Robert L. Katz advocated the necessity of three basic skills in managerial positions. These are technical skills, human relations skills and conceptual abilities. Managers at each level will have different needs for these skills.
According to Katz, technical skills include specific knowledge in a particular field, analytical ability based on this knowledge, and the ability to use techniques and tools from a specific field. This knowledge is usually learned in schools. Naturally, knowledge of doing business changes so rapidly that it needs to be constantly renewed and improved. Technical knowledge has an important place for people who do technical work in the lower levels of the business. As people working in the technical field move up the management ladder, they have to acquire new skills and knowledge and transfer these jobs to their subordinates who are lower than themselves, and as their responsibilities increase, they focus on other skills. As a result of all this, technical information is generally not developed and the amount of usage is limited. For this reason, top managers do not need to know in detail the way the work is done, but it is sufficient to have general knowledge of what the subject is.
Based on the definition that a manager is a person who does business through others, human relations skills are essential for every management level. Katz explains human relations skills as working effectively as a member of the group led by the manager and creating a sense of collaboration in the group. People with advanced human relations skills understand the attitudes and behaviors of others and communicate easily by accepting differences. The behaviors of these people are natural and the behaviors show continuity. However, this skill can be expected to be higher in lower-level management, which is in constant one-to-one contact with the employees. Because employees have different characteristics, different expectations and behavior patterns. Bringing them closer together in teamwork or reducing the differences will directly affect the efficiency in the business.
Conceptual skill is an important element that enables creative ideas to emerge. This skill is used extensively in identifying problems, creating solutions, analyzing and interpreting data, and decision making. These studies are necessary for the top managers rather than the managers who manage the day-to-day business. Because short-term business plans and daily work are more routine work. However, top managers need to set a strategy, make quick decisions in accordance with changing conditions, and be creative. For this reason, while the weight of conceptual skills is increasing in top managers, the necessity of technical skills is decreasing.
