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Remodeling
              Leadership
              Developing Mature Leaders and Organizational Leadership
              Systems ( an Introduction to the Leadership Maturity Model™ )
              by James W. Armitage, PhD, Nancy A. Brooks, Matthew C. Carlen, MEd,
              and Scott P. Schulz



             I
                    t’s the morning after your company’s wildly successful new product launch. First
                    quarter earnings are up beyond expectations, and analysts predict you will be the
                    next Wall Street darling, if your company can continue to execute on its apparent
                    market advantage. As the celebratory champagne bubbles lose their fizz, you real-
              ize Wall Street is right. They have seen it before—companies that think they have won
              the game with a single home run only to find they have barely covered the bases.
              Determined not to suffer the same fate, you begin to plot your strategy to capitalize on
              your recent success. But you are disturbed by some sobering thoughts. What would you
              do if your star player accepted an attractive offer from another team? Would you be
              able to keep the momentum?

              You have aggressively acquired top leadership talent, those with proven track records
              in other organizations. Why isn’t their performance in your organization living up to
              their reputations, much less living up to your expectations? Are you sure you know
              where your organization’s leadership team is strong, where it is not, and where there
              are serious gaps? More important, do you know why?

              You have sent many of your high-potential players to well-known, highly touted lead-
              ership development programs, but are you seeing any difference where it really counts:
              out of the classroom and back on the job? You have limited training and development
              dollars this year. Where should you spend them, on whom and on what, to show the
              greatest return and allow you to maintain your lead?

              To keep the winning streak alive now depends on having the right leaders to make the
              plays. So how do you identify and develop these top performers? Does your company
              operate in ways that help your leaders to be effective, or does it hinder them? You may
              have considered using a leadership competency model to help address these issues, but
              despite the popularity of these models, are they really worth the investment, or is there
              a better solution?

              Are Competency Models Competent?

              Although the competency model movement has taken a step in the right direction by
              determining and quantifying skill sets necessary for accomplishing specific tasks and
              by providing feedback from multiple raters, it is not enough. These models and their
              associated assessments provide a limited view of what is required to achieve effective
              leadership; essentially they measure only gaps in skills and attributes. Armed with this
              limited information, companies desperately attempt to bridge the gap between their
              leaders’ areas of incompetence as identified by these assessments and the best practices
              of the leadership icons on which these models are theoretically built.



40   www.ispi.org   •   FEBRUARY 2006
To minimize these assessed gaps, organiza-
tions routinely seek out and send their leaders
to the latest training du jour. For those identi-
fied as high-potential players worthy of
greater investment, companies might even
throw in a little coaching, mentoring, or both,
with the expectation that these steps will
patch the leaking holes in performance.
Hypothetically, if the gaps are identified and
the deficient skills or attributes are developed,
then the business results should take care of
themselves. This premise seems sound and
the approach is straightforward, but is the out-
come enough to produce leaders who are fully
effective? Although the result is revealing, the
information gleaned from competency model-
based assessments often is of limited
usefulness, particularly as a developmental
tool. Developing skills and enhancing attributes
is only a partial solution. Other potentially
more significant factors within the organiza-
tional leadership system are critical to            Figure 1. Competency Model Decision Cycle.
achieving leader effectiveness.

Despite the best training, leader effectiveness can be              variability calls into question whether competency models,
severely undermined unless these factors are taken into             which measure industry agnostic skills and attributes, are
consideration. An organizational leadership system com-             valid predictors of effective performance in every organiza-
prises not only individual leaders but also the culture,            tion, even if the model itself has been validated (see Figure
industry, or capability (e.g., level of funding, stage of           1). Figure 1 represents the typical competency model deci-
growth, process maturity) of an organization. By their very         sion cycle once a 360° assessment and development process
design, competency models are built on faulty logic, as they        has been implemented.
overlook these types of critical elements. For example, is the
mix of skills and attributes required to successfully lead a        Developing Leadership
small sales team in an entrepreneurial venture equally effec-
tive in leading a financial team in a large, bureaucratic           Leadership development has become synonymous with
                                                                    training. Regardless of the number of in-house management
multinational corporation? Though the base skill require-
                                                                    development courses or costly seminars conducted by
ments are similar, for the same person to be effective in both
                                                                    industry gurus and academic visionaries, training individ-
roles, the organization must supply the requisite enablers
                                                                    ual leaders is only one of the components necessary for
for that person in each environment. One environment in
                                                                    developing effective organizational leadership.
which an individual achieves a high score on a 360° assess-
ment does not guarantee the same high score for the same
                                                                    To clarify, let’s look at development from an organizational
individual when he or she is assessed in a different environ-
                                                                    perspective and examine the benefits true leadership brings
ment. It is this difference between various organizational
                                                                    to an organization. An organization’s leaders exist for one
leadership systems and their ability to enable the leader that
                                                                    purpose: to accomplish what is required to help the com-
often determines a leader’s effectiveness.                          pany to achieve its mission and strategic vision. Effective
                                                                    and successful leaders will do the following:
Leadership competency models focus on the individual.               • Envision a clear path from the organization’s current
Through their associated assessment process, these models               position to its desired destination.
attempt to pinpoint the gaps between conventional bench-            • Determine and decide the steps to be taken to reach those
marks of best practice skills and attributes and the level of           incremental objectives that lead to the desired state.
ability of the person being evaluated. Best practice leader-        • Mobilize the entirety of the organization’s resources (its
ship skills and attributes may be valid from a theoretical              people, processes, products, services, partnerships,
perspective when applied with an assumption that one size               customer relationships, etc.).
fits all, but this assumption is not legitimate within the dif-     • Continually navigate and maneuver these resources,
ferent contexts of varied organizations and industries—                 redirecting as necessary until the objectives and the end
within different organizational leadership systems. This                goals have been realized.




