The Systems Paradigm of Leadership: Integrating Competency Directories with Strategic Leadership Branding
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/d2wsre09Keywords:
Behavioural Descriptors, Service Industry, Organisational Performance, Strategic HRM, Leadership CapabilityAbstract
Competency mapping has emerged as a strategic mechanism for developing customer-centric leadership and strengthening organisational adaptability in highly competitive business environments. The present study examines how structured competency frameworks contribute to leadership effectiveness, talent management, and sustainable organisational performance by aligning employee capabilities with institutional goals and customer expectations. Adopting an “outside-in” organisational perspective, the study emphasises that enduring leadership capability is created not merely through individual managerial traits but through institutionalised systems, behavioural frameworks, and competency-driven organisational culture. The study employs descriptive statistics, ANOVA, independent sample t-tests, and OLS regression analysis using data collected from 110 executives in pharmaceutical companies. The findings reveal that organisations implementing competency-based leadership systems achieve superior outcomes in communication effectiveness, teamwork, employee engagement, operational execution, and organisational performance. The empirical results further indicate that managerial hierarchy, compensation structure, and multinational organisational exposure significantly influence leadership competency development. The study also highlights the importance of dynamic competency directories, structured leadership development initiatives, and competency-based talent management systems in sustaining competitive advantage. Practical implications suggest that organisations should institutionalise competency architectures to strengthen leadership pipelines, employee development, and strategic HRM practices. The findings contribute to strategic human resource management literature by positioning competency mapping as a driver of organisational leadership capability and business performance.
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