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Literature Review: Leadership Competencies for Development
School of Business, Liberty University
Leadership Development Competencies
Throughout the success of organizations and projects, leadership competencies are
critical factors that drive results within complex environments. Over the years, research has
highlighted the capabilities leaders must attain to navigate the complexities of organizations and
their challenges successfully. This review will identify themes from research, synthesize the
findings, and provide unique insights into leadership development competencies by first
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defining them, discussing how they can be developed, and outlining the overarching benefits to
organizations that invest in leadership development.
Identifying Leadership Competencies
Mbebe and Jowah (2024 and Rawat et al., (2023) offer insights into what type of
leadership competencies are needed to realize success on projects and complex challenges.
Mbebea and Jowah (2024) highlight strategic leadership, practical communication skills, and
technical knowledge as the necessary skills leaders must develop to ensure the team and
organization can achieve their goals. The authors argue that effective leaders must be capable of
balancing technical requirements with stakeholder expectations, be adaptable, and possess the
skills to make informed decisions during times of uncertainty. Mbebe and Jowah (2024) suggest
that building trust and stakeholder engagement lead to higher levels of success.
Rawat et al. (2023) provide a framework of leadership competencies rooted in
developing emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and cultural awareness. The authors
merge perspectives including organizational behavior, psychology, and military leadership to
create a holistic competency model. A central declaration is that leadership effectiveness is
dependent on the leader’s ability to align their values with those of the organization. Navigating
complex environments overlaps with core concepts from Mbebe and Jowah (2024) due to the
need to equip leaders with the proper skills to do so effectively.
The two studies magnify the strategic and relational competencies as foundational to
leadership effectiveness. Mbebe and Jowah (2024) focus on the application of the core
competencies, while Rawal et al. (2023) generalize a future focus framework. Each study
emphasizes decision-making and adaptability while examining micro and macro levels of
leadership models that apply across various sectors. The studies underline the nature of
leadership competencies as they relate to organizational, global, and technological challenges.
They collectively agree that successful leaders must possess both technical acumen and
interpersonal skills that facilitate strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.
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Developing Leadership Competencies
Ackermann et al. (2024) examine leadership competencies in project management. The
authors suggest that development journeys, rather than fixed skillsets, lead to the development
of leadership skills over time through experiential learning and contextual awareness. By
employing a case-based methodology, the authors emphasize the importance of competencies
such as systems thinking, adaptive problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement in managing
challenges and ambiguity. The foundations of the article advance the idea that leadership in
complex settings not only requires technical and strategic skills but also the capacity for learning
and reflection.
Adding to the previous perspective, Ahmad et al. (2023) explore leadership
competencies in the context of development goals within complex markets. The authors
underscore that leadership effectiveness is enhanced when managers display strong
commitment to long term planning, ethical stewardship, and resource allocation. The study
identifies competencies such
as resilience, stakeholder inclusivity, and sustainability as necessary to achieve success. The
authors name that the development of these skills should occur with short and long-term goals
that aid leaders in enhancing the identified skills.
Nghe et al. (2020) offer a perspective that focuses on the development of leadership
competencies. By implementing a structured and innovative leadership development program,
the study highlights that core competencies begin to enhance. The research highlights that
when structured interventions are implemented, leaders can effectively strengthen their
leadership capacity, which in turn improves decision-making and team coordination among
stakeholders. The authors' findings emphasize using a tailored approach to training and
development to ensure each leader has a customized experience.
The three studies illustrate a context-dependent and dynamic nature of leadership
competencies. All of the research highlights the importance of ongoing development and the
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alignment to leadership behaviors with the organization’s goals. These critical insights highlight
the necessity for flexible, experience-based learning paths that enable leaders to develop skills
that aid in navigating challenges.
Benefits of Leadership Development
Bryant et al. (2021), Han et al. (2023), and Simpson et al. (2022) explore leadership
development activities and their perceived benefits across multi-faceted domains. Bryant et al.
(2021) examine the outcomes of leadership development, focusing on the benefits experienced
by the study participants and the impact of leadership development activities. The study
highlights the learning opportunities, including executive coaching and networking, as benefits
received by the participants. At the organizational level, the authors suggest that improved
strategic leadership, policy influence, and systems thinking arise as benefits of leadership
development.