                                                                   Performance Improvement       •   Volume 45   •   Number 2   41
A Model Based on Maturity Versus
                                                                                                                                     Competency
                           Monitor performance/                         Determine strategies,
                           measure improvement                              initiatives, values
                                                                                 all leaders
                                                                                                                                     What is maturity? A popular interpretation
                                                                       will be assessed against                                      equates maturity with wisdom, which conveys
                                                   Perform 720° Edge
                                                      assessment
                                                       for leaders
                                                                                                                                     the notion of development from some initial
                                                      and system                                                                     state to some more advanced state, acquired
                                                         against                                          Initiate changes
   Provide                                                                                                   to leverage             through active learning and meaningful experi-
developmental                                       defined criteria
                                                                                                           under-utilized
opportunities to                                                                                               strengths             ence. Implicit in this understanding is the
address factors
    limiting                                                                                                                         notion of evolution or progression. This sug-
 performance
   capability                                                                                                                        gests a number of transitions on the way to full
                                                                                                                                     maturation: a state of fully developed and
                                                                                                                                     refined capability and capacity (see Figure 2).
                    Identify ability gaps,
                   capability constraints,                                                                                The path to leadership maturity rarely is
                   and leader/leadership                                                                    Address 'keystone'
                                                                                                           systemic constraints
                      system strength                                                                                     straight and clear. Leadership competencies
                                                                                                         (leadership processes,
                                                                                                         management direction
                                                                                                                          found in most competency models are step-
                                                                                                               and support,
                                                                    Measure where organizational                          ping stones along this path, but often they are
                                                                                                         resources, culture, etc.)
                                                                     limitations specifically affect
                                                                leader and organizational performance                     neither in a sequential order nor in a natural
                                                                   against current strategic direction
                                                                                                                          progression. Sometimes the developmental
                                                                                                                          steps within a competency area are spaced so
                                                                                                                          far apart that it is a difficult leap from one to
   Figure 2. Leader Maturity Model Life Cycle.
                                                                                                                          the next. Organizations are continually chal-
                                                                                                                          lenged with growing knowledgeable, flexible,
   Part of a leader’s success is the result of his or her ability to
                                                                                                            and decisive leaders. They must foster leaders capable of
   channel the combined efforts of others through strategizing,
                                                                                                            leveraging not only their product, service, or position but
   establishing goals, coaching, communicating, influencing,
                                                                                                            their organizational infrastructure and processes as well.
   and motivating. Equally important is the ability to align his
                                                                                                            This requires more than competent individual leaders;
   or her part of the organization with the rest of the company.
                                                                                                            it requires leadership maturity at both the individual and
   The leader’s success hinges upon the ability to form
                                                                                                            organizational levels. The key distinction here is that
   alliances and synergistic partnerships with others in posi-
                                                                                                            leadership maturity implies effective performance of
   tions of influence, as well as internal and external
                                                                                                            an organization’s leaders and its leadership system.
   customers and suppliers. We think of these as some of the
                                                                                                            Organizations need to enable their leaders to produce
   core competencies of leaders, but much more is involved in
                                                                                                            desired results. For that to occur, organizations themselves
   a leader’s effective application of these competencies.
                                                                                                            need to achieve mature organizational leadership, which
                                                                                                            competency models are not designed to address.
   Numerous facets of an organizational leadership system
   must be in place and operational for leaders to be efficient,                                            The Birth of a Supermodel
   effective, and ultimately successful. A true system implies
   interdependence: a functional web of interdependent and                                                  The Leadership Maturity Model (LMM)™ surpasses stan-
   related processes, individuals, and programs. If one part of                                             dard competency models by considering more than simply
   the system is impaired, the rest of the system suffers. What                                             the abilities and attributes of a potential leader. The LMM
   about consistent and progressive human resources policy,                                                 takes into account the leader’s capacity and capability
   talent acquisition, access to competitive information,                                                   within the organization, the context in which he or she
   management expectations, well-defined and -managed oper-                                                 practices, and the organizational infrastructure that either
   ational processes, and strategies for the implementation of                                              supports or inhibits performance. This model helps organi-
   job rotation and mentoring? These types of organizational                                                zations facilitate the transformation of leaders with
   “leadership systems” are required to develop effective lead-                                             potential into mature leaders with wisdom, finesse, ability,
   ers, and they go far beyond those directly involved with                                                 and capability congruent with the current organizational
   producing the next generation. These systems enable lead-                                                direction by allowing emerging leaders to reach their full
   ers to lead.                                                                                             potential and best of breed leaders to realize it. The concept
                                                                                                            of the LMM is closely related to the philosophy at the core
   With a clearer understanding of competency models and                                                    of the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity
   their shortcomings, what are the options for identifying and                                             Model (CMM®). Interestingly, the CMM, a model that revo-
   developing effective leaders?                                                                            lutionized the software industry, is not about software at all.
                                                                                                            It is concerned with determining whether the organization is




   42              www.ispi.org              •   FEBRUARY 2006
mature, for example, whether it is capable of
doing what is necessary to produce software
that meets or exceeds customer requirements.
Likewise, the LMM is not solely about lead-
ers. It addresses the organization’s capability
to identify, develop, and enable leaders.

In the same way that the CMM examines the
level of an organization’s capability to exe-
cute successful software development
processes, the LMM takes a holistic or
systemic view of the individual and organi-
zational variables that determine effec-
tiveness, growth, and eventual maturation as
they relate to leadership. Both models are
based on the belief that advancing levels of
capability (maturity) are dependent on the
growth and effectiveness of lower-level (sup-      Figure 3. The CMM® Five Levels of Maturity.
porting) practices and principles, and both
models prescribe practical prescriptions for change and real-        acquire the best talent. A leader skilled and experienced at
izing organizational objectives. By examining the context in         recognizing such talent ensures a steady flow of the best and
which a competency is practiced and the organizational infras-       brightest, right? Not necessarily. If the organization’s
tructure that either supports positive performance or                employee-requisition process is bogged down by bureau-
contributes to root causes for underperformance, the leadership      cracy, a top candidate may receive a half dozen competing
maturity model concept “remodels” the platform for leadership        offers by the time hiring approval finally is granted. In a sit-
assessment, development, selection, and recruitment.                 uation such as this, the leader isn’t immature; the system is.

                                                                     Fundamentally, leadership consists of internalizing and
A Systems Perspective
                                                                     practicing certain principles. An inherent progression that
                                                                     exists in mastering these principles is often overlooked:
The CMM revolutionized the software development indus-
                                                                     Supporting principles must be mastered before succeeding
try by closely examining companies’ ability to create and
                                                                     principles can be applied effectively. These supporting
maintain processes, ensure product quality, and deliver
                                                                     principles function much like a pyramid’s broad base,
fault-proof software on time and within budget (see Figure           which affords stability at its apex. The order and interde-
3). Though the CMM is about the quality and integrity of             pendence of these principles is the foundation of a
software development processes, its purpose is not to exam-          five-level LMM (see Figure 4 on page 44).
ine the process, quality, or delivery issues independently. It
looks at the organization from a systemic point of view by           The Formula for Effective Performance
assessing and investigating the process management sys-
tems that organizations employ to meet their objectives. It          Inconsistent definitions for competency create a dichotomy
then provides a methodology to understand and gain con-              in the development and application of prevailing compe-
trol of those systems.                                               tency models. Many of these softer assessments attempt to
                                                                     examine personal attributes or characteristics, while others
The LMM also examines leadership and its effective utiliza-          do indeed focus on skills and knowledge. Though many of
tion from a holistic vantage point. The leader is but one part       these assessments favor the maxim that leaders are born, not
of an organization’s leadership system. Although the LMM             made (attribute-based assessments), others adhere to the
does assess the integrity and effectiveness of an individual         philosophy that leadership skills and many behaviors can
                                                                     be identified and developed (ability-based assessments).
leader, like the CMM it looks also at the organizational sys-
                                                                     The majority of leadership assessments usually base their
tem that enables and affords the development of leaders.
                                                                     evaluation of an organization’s leaders on one of these defi-
This same system facilitates and supports effective leader-
                                                                     nitions of competence.
ship and ensures all of an organization’s leaders and their
efforts are aligned to meet the targeted objectives.                 For performance measurement purposes the term compe-
                                                                     tence, or competency, often is described as the combination
Consider the following scenario: Nearly all managers would           of knowledge, skills, and abilities typically achieved
agree that it is important for leaders to recognize and              through education, training, or experience. In contrast, an




                                                                    Performance Improvement      •   Volume 45   •   Number 2    43
tal change must occur—removing the obsta-
     Strategic                                                                                                                                  cle—before capability can be realized.

