The Four Stages of Contribution Model
Adapted from:The Extraordinary Leader, John H. Zenger & JosephFolkman
One of the most useful frameworks by which to understand how people contribute in their careers is the four stages model, originally developed by Gene Dalton and Paul Thompson. This model describes four stages of career growth through which people may move. In many cases people become locked into one stage because they do not possess the necessary skills and behaviour to move forward. In other cases people stay at a particular stage because it fits their needs and aptitudes. The four stages are:
Stage I: depending on others
Stage II: contributing independently
Stage III: contributing through others
Stage IV: leading through vision
Stage I.
The first stage of careers has been described as depending on others. In Stage I, people willingly accept direction from others. People in Stage I demonstrate some competency on a portion of a larger project but tend to focus on performing detailed and routine tasks. Stage I individuals show some directed creativity and can be depended on to deliver on time and on budget. Stage I is an important career step. It is that time when people learn the ropes and gain an in-depth understanding of technology and organisational dynamics. Most individuals spend limited time in Stage I at the beginning of their career or when they take on a new assignment. Because the major psychological focus of Stage I is dependence, no leadership is exhibited in this stage. People in Stage I are led; they do not lead. Research with hundreds of organisations has uncovered that some people never leave Stage I. They continue to rely on others for direction. Other people make a transition from Stage I early in their careers but then, because they are out of date or lack skills, transition back later in their career.
Stage II.
The second stage is contributing independently. This describes a series of behaviours that enable a person to assume responsibility for a definable project, not to rely on a supervisor but, instead, to work autonomously. This person produces significant results, and in so doing, develops greater technical expertise, along with a strong reputation. This person also builds a strong network of personal relationships. This stage of career growth is an absolute gateway to further progression. If people cannot perform well in Stage II positions, they cannot move on successfully to roles in which they will be responsible for a group of people.
Having a proper set of personal capabilities is another way of saying that the excellent leader must have moved successfully through Stage II. Leaders cannot skip this stage; if they do, they pay a price as they move upward in the organisation and then have to go back and acquire skills that should have been acquired earlier in their careers. This is the time when self-confidence must be developed, and trust in one's own perceptions of situations.
Moving too fast through Stage II is also dangerous. In moving too rapidly, people do not develop self-confidence or build credibility with others in the organisation. Our analysis of the research data on leaders shows that effective leaders learned professional skills during this stage of their careers. Without these skills, further progress is severely limited. Leadership in Stage II is sometimes described as personal leadership.
Stage III.
The third stage is about contributing through others, and every effective leader of others is at least in Stage III. Many people who have the title of "Manager," however, are not in Stage III, but remain locked in Stage II, even though they are surrounded by the trappings of a Stage III leader. These are managers who continue to process claim/forms, or design a new part, because it is more comfortable to function as an individual contributor than as a leader. Frequently they will "cherry-pick" the best assignments and compete with their direct reports for recognition and rewards. They are unable or unwilling to leave their comfort zone of being personally productive using some technical tasks.
Stage III behaviour requires people to develop others, to represent the organisation to clients and external groups, and to build strong internal and external networks. Stage III contributors achieve positive results as they work with and through others. They have organisational impact by mentoring others, by heading up a project team, and by taking on responsibility for much more than their own performance. (What this means, of course, is that there are many Stage III people who do not have the words "supervisor," "manager," or "director" in front of their names. The creators of this useful framework by which to understand career growth have done research that shows there to be five times as many people in Stage III who do not have a managerial title as there are those who have a formal role and title.)
Stage IV.
A small number of people move beyond Stage III and become Stage IV leaders. Research shows that only 5 percent of the working population ends up in Stage IV functions. That means, obviously, that 95 percent of everyone working in organisations ends up having perfectly satisfactory careers without moving to Stage IV. First, let's examine what they must accomplish.
Stage IV leaders are that group of individuals in the organisation who:
Create the overarching vision for the organisation
Define the strategic direction of the organisation
Exercise strong influence over the critical decisions that are made
Represent the organisation to the outside world, including customers, suppliers, and trade associations
Are the antenna to the outside world, collecting information and scanning the horizon for change
Shape the culture
Allocate resources among competing groups
Translate the strategic direction into personal objectives for people
One way to understand the implications of how your contribution is manifested and valued changes as you progress as a leader, is by looking at those competencies that are most critical at different stages of a career.
Five key clusters of Leadership Competency
In the The Extraordinary Leader, Zenger & Folkman describe the results of a research project into what constitutes effective leadership. They examined the performance and characteristics of 26,314 leaders from more than 100 organisations who had been evaluated by 237,123 of their direct reports, managers and peers (i.e. via 360 degree survey).
Their empirical factor analysis of the huge amounts of data collected on leader’s competencies reveals that all vital and differentiating leadership competencies can be grouped into five clusters:
Character - the core of all leadership effectiveness.
Personal Capability - this describes the intellectual, emotional, and skill makeup of the individual. It includes analytical and problem-solving capabilities, along with the technical competence the person possesses. It requires the ability to create a clear vision and sense of purpose for the organisation.
Focus on Results - describes the ability to have impact on the organisation. It means being capable of getting things accomplished.
Interpersonal Skills - includes all of the people skills.
Leading Organisational Change - the highest expression of leadership involves leadership through change.