Han et al. (2023) add an empirical analysis of empowering leadership by validating
measures of perceived benefits and costs of empowerment through development. The study
offers insight into how employees perceive empowerment, which in turn leads to increased
motivation, skill utilization, and psychological ownership, serving as the foundational benefits of
leadership development. On the other hand, the authors outline an increase in workload,
decision-making pressure, and role ambiguity as costs. This study expands views of
empowerment by offering a balanced perspective and suggesting that leadership development
provides benefits to both the employee and the organization, as outlined.
Simpson et al. (2022) examine the benefits of leadership training among collective
learning opportunities. The author's research encompasses leadership development, yielding
inherent advantages, including enhanced collaboration, increased awareness, and increased
confidence when advocating for others. The study suggests that leadership development
benefits extend beyond the organization to the employee and broader social impacts when
successfully implemented. Simpson et al. (2022) outlined benefits help the reader to understand
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how all stakeholders can benefit when leadership development is viewed as an investment
rather than a distraction or cost.
Each of these studies suggests that effective leadership development programs leverage
several strategies to realize successful benefits, such as empowerment models, community
engagement, and more. The authors of the research propose that leadership is not merely a set
of competencies, but an ever-evolving process that enables leaders to cultivate self-awareness
and systemic thinking. The studies highlight these benefits and enhanced skills allow the leaders
to gain buy-in, influence outcomes, engage stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and lead
with compassion and confidence.
Conclusion
As organizations consider the best strategies to realize sustainable and effective
longevity, leadership development competencies are critical. This literature review identified
themes from research, synthesized the findings, and provided unique insights into leadership
development competencies by first defining them, discussing how they can be developed, and
outlining the overarching benefits to organizations that invest in leadership development. Each
article or study provided key concepts, ideas, and perspectives that allow evolving leaders to
understand how to develop leaders within any organization. This information provides a
foundational exploration into the needed competencies, how to create them, and the benefits
to the organization.
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References
Ackermann, F., Maytorena, E., Gavin, C., & Forsyth, S. (2024). Developing enduring leadership
competences in complex project management: Charting a course, embarking on a
journey. The Journal of Management Development, 43(1), 35-
48. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-09-2022-0218
Ahmad, S., Xin, C., Ullah, E., & Siyal, S. (2023). Managers’ leadership competencies and
sustainable development goals in turbulent markets: The enabling role of resource
commitment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 30(56),
119134-119150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30733-z
Bryant, D. C., Miyamoto, S., Adams, J. M., Deupree, J. P., & Shillam, C. R. (2021). Leadership
development activities and benefits from the Robert Wood Johnson executive nurse
fellows program. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 52(7), 344-
348. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20210611-09
Han, S., Harold, C. M., Kim, J. K., & Vogel, R. M. (2023). Perceived benefits and costs of
empowerment: Conceptualization, measure development, and its impact on
empowering leadership. Journal of Management, 49(4), 1246-
1276. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063221081443
Mbebe, S., & Jowah, L. E. (2024). Project leadership competencies influencing success in
information communication technology projects. South African Journal of Information
Management, 26(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v26i1.1846
Nghe, M., Hart, J., Ferry, S., Hutchins, L., & Lebet, R. (2020). Developing leadership competencies
in midlevel nurse leaders: An innovative approach. The Journal of Nursing
Administration, 50(9), 481-488. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000920
Rawat, S., Deshpande, A. P., Boe, O., & Piotrowski, A. (2023). Understanding leadership
effectiveness in the wake of challenges: A leadership competency model. HUMAN
REVIEW. International Humanities Review / Revista Internacional De
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Humanidades, 12(1)https://doi.org/10.37467/revhuman.v12.3498
Simpson, C., Silberberg, M., Hibbard, S. T., Lyn, M. J., & Sawin, G. (2022). Perceived benefits of
training clinicians in community engagement for a leadership development program.
Family Medicine, 54(2), 134-
138. https://doi.org/10.22454/FamMed.2022.648246
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