Which leadership competencies are required in the 21st century? : A cross-industry case study in service-providing departments in Germany on leadership competencies

Abstract: This paper investigates which leadership competencies are required in the 21st century. It further aims to set up a competency model for leaders based on the competency model of Erpenbeck, von Rosenstiel, and Heyse.To answer the research question seven leaders were interviewed as experts in the context of a cross-industry case study in service-providing departments in organizations in Germany. The case study is embedded in a critical realist environment. As research design, the realist evaluation cycle by Pawson and Tilley was used to identify context, trigger mechanisms, and outcomes.Further, four hypotheses were drawn up to approach the above-mentioned research problem. Each hypothesis covers one of the four identified research fields that are impacted by digital transformation concerning our working environment.The results showed that there cannot be set up an individual competency model for each research field. That is why a general competency model for leaders in the 21st century, the so-called cross-cutting leadership competency model, was developed. This competency model consists of four competency groups and twelve key competencies. The competency group “Personal Competency” includes the competencies “Openness toward Change” and “Employee/Staff Promotion”. The competency group "Activity and Action Competency" includes the competencies of “Capacity to make decisions”, “Energy/drive”, “Innovation Propensity” and “Goal-oriented Management”. “Ability to be on a team”, “Ability to Communicate”, “Relation Management”, and “Willingness to Understand” belong to the competency group “Socio-Communicative Competency”. “Ability to Teach” and “Specialized Knowledge” represent the group of “Methods and Professional Competency.