                                                                                                                                                Ability. Ability comprises skills, knowl-
     Systemic
                                                                                                                                                edge, and attributes. When measuring an
                                                                                                                                                individual’s competence, what we’re really
 Operational                                                                                                                    Effectiveness   examining is personal ability to perform a
                                                                                                                                Maturity
                                                                                                                                                particular function by asking whether the
                                                                                                                                                individual has the skills, knowledge, or
  Synergistic
                                                                                                                                                both, and whether that individual possesses
                                                                                                                                                the characteristics (attributes) required to
Introspective                                                                                                                                   execute that knowledge or skill with confi-
                                                                                                                                                dence and finesse.
                   Emotional     Decision         Team         Management         Business        Alignment      Strategy
                  Intelligence    Making       Development                         Sense

                 Self-knowledge, Independent       Team         Managing          Financial       Customer,     Strategic
                                                                                                                                                Skills and Knowledge. These two elements,
                  relationship       and        definition,     process,             and         strategy and   thinking,
                  management interdependent     facilitation    people &          business      process focus planning, and
                                                                                                                                                often used interchangeably, are gained
                                   decisions                    projects           acumen                      deployment
                                                                                                                                                through formal and informal education,
                                                                                                                                                experience acquired through exposure and
                                                          Disciplines of Leadership
                                       Color indicates the levels in which the discipline is measured
                                                                                                                                                opportunity, and confident execution gained
                                                                                                                                                through repeated practice.

                                                      Leadership Perspective                                                                  Attributes. These are the inherent traits and
                                                                                                                                              characteristics of the individual, sometimes
Figure 4. Leadership Maturity Model™.                                                                                                         developed as adults but most often acquired
                                                                                                                                              at an early age through nature and nurture.
attribute is not a competency; however, it is readily apparent                                                                A leader may possess several of the attributes desirable for
that personal attributes can and do greatly influence whether                                                                 leadership, such as charisma, self-assuredness, compassion,
an individual will ever realize full competence in a specific                                                                 and so forth. A truly mature leader not only possesses such
area. Ability is a broader definition than competence that                                                                    desirable attributes but also consistently employs them to
encompasses both skills and knowledge, and attributes.                                                                        move the organization toward its strategic objectives.
When measuring an individual’s competence, what we are
really examining is his or her personal ability to perform a                                                                  Capability. In the paradigm of the LMM, capability refers to
particular function: Does the person have the skills, knowl-                                                                  the necessary resources, support, and direction from the
edge, or both, and does he or she possess the characteristics                                                                 organization to achieve effective performance. Capability
(attributes) necessary to execute that knowledge or skill?                                                                    implies that the organization has the processes and systems
                                                                                                                              in place for a leadership principle to be executed success-
However, the majority of leadership models do not consider                                                                    fully. An organization must examine all facets affecting
or assess the element most critical to effectiveness: leader-                                                                 leadership capability to understand what is necessary to
ship capability, those factors often beyond the individual                                                                    enhance, improve, and sustain both the individual leader
leader’s direct control that determine his or her success.                                                                    and organizational leadership performance. Factors that
Leaders lead not in a vacuum, but within the context of an                                                                    determine capability include the following:
organization system. Simply evaluating a leader’s abilities                                                                   • Operational organizational systems and processes that
or personal attributes will provide valuable clues about that                                                                     enable performance
person’s current or potential aptitude, but this type of                                                                      • Sufficient resources and organizational support
assessment does not address the degree of this potential that                                                                 • An enabling environment and organizational culture
is engaged and applied to produce results. It is the explo-                                                                   • Alignment of abilities and experience to position and
ration of capabilities, those factors enabling or preventing                                                                      organizational direction
effective performance, which provides critical understand-
ing to effect and improve both individual leader and                                                                          Effective Performance
organizational leadership performance.
                                                                                                                              Simply evaluating a leader’s competence will provide valu-
Ability and Capability: Aren’t They the Same Thing?                                                                           able clues about that person’s potential, but the majority of
                                                                                                                              360° competency assessments do not address the degree to
Though they are interdependent, ability and capability are                                                                    which this potential is engaged, channeled, and applied to
not the same. An example from physics draws a clear dis-                                                                      produce effective results. It is important to recognize that
tinction. By its design, a ball has the ability to roll down a                                                                an individual may be considered highly competent, yet not
steep hill (potential energy); however, it will be incapable of                                                               be performing effectively. The LMM defines effective per-
doing so if a rock or pebble blocks its path. An environmen-                                                                  formance as that which produces consistent results aligned



44          www.ispi.org              •     FEBRUARY 2006
with the organization’s vision and mission and has a direct
positive impact on the organization’s achievement of its
goals. A leader’s ability and capability to perform drives
and determines effective performance (see Figure 5).
                                                                                 Elements of Effective Performance
The majority of competency models are designed as effi-
cient tools for measuring gaps between desired and existing                                                        Ability
skills and attributes. However, they are not capable of pro-
                                                                                                                   Essential
viding sequential developmental steps between current                                   Skills / Knowledge
                                                                                                                  Experience
                                                                                                                                   Leader Attributes

behavior and desired performance. As a result, most com-
petency models fail to provide essential information to
build truly effective developmental programs, processes,                                                     Management of
                                                                                                              Expectations
and plans; they can identify what is missing, but not how
to achieve it. This is analogous to providing an aspiring                                                                   Operational &
                                                                     Enabling Environment                              Organizational Systems,     De ned Organizational
                                                                                             Resources & Support
                                                                          and Culture                                 Processes and Project mgt.    Strategy & Objectives
novice pianist with a Mozart score and expecting him or
her to play it flawlessly without the necessary fundamen-                                                     Capability
tals. Similarly, the most highly skilled leaders will fail in
an environment that does not provide the infrastructure,
culture, and support to realize their leadership objectives.
Many organizations’ leadership development processes
                                                                  Figure 5. Elements of Effective Performance.
and infrastructure are built on foundations of wet concrete.

