Competency Modeling for Senior Managers at Baker Foods
This paper examines the concept of leadership competency modeling as applied to senior management selection and development at Baker Foods. Drawing on Morrison's (2007) Harvard Business Review case and supporting literature, the paper surveys major managerial typologies before exploring how competency frameworks are built, perceived, and implemented within organizations. It outlines the principal arguments for adoption—including streamlined recruitment, competitive advantage, and unified managerial culture—alongside key objections such as reduced candidate pools, short-term bias, and operational disruption. The paper concludes that Baker Foods