The entanglement of leader character and leader competence and its impact on performance

• Published in: The Leadership quarterly Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 349 - 366
• Main Authors: Sturm, Rachel E., Vera, Dusya, Crossan, Mary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Inc 01-06-2017; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Character; Competence; Competency tests; Informal education; Informal learning; Leadership; Performance management; Leadership; Competence; Character; Informal learning; Performance
• ISSN: 1048-9843; 1873-3409
• DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.11.007

Whereas the micro- and macro-oriented leadership literatures have often studied leader competencies necessary for effective performance, the role of leader character in relation to competencies and performance has been to a large extent neglected. Our work seeks to shift the scholarly dialogue by introducing the concept of character-competence entanglement, which reflects the binding between character and competence over time. The highest degree of entanglement represents the deep and more persistent interconnection and mutually-reinforcing effect between highly-developed leader character and highly-developed leader competence, whereas in cases of low entanglement, character can be activated temporarily in a particular context to help strengthen the relationship between competence and performance. Our core proposition is that high character-competence entanglement will lead to extraordinary performance over time. In addition, we emphasize that relying on naturally-occurring learning opportunities and the processes of “learning-by-living” both outside and inside the organization will positively impact the development of character-competence entanglement.