Imagine you are building a new home for your family. You           the trend continue? No economic crystal ball yet exists that
have hired top-notch contractors and even a brick mason            can determine an organization’s future success or failure.
who does it the old-fashioned way: pouring and forming his         Continued success depends on establishing metrics for mea-
own bricks to build the foundation. You decide to visit the        suring and tracking progress over time. One of the most
site to see these fine craftspeople in action. From a distance     fundamental and practical aspects of the CMM is its ability
all appears to be going smoothly. On closer inspection, you        to provide a scorecard that allows companies to measure
notice that the mason’s assistant is stacking newly poured         their progress of improving organizational capability. The
concrete bricks upon others that have not yet had the oppor-       CMM determines levels of maturity that an organization
tunity to dry and cure. Not surprisingly, after a short time       must transcend to achieve the most effective and productive
you notice the foundation begin to sag. Developing ability is      processes. Each level contains a series of interdependent
                                                                   principles. At the core of the CMM is the realization that
somewhat analogous. To be fully effective, new skills
                                                                   before higher levels of process management can be effective,
require a foundation of solid, developed skills.
                                                                   all preceding principles within a lower maturity level must
                                                                   be mastered. When a percentage of principles has been
Developmental plans built within the competency model
                                                                   attained within a level, the performance at that level can
paradigm make no distinction between the relationships of
                                                                   then be considered mature, and mastery of the principles
developmental areas, nor do they follow a natural matura-          within subsequent levels then can be taken on.
tion process of progressive development. The result one
typically receives from a competency model and its subse-          This approach provides a clearly delineated and sequenced
quent development plan is a dartboard approach rather than         developmental path. The LMM follows a similar developmen-
a sequenced developmental path. An assumption exists that          tal philosophy. It contains levels of leadership maturity that
if one is capable of developing advanced skills, the related       parallel the evolving demands of a leader’s career growth
underlying skills have also been acquired. This is not neces-      within a particular organization. Within each level of maturity
sarily true. Without its foundational counterpart in place, the    are several interdependent principles and practices of effec-
result is less than full mastery of the higher-level skill. For    tive leadership. Higher, more strategic levels of leadership
many who undertake development under such a system,                maturity are built on a base of lower or more fundamental
when the pressure is on and high performance is critical, the      level principles and associated practices. As with the CMM,
weak foundation begins to crumble and the wall falls down.         the LMM can provide a clear and sequenced developmental
                                                                   path to enable accelerated leadership development.
Progression and Dependency
                                                                   Not always immediately evident, performance gaps that
If product sales are steady, orders are coming in, and profits     become apparent at higher levels often are symptomatic of a
continue to rise, then business must be great, right? But will     deficiency in a lower-level principle. Though performance




                                                                  Performance Improvement                     •    Volume 45           •   Number 2                  45
ers for organizational growth and improve-
                                                                                                         ment efforts. The McKinsey study entitled
                                                                                                         “The War for Talent” clearly indicates the
                         Strategic                                                          88
                                                                                                         greatest organizational deficiency over the
                                                                                                         next generation will be the availability
                         Systemic                                                           63           of talent (Michaels, Handfield-Jones, &
                                                                                                         Axelrod, 2001). Leadership will be one of
  Effectiveness
     Maturity         Operational                                                           81
                                                                                                         the areas hardest hit. To survive, organiza-
                                                                                                         tions must find an efficient way to develop
                                                                                                         mature leaders and to identify, attract, and
                       Synergistic                                 Constraint               58
                                                                                                         target the right leadership that, in turn,
                                                                                                         will ultimately transform organizations to
                      Introspective                                                         90
                                                                                                         enable effective leaders.

                                                                                                         The future of an organization’s growth, sta-
                                                                                                         bility, and market dominance is directly
                                                Inef fective         D eveloping   Ef fective
                                                0-59%                  60-79%        >80%
                                                                                                         related to aligned leadership execution at
                                                                                                         all levels of the company. The odds are
                                                                                                         stacked against any organization whose
                                                                                                         leaders only possess ability (competence)
Figure 6. Finding the Real Root Cause.                                                                   but do not have the capability to execute.
                                                                                                         Without the capacity to identify who those
gaps may appear to be skill based, their cause may be                                     leaders are, where they are needed, and in what ways the
attributable to capability factors (i.e., organizational limita-                          company either enables or suppresses leadership capability,
tion) such as process deficiencies or lack of resources and                               organizations may be able to develop skilled and knowl-
support. The purpose of the LMM 720° assessment process                                   edgeable workers, but they will not produce the leaders
is to identify not only performance gaps but also their root                              capable of moving the organization forward.
causes, whether due to ability or capability (see Figure 6).
The 720° assessment process examines the individual                                  Reference
leader’s skills, experience, and attributes from multiple rater
perspectives. In addition, the assessment examines and                               Michaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., & Axelrod, B. (2001).
identifies the organization’s contribution to potential root                         The war for talent. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business
causes of individual under performance and how the orga-                             School Press.
nization interacts with its leaders to provide support, or
capability, for individual performance effectiveness.
                                                                                     James W. Armitage, PhD, co-developed the Systems Engineering CMM at
Real-World Implications                                                              Carnegie-Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. CMMs for people and orga-
                                                                                     nizations are used across the nation and worldwide as the basis for process
The LMM will transform the way companies identify, select,                           improvement in the systems and software engineering industries. Jim is cur-
and develop leaders—through ordered dependencies and                                 rently collaborating with Babson’s Process Management Research Center on
progression—who are fully effective and in alignment with                            an international business process maturity model that spans many industries.
the organization’s strategy. Such an approach is central to                          His CMM experience was instrumental in the development of 7th Wave
the efficacy of leadership development initiatives, selection,                       Solutions’ LMM.
and succession processes and for identifying potential lead-                               Before joining 7th Wave Solutions, Jim worked with GTE Government
                                                                                     Systems, where he led the technical direction of the advanced software
                                                                                     research group. He also worked with senior management teams to define
 Origins of Our Concept                                                              top-level business processes at EMC University, where he managed process
                                                                                     strategy and infrastructure. As a principal of 7th Wave Solutions, Jim works
 The CMM concept is closely related to the philosophical argument of this arti-      with organizations to solve complex business problems and drive organiza-
 cle. James W. Armitage, PhD, participated in the original research underlying       tional change, from process to technology to organizational culture, at all
 the foundational concepts of the Systems Engineering CMM. Matthew
                                                                                     levels, from individual contributors to the leadership team. Jim may be
 Carlen has more than 20 years’ experience in the design, development,
                                                                                     reached at james.armitage@7thwavesolutions.com.
 and use of competency models for companies within the Fortune 200.
 Successful pilot studies supporting the methodology described in this article
                                                                                     Nancy A. Brooks, for more than 15 years, has served as a management
 have been conducted or are under way within some of those same companies.
                                                                                     coach, facilitator, and mentor for team leaders and project managers in