Zenger & Folkman’s research established that the requirement for what they described as Character did not change over the course of the journey from a stage I to stage IV contributor. This was a foundation upon which effectiveness in all other domains was built.
Some of the ways Zenger & Folkman defined Character included:
Making decisions with the organisation paramount in their mind, versus allowing a personal agenda to influence decisions
Keeping commitments that are made
Practicing self-development; constantly learning
Being receptive to, and specifically asking for, feedback from others
Being approachable by everyone
Treating everyone consistently and with dignity, regardless of title
Trusting people
Working collaboratively with others
Being tenacious and not giving up because something is difficult
For each individual at each stage, leadership in the other four critical domains looks different, this is the fundamental concept of the four stages of contribution model.
The following tables describe the necessary elements of Personal Capability, Focus of Results, Interpersonal Skills and Leading Organisational Change, as they manifest for Stage II, Stage Ill, and Stage IV leaders.
“Personal Capabilities" for Stages II, III, and IV
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• Knows the job well
• Many people seek his or her opinion
• Is considered an expert in his or her field
• Integrates large volumes of data into a logical and coherent structure for analysis
• Demonstrates the ability to solve problems under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguity
• Creates new opportunities or overcomes obstacles by rethinking situations
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• Demonstrates a breadth of technical/functional knowledge outside of his or her core specialty
• Is not threatened by the technical competence of others
• Clarifies complex data or situations so that others can comprehend, respond, and contribute
• Assists others in interpreting and tolerating ambiguous information
• Coaches others on how to present interpretive results
• Provides support and encouragement to others when they attempt to innovate- even when they fail
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• Shapes organisation direction to reinforce the continual need for technical excellence
• Ensures that the organisation has access to technical/professional resources that allow employees to remain cutting edge
• Identifies and helps to quickly resolve ill-defined, complex problems that cross organisational boundaries
• Requires accurate and crucial information as a basis for sound organisation-wide decisions
• Communicates the importance of clear, critical thinking in all jobs throughout the company
• Fosters an organisational environment that encourages others to question their usual
"Focus on Results" for Stages II, III, and IV
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• Can be counted on to accomplish his or her job without close supervision
• Bounces back from setbacks; does not lose confidence or become discouraged
• Overcomes difficult challenges that interfere with getting the job done
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• Builds commitment in others for their individual and team objectives
• Accepts responsibility for the results-based outcome(s) of group efforts
• Holds others accountable for results
• Promotes a strong, sense of urgency for reaching goals and meeting deadlines
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• Establishes key result areas for the organisation
• Communicates the key or "vital few" performance indicators that measure organisational results
• Leads or champions efforts that increase productivity and goal accomplishment throughout the organisation
"Interpersonal Skills" for Stages II, III, and IV
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• Establishes rapport easily
• Is interested in what other people have to say
• Adjusts his or her interpersonal approach to meet the interpersonal style and needs of others
• Deals effectively with people in order to get his or her work accomplished
• Helps others find their own answers rather than telling them what they should do
• Considers the opinions of other team members
• Challenges proposed team actions in such a way as to create constructive discussion of alternative views
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• Represents the work group's ideas and interests to others
• Helps others learn the interpersonal skills needed to network effectively
• Encourages people to say what they think
• Is generous in recognising the contributions of others
• Demonstrates confidence and trust in other people's ability
• Proactively coaches and/or mentors others
• Knows when to let go of the details in order to help others learn from experience
• Delegates tasks or assignments that provide developmental experiences
• Keeps the team informed about current and upcoming issues
• Fosters a climate of trust and respect within the team
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• Maintains and utilises relationships outside the company through which he or she can generate resources or information
• Builds and/or supports mutually beneficial relationships with other organisations, professional associations, and community contacts
• Actively and generously shares his or her extensive network of internal and external contacts to accomplish organisational goals
• Influences or leads organisational efforts (e.g., succession planning, key assignments) that support employee development
• Identifies and sponsors developmental opportunities for others that help them gain wide exposure and experience
• Models teamwork by working effectively with other leaders in the organisation
• Plays a leading role in integrating and orchestrating the operations and activities of key business teams
"Leading Organisational Change" for Stages II, III, and IV
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• Is quick to recognise situations or conditions where change is needed
• Adjusts work objectives, activities, and tasks to align with and support achievement of change
• Aligns his or her business objectives with the organisation's strategic plan or objectives
• Uses information about the market and competitors to provide input into the organisation's strategic planning process
• Thinks beyond the "day-to-day" to take a longer-term view of the business
• Understands how his or her work relates to the organisation's business strategy
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• Energises others to want to change by pointing out the need for change
• Encourages people to let go of old ways so the new ways can begin
• Helps others overcome their resistance to change
• Clarifies how changes will affect jobs, work groups, and/or the organisation
• Coordinates team and cross functional activities to assure strategic alignment
• Proposes initiatives that become part of the organisation’s strategic plan
• Clarifies vision, mission, values and long-term goals for others
• Consistently communicates the ‘big picture’ business implications to others
• Explains to others how the changes in one part of the organisation affect other organisational systems
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• Sets and articulates a compelling vision for the organisation
• Continually communicates the highest priority strategic initiatives to keep the leadership team focused on the right things
• Ensures that all systems in the organisation are aligned toward achieving the overall strategic goals
• Ensures that the organisation has the people skills and resources to meet the strategic challenges of tomorrow