational skill and problem-solving that transcend domains. But even within these tasks, there remains a vast difference in how one executes the task depending on whether it is a manufacturing concern, political party or hospital. So, for all leadership development or education programmes, two things must be established right from the outset. One is that domain knowledge undoubtedly does matter. Secondly, the management training being provided, must elicit problem solving depending on simulated conditions where specific information on particular industry will be needed. This is all the more crucial now that youngsters are constantly moving on, so not settling down enough to build robust domain knowledge on any specific area.

Source:https://hbr.org/2017/11/can-you-be-a-great-leader-without-technical-expertise?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_monthly&utm_campaign=leadership&referral=00206&spMailingID=18515683&spUserID=OTY0OTMwNTk5NwS2&spJobID=1141760078&spReportId=MTE0MTc2MDA3OAS2

Uploaded Date:24 November 2017