46                www.ispi.org        •   FEBRUARY 2006
numerous small organizations as well as Fortune 500 companies such as                managing developmental efforts for Polaroid/Inner City, Inc., an innovative cor-
AT&T Capital, Computer Science Corporation, and Sun Life of Canada.                  porate consciousness project created by Dr. Edward Land, founder of Polaroid
Through her work in project leadership and project management methodology,           Corporation. This initiative targeted race relations and diversity and work-
Nancy develops performance improvement solutions for team-based virtual              retention issues plaguing the inner cities. During Matt’s tenure, the program
organizations in various industries in the United States and internationally. She    was the winner of the President Reagan Award for Private Corporate Initiative.
represented 1 of 14 firms invited to participate in Ernst & Young’s Wired for        Matt’s extensive work in developing and implementing assessment processes
Profit initiative, an innovative multi-industry consortium created to further e-     and instruments, program development, and leader and strategic leadership
commerce through collaboration by bringing together virtual communities.             development in multiple industries led to the co-development of the LMM. He
      Nancy contributed to the creation and development of the LMM                   currently works with senior organizational management to identify and resolve
through her expertise in project leadership and management methodolo-                root cause issues resulting in individual and organizational underperformance.
gies and team development. She works with organizations to enable                    Matt holds a master’s degree in Organizational and Career Development. He
aligned deployment of strategy and operational effectiveness. She is a co-           may be reached at matthew.carlen@7thwavesolutions.com.
founder and principal partner of 7th Wave Solutions and may be reached at
nancy.brooks@7thwavesolutions.com.                                                   Scott P. Schulz, for nearly two decades, has created collaborative business
                                                                                     partnerships. His experience spans business development, sales manage-
  Matthew C. Carlen, MEd, prior to co-founding 7th Wave Solutions, defined           ment, and sales to Fortune 1000 companies such as Raytheon, Lockheed,
the genesis for leadership and organizational development for some of the            Pfizer, Polaroid, and United Technologies. As Account Manager with Nortel’s
world’s most successful companies. For more than 20 years, Matt has worked           Global Professional Services Division, he formulated and executed sales
with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, specializing in leader and orga-         strategies for clients such as AOL/Time Warner, XO Communications, and
nizational leadership system assessment and development. As a founder of             Adelphia. Scott received Nortel’s Circle of Excellence sales achievement
EMC University, Matt directed organizational development, leadership, and            award, reserved for the top 5% of the company’s sales professionals. Scott’s
management development, and continuous process improvement efforts for               participation with clients in refining practical aspects of the LMM assessment
EMC, a world leader in data storage systems, ranked year after year among            process was instrumental in implementing the initial pilot for 7th Wave
the top 10 performers in the S&P 500.                                                Solutions and has contributed to its growing acceptance as the emerging
      Matt led executive development for the parent division of Melville             standard for gauging individual and organizational leadership system develop-
Corporation, a Fortune 100 specialty retailer. Matt also had the privilege of        ment. He may be reached at scott.schulz@7thwavesolutions.com.




                                                                                    Performance Improvement            •   Volume 45     •   Number 2           47

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Remodeling Leadership

  • 1. Remodeling Leadership Developing Mature Leaders and Organizational Leadership Systems ( an Introduction to the Leadership Maturity Model™ ) by James W. Armitage, PhD, Nancy A. Brooks, Matthew C. Carlen, MEd, and Scott P. Schulz I t’s the morning after your company’s wildly successful new product launch. First quarter earnings are up beyond expectations, and analysts predict you will be the next Wall Street darling, if your company can continue to execute on its apparent market advantage. As the celebratory champagne bubbles lose their fizz, you real- ize Wall Street is right. They have seen it before—companies that think they have won the game with a single home run only to find they have barely covered the bases. Determined not to suffer the same fate, you begin to plot your strategy to capitalize on your recent success. But you are disturbed by some sobering thoughts. What would you do if your star player accepted an attractive offer from another team? Would you be able to keep the momentum? You have aggressively acquired top leadership talent, those with proven track records in other organizations. Why isn’t their performance in your organization living up to their reputations, much less living up to your expectations? Are you sure you know where your organization’s leadership team is strong, where it is not, and where there are serious gaps? More important, do you know why? You have sent many of your high-potential players to well-known, highly touted lead- ership development programs, but are you seeing any difference where it really counts: out of the classroom and back on the job? You have limited training and development dollars this year. Where should you spend them, on whom and on what, to show the greatest return and allow you to maintain your lead? To keep the winning streak alive now depends on having the right leaders to make the plays. So how do you identify and develop these top performers? Does your company operate in ways that help your leaders to be effective, or does it hinder them? You may have considered using a leadership competency model to help address these issues, but despite the popularity of these models, are they really worth the investment, or is there a better solution? Are Competency Models Competent? Although the competency model movement has taken a step in the right direction by determining and quantifying skill sets necessary for accomplishing specific tasks and by providing feedback from multiple raters, it is not enough. These models and their associated assessments provide a limited view of what is required to achieve effective leadership; essentially they measure only gaps in skills and attributes. Armed with this limited information, companies desperately attempt to bridge the gap between their leaders’ areas of incompetence as identified by these assessments and the best practices of the leadership icons on which these models are theoretically built. 40 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006
  • 2. To minimize these assessed gaps, organiza- tions routinely seek out and send their leaders to the latest training du jour. For those identi- fied as high-potential players worthy of greater investment, companies might even throw in a little coaching, mentoring, or both, with the expectation that these steps will patch the leaking holes in performance. Hypothetically, if the gaps are identified and the deficient skills or attributes are developed, then the business results should take care of themselves. This premise seems sound and the approach is straightforward, but is the out- come enough to produce leaders who are fully effective? Although the result is revealing, the information gleaned from competency model- based assessments often is of limited usefulness, particularly as a developmental tool. Developing skills and enhancing attributes is only a partial solution. Other potentially more significant factors within the organiza- tional leadership system are critical to Figure 1. Competency Model Decision Cycle. achieving leader effectiveness. Despite the best training, leader effectiveness can be variability calls into question whether competency models, severely undermined unless these factors are taken into which measure industry agnostic skills and attributes, are consideration. An organizational leadership system com- valid predictors of effective performance in every organiza- prises not only individual leaders but also the culture, tion, even if the model itself has been validated (see Figure industry, or capability (e.g., level of funding, stage of 1). Figure 1 represents the typical competency model deci- growth, process maturity) of an organization. By their very sion cycle once a 360° assessment and development process design, competency models are built on faulty logic, as they has been implemented. overlook these types of critical elements. For example, is the mix of skills and attributes required to successfully lead a Developing Leadership small sales team in an entrepreneurial venture equally effec- tive in leading a financial team in a large, bureaucratic Leadership development has become synonymous with training. Regardless of the number of in-house management multinational corporation? Though the base skill require- development courses or costly seminars conducted by ments are similar, for the same person to be effective in both industry gurus and academic visionaries, training individ- roles, the organization must supply the requisite enablers ual leaders is only one of the components necessary for for that person in each environment. One environment in developing effective organizational leadership. which an individual achieves a high score on a 360° assess- ment does not guarantee the same high score for the same To clarify, let’s look at development from an organizational individual when he or she is assessed in a different environ- perspective and examine the benefits true leadership brings ment. It is this difference between various organizational to an organization. An organization’s leaders exist for one leadership systems and their ability to enable the leader that purpose: to accomplish what is required to help the com- often determines a leader’s effectiveness. pany to achieve its mission and strategic vision. Effective and successful leaders will do the following: Leadership competency models focus on the individual. • Envision a clear path from the organization’s current Through their associated assessment process, these models position to its desired destination. attempt to pinpoint the gaps between conventional bench- • Determine and decide the steps to be taken to reach those marks of best practice skills and attributes and the level of incremental objectives that lead to the desired state. ability of the person being evaluated. Best practice leader- • Mobilize the entirety of the organization’s resources (its ship skills and attributes may be valid from a theoretical people, processes, products, services, partnerships, perspective when applied with an assumption that one size customer relationships, etc.). fits all, but this assumption is not legitimate within the dif- • Continually navigate and maneuver these resources, ferent contexts of varied organizations and industries— redirecting as necessary until the objectives and the end within different organizational leadership systems. This goals have been realized. Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 41
  • 3. A Model Based on Maturity Versus Competency Monitor performance/ Determine strategies, measure improvement initiatives, values all leaders What is maturity? A popular interpretation will be assessed against equates maturity with wisdom, which conveys Perform 720° Edge assessment for leaders the notion of development from some initial and system state to some more advanced state, acquired against Initiate changes Provide to leverage through active learning and meaningful experi- developmental defined criteria under-utilized opportunities to strengths ence. Implicit in this understanding is the address factors limiting notion of evolution or progression. This sug- performance capability gests a number of transitions on the way to full maturation: a state of fully developed and refined capability and capacity (see Figure 2). Identify ability gaps, capability constraints, The path to leadership maturity rarely is and leader/leadership Address 'keystone' systemic constraints system strength straight and clear. Leadership competencies (leadership processes, management direction found in most competency models are step- and support, Measure where organizational ping stones along this path, but often they are resources, culture, etc.) limitations specifically affect leader and organizational performance neither in a sequential order nor in a natural against current strategic direction progression. Sometimes the developmental steps within a competency area are spaced so far apart that it is a difficult leap from one to Figure 2. Leader Maturity Model Life Cycle. the next. Organizations are continually chal- lenged with growing knowledgeable, flexible, Part of a leader’s success is the result of his or her ability to and decisive leaders. They must foster leaders capable of channel the combined efforts of others through strategizing, leveraging not only their product, service, or position but establishing goals, coaching, communicating, influencing, their organizational infrastructure and processes as well. and motivating. Equally important is the ability to align his This requires more than competent individual leaders; or her part of the organization with the rest of the company. it requires leadership maturity at both the individual and The leader’s success hinges upon the ability to form organizational levels. The key distinction here is that alliances and synergistic partnerships with others in posi- leadership maturity implies effective performance of tions of influence, as well as internal and external an organization’s leaders and its leadership system. customers and suppliers. We think of these as some of the Organizations need to enable their leaders to produce core competencies of leaders, but much more is involved in desired results. For that to occur, organizations themselves a leader’s effective application of these competencies. need to achieve mature organizational leadership, which competency models are not designed to address. Numerous facets of an organizational leadership system must be in place and operational for leaders to be efficient, The Birth of a Supermodel effective, and ultimately successful. A true system implies interdependence: a functional web of interdependent and The Leadership Maturity Model (LMM)™ surpasses stan- related processes, individuals, and programs. If one part of dard competency models by considering more than simply the system is impaired, the rest of the system suffers. What the abilities and attributes of a potential leader. The LMM about consistent and progressive human resources policy, takes into account the leader’s capacity and capability talent acquisition, access to competitive information, within the organization, the context in which he or she management expectations, well-defined and -managed oper- practices, and the organizational infrastructure that either ational processes, and strategies for the implementation of supports or inhibits performance. This model helps organi- job rotation and mentoring? These types of organizational zations facilitate the transformation of leaders with “leadership systems” are required to develop effective lead- potential into mature leaders with wisdom, finesse, ability, ers, and they go far beyond those directly involved with and capability congruent with the current organizational producing the next generation. These systems enable lead- direction by allowing emerging leaders to reach their full ers to lead. potential and best of breed leaders to realize it. The concept of the LMM is closely related to the philosophy at the core With a clearer understanding of competency models and of the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity their shortcomings, what are the options for identifying and Model (CMM®). Interestingly, the CMM, a model that revo- developing effective leaders? lutionized the software industry, is not about software at all. It is concerned with determining whether the organization is 42 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006
  • 4. mature, for example, whether it is capable of doing what is necessary to produce software that meets or exceeds customer requirements. Likewise, the LMM is not solely about lead- ers. It addresses the organization’s capability to identify, develop, and enable leaders. In the same way that the CMM examines the level of an organization’s capability to exe- cute successful software development processes, the LMM takes a holistic or systemic view of the individual and organi- zational variables that determine effec- tiveness, growth, and eventual maturation as they relate to leadership. Both models are based on the belief that advancing levels of capability (maturity) are dependent on the growth and effectiveness of lower-level (sup- Figure 3. The CMM® Five Levels of Maturity. porting) practices and principles, and both models prescribe practical prescriptions for change and real- acquire the best talent. A leader skilled and experienced at izing organizational objectives. By examining the context in recognizing such talent ensures a steady flow of the best and which a competency is practiced and the organizational infras- brightest, right? Not necessarily. If the organization’s tructure that either supports positive performance or employee-requisition process is bogged down by bureau- contributes to root causes for underperformance, the leadership cracy, a top candidate may receive a half dozen competing maturity model concept “remodels” the platform for leadership offers by the time hiring approval finally is granted. In a sit- assessment, development, selection, and recruitment. uation such as this, the leader isn’t immature; the system is. Fundamentally, leadership consists of internalizing and A Systems Perspective practicing certain principles. An inherent progression that exists in mastering these principles is often overlooked: The CMM revolutionized the software development indus- Supporting principles must be mastered before succeeding try by closely examining companies’ ability to create and principles can be applied effectively. These supporting maintain processes, ensure product quality, and deliver principles function much like a pyramid’s broad base, fault-proof software on time and within budget (see Figure which affords stability at its apex. The order and interde- 3). Though the CMM is about the quality and integrity of pendence of these principles is the foundation of a software development processes, its purpose is not to exam- five-level LMM (see Figure 4 on page 44). ine the process, quality, or delivery issues independently. It looks at the organization from a systemic point of view by The Formula for Effective Performance assessing and investigating the process management sys- tems that organizations employ to meet their objectives. It Inconsistent definitions for competency create a dichotomy then provides a methodology to understand and gain con- in the development and application of prevailing compe- trol of those systems. tency models. Many of these softer assessments attempt to examine personal attributes or characteristics, while others The LMM also examines leadership and its effective utiliza- do indeed focus on skills and knowledge. Though many of tion from a holistic vantage point. The leader is but one part these assessments favor the maxim that leaders are born, not of an organization’s leadership system. Although the LMM made (attribute-based assessments), others adhere to the does assess the integrity and effectiveness of an individual philosophy that leadership skills and many behaviors can be identified and developed (ability-based assessments). leader, like the CMM it looks also at the organizational sys- The majority of leadership assessments usually base their tem that enables and affords the development of leaders. evaluation of an organization’s leaders on one of these defi- This same system facilitates and supports effective leader- nitions of competence. ship and ensures all of an organization’s leaders and their efforts are aligned to meet the targeted objectives. For performance measurement purposes the term compe- tence, or competency, often is described as the combination Consider the following scenario: Nearly all managers would of knowledge, skills, and abilities typically achieved agree that it is important for leaders to recognize and through education, training, or experience. In contrast, an Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 43
  • 5. tal change must occur—removing the obsta- Strategic cle—before capability can be realized. Ability. Ability comprises skills, knowl- Systemic edge, and attributes. When measuring an individual’s competence, what we’re really Operational Effectiveness examining is personal ability to perform a Maturity particular function by asking whether the individual has the skills, knowledge, or Synergistic both, and whether that individual possesses the characteristics (attributes) required to Introspective execute that knowledge or skill with confi- dence and finesse. Emotional Decision Team Management Business Alignment Strategy Intelligence Making Development Sense Self-knowledge, Independent Team Managing Financial Customer, Strategic Skills and Knowledge. These two elements, relationship and definition, process, and strategy and thinking, management interdependent facilitation people & business process focus planning, and often used interchangeably, are gained decisions projects acumen deployment through formal and informal education, experience acquired through exposure and Disciplines of Leadership Color indicates the levels in which the discipline is measured opportunity, and confident execution gained through repeated practice. Leadership Perspective Attributes. These are the inherent traits and characteristics of the individual, sometimes Figure 4. Leadership Maturity Model™. developed as adults but most often acquired at an early age through nature and nurture. attribute is not a competency; however, it is readily apparent A leader may possess several of the attributes desirable for that personal attributes can and do greatly influence whether leadership, such as charisma, self-assuredness, compassion, an individual will ever realize full competence in a specific and so forth. A truly mature leader not only possesses such area. Ability is a broader definition than competence that desirable attributes but also consistently employs them to encompasses both skills and knowledge, and attributes. move the organization toward its strategic objectives. When measuring an individual’s competence, what we are really examining is his or her personal ability to perform a Capability. In the paradigm of the LMM, capability refers to particular function: Does the person have the skills, knowl- the necessary resources, support, and direction from the edge, or both, and does he or she possess the characteristics organization to achieve effective performance. Capability (attributes) necessary to execute that knowledge or skill? implies that the organization has the processes and systems in place for a leadership principle to be executed success- However, the majority of leadership models do not consider fully. An organization must examine all facets affecting or assess the element most critical to effectiveness: leader- leadership capability to understand what is necessary to ship capability, those factors often beyond the individual enhance, improve, and sustain both the individual leader leader’s direct control that determine his or her success. and organizational leadership performance. Factors that Leaders lead not in a vacuum, but within the context of an determine capability include the following: organization system. Simply evaluating a leader’s abilities • Operational organizational systems and processes that or personal attributes will provide valuable clues about that enable performance person’s current or potential aptitude, but this type of • Sufficient resources and organizational support assessment does not address the degree of this potential that • An enabling environment and organizational culture is engaged and applied to produce results. It is the explo- • Alignment of abilities and experience to position and ration of capabilities, those factors enabling or preventing organizational direction effective performance, which provides critical understand- ing to effect and improve both individual leader and Effective Performance organizational leadership performance. Simply evaluating a leader’s competence will provide valu- Ability and Capability: Aren’t They the Same Thing? able clues about that person’s potential, but the majority of 360° competency assessments do not address the degree to Though they are interdependent, ability and capability are which this potential is engaged, channeled, and applied to not the same. An example from physics draws a clear dis- produce effective results. It is important to recognize that tinction. By its design, a ball has the ability to roll down a an individual may be considered highly competent, yet not steep hill (potential energy); however, it will be incapable of be performing effectively. The LMM defines effective per- doing so if a rock or pebble blocks its path. An environmen- formance as that which produces consistent results aligned 44 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006
  • 6. with the organization’s vision and mission and has a direct positive impact on the organization’s achievement of its goals. A leader’s ability and capability to perform drives and determines effective performance (see Figure 5). Elements of Effective Performance The majority of competency models are designed as effi- cient tools for measuring gaps between desired and existing Ability skills and attributes. However, they are not capable of pro- Essential viding sequential developmental steps between current Skills / Knowledge Experience Leader Attributes behavior and desired performance. As a result, most com- petency models fail to provide essential information to build truly effective developmental programs, processes, Management of Expectations and plans; they can identify what is missing, but not how to achieve it. This is analogous to providing an aspiring Operational & Enabling Environment Organizational Systems, De ned Organizational Resources & Support and Culture Processes and Project mgt. Strategy & Objectives novice pianist with a Mozart score and expecting him or her to play it flawlessly without the necessary fundamen- Capability tals. Similarly, the most highly skilled leaders will fail in an environment that does not provide the infrastructure, culture, and support to realize their leadership objectives. Many organizations’ leadership development processes Figure 5. Elements of Effective Performance. and infrastructure are built on foundations of wet concrete. Imagine you are building a new home for your family. You the trend continue? No economic crystal ball yet exists that have hired top-notch contractors and even a brick mason can determine an organization’s future success or failure. who does it the old-fashioned way: pouring and forming his Continued success depends on establishing metrics for mea- own bricks to build the foundation. You decide to visit the suring and tracking progress over time. One of the most site to see these fine craftspeople in action. From a distance fundamental and practical aspects of the CMM is its ability all appears to be going smoothly. On closer inspection, you to provide a scorecard that allows companies to measure notice that the mason’s assistant is stacking newly poured their progress of improving organizational capability. The concrete bricks upon others that have not yet had the oppor- CMM determines levels of maturity that an organization tunity to dry and cure. Not surprisingly, after a short time must transcend to achieve the most effective and productive you notice the foundation begin to sag. Developing ability is processes. Each level contains a series of interdependent principles. At the core of the CMM is the realization that somewhat analogous. To be fully effective, new skills before higher levels of process management can be effective, require a foundation of solid, developed skills. all preceding principles within a lower maturity level must be mastered. When a percentage of principles has been Developmental plans built within the competency model attained within a level, the performance at that level can paradigm make no distinction between the relationships of then be considered mature, and mastery of the principles developmental areas, nor do they follow a natural matura- within subsequent levels then can be taken on. tion process of progressive development. The result one typically receives from a competency model and its subse- This approach provides a clearly delineated and sequenced quent development plan is a dartboard approach rather than developmental path. The LMM follows a similar developmen- a sequenced developmental path. An assumption exists that tal philosophy. It contains levels of leadership maturity that if one is capable of developing advanced skills, the related parallel the evolving demands of a leader’s career growth underlying skills have also been acquired. This is not neces- within a particular organization. Within each level of maturity sarily true. Without its foundational counterpart in place, the are several interdependent principles and practices of effec- result is less than full mastery of the higher-level skill. For tive leadership. Higher, more strategic levels of leadership many who undertake development under such a system, maturity are built on a base of lower or more fundamental when the pressure is on and high performance is critical, the level principles and associated practices. As with the CMM, weak foundation begins to crumble and the wall falls down. the LMM can provide a clear and sequenced developmental path to enable accelerated leadership development. Progression and Dependency Not always immediately evident, performance gaps that If product sales are steady, orders are coming in, and profits become apparent at higher levels often are symptomatic of a continue to rise, then business must be great, right? But will deficiency in a lower-level principle. Though performance Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 45
  • 7. ers for organizational growth and improve- ment efforts. The McKinsey study entitled “The War for Talent” clearly indicates the Strategic 88 greatest organizational deficiency over the next generation will be the availability Systemic 63 of talent (Michaels, Handfield-Jones, & Axelrod, 2001). Leadership will be one of Effectiveness Maturity Operational 81 the areas hardest hit. To survive, organiza- tions must find an efficient way to develop mature leaders and to identify, attract, and Synergistic Constraint 58 target the right leadership that, in turn, will ultimately transform organizations to Introspective 90 enable effective leaders. The future of an organization’s growth, sta- bility, and market dominance is directly Inef fective D eveloping Ef fective 0-59% 60-79% >80% related to aligned leadership execution at all levels of the company. The odds are stacked against any organization whose leaders only possess ability (competence) Figure 6. Finding the Real Root Cause. but do not have the capability to execute. Without the capacity to identify who those gaps may appear to be skill based, their cause may be leaders are, where they are needed, and in what ways the attributable to capability factors (i.e., organizational limita- company either enables or suppresses leadership capability, tion) such as process deficiencies or lack of resources and organizations may be able to develop skilled and knowl- support. The purpose of the LMM 720° assessment process edgeable workers, but they will not produce the leaders is to identify not only performance gaps but also their root capable of moving the organization forward. causes, whether due to ability or capability (see Figure 6). The 720° assessment process examines the individual Reference leader’s skills, experience, and attributes from multiple rater perspectives. In addition, the assessment examines and Michaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., & Axelrod, B. (2001). identifies the organization’s contribution to potential root The war for talent. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business causes of individual under performance and how the orga- School Press. nization interacts with its leaders to provide support, or capability, for individual performance effectiveness. James W. Armitage, PhD, co-developed the Systems Engineering CMM at Real-World Implications Carnegie-Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. CMMs for people and orga- nizations are used across the nation and worldwide as the basis for process The LMM will transform the way companies identify, select, improvement in the systems and software engineering industries. Jim is cur- and develop leaders—through ordered dependencies and rently collaborating with Babson’s Process Management Research Center on progression—who are fully effective and in alignment with an international business process maturity model that spans many industries. the organization’s strategy. Such an approach is central to His CMM experience was instrumental in the development of 7th Wave the efficacy of leadership development initiatives, selection, Solutions’ LMM. and succession processes and for identifying potential lead- Before joining 7th Wave Solutions, Jim worked with GTE Government Systems, where he led the technical direction of the advanced software research group. He also worked with senior management teams to define Origins of Our Concept top-level business processes at EMC University, where he managed process strategy and infrastructure. As a principal of 7th Wave Solutions, Jim works The CMM concept is closely related to the philosophical argument of this arti- with organizations to solve complex business problems and drive organiza- cle. James W. Armitage, PhD, participated in the original research underlying tional change, from process to technology to organizational culture, at all the foundational concepts of the Systems Engineering CMM. Matthew levels, from individual contributors to the leadership team. Jim may be Carlen has more than 20 years’ experience in the design, development, reached at james.armitage@7thwavesolutions.com. and use of competency models for companies within the Fortune 200. Successful pilot studies supporting the methodology described in this article Nancy A. Brooks, for more than 15 years, has served as a management have been conducted or are under way within some of those same companies. coach, facilitator, and mentor for team leaders and project managers in 46 www.ispi.org • FEBRUARY 2006
  • 8. numerous small organizations as well as Fortune 500 companies such as managing developmental efforts for Polaroid/Inner City, Inc., an innovative cor- AT&T Capital, Computer Science Corporation, and Sun Life of Canada. porate consciousness project created by Dr. Edward Land, founder of Polaroid Through her work in project leadership and project management methodology, Corporation. This initiative targeted race relations and diversity and work- Nancy develops performance improvement solutions for team-based virtual retention issues plaguing the inner cities. During Matt’s tenure, the program organizations in various industries in the United States and internationally. She was the winner of the President Reagan Award for Private Corporate Initiative. represented 1 of 14 firms invited to participate in Ernst & Young’s Wired for Matt’s extensive work in developing and implementing assessment processes Profit initiative, an innovative multi-industry consortium created to further e- and instruments, program development, and leader and strategic leadership commerce through collaboration by bringing together virtual communities. development in multiple industries led to the co-development of the LMM. He Nancy contributed to the creation and development of the LMM currently works with senior organizational management to identify and resolve through her expertise in project leadership and management methodolo- root cause issues resulting in individual and organizational underperformance. gies and team development. She works with organizations to enable Matt holds a master’s degree in Organizational and Career Development. He aligned deployment of strategy and operational effectiveness. She is a co- may be reached at matthew.carlen@7thwavesolutions.com. founder and principal partner of 7th Wave Solutions and may be reached at nancy.brooks@7thwavesolutions.com. Scott P. Schulz, for nearly two decades, has created collaborative business partnerships. His experience spans business development, sales manage- Matthew C. Carlen, MEd, prior to co-founding 7th Wave Solutions, defined ment, and sales to Fortune 1000 companies such as Raytheon, Lockheed, the genesis for leadership and organizational development for some of the Pfizer, Polaroid, and United Technologies. As Account Manager with Nortel’s world’s most successful companies. For more than 20 years, Matt has worked Global Professional Services Division, he formulated and executed sales with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, specializing in leader and orga- strategies for clients such as AOL/Time Warner, XO Communications, and nizational leadership system assessment and development. As a founder of Adelphia. Scott received Nortel’s Circle of Excellence sales achievement EMC University, Matt directed organizational development, leadership, and award, reserved for the top 5% of the company’s sales professionals. Scott’s management development, and continuous process improvement efforts for participation with clients in refining practical aspects of the LMM assessment EMC, a world leader in data storage systems, ranked year after year among process was instrumental in implementing the initial pilot for 7th Wave the top 10 performers in the S&P 500. Solutions and has contributed to its growing acceptance as the emerging Matt led executive development for the parent division of Melville standard for gauging individual and organizational leadership system develop- Corporation, a Fortune 100 specialty retailer. Matt also had the privilege of ment. He may be reached at scott.schulz@7thwavesolutions.com. Performance Improvement • Volume 45 • Number 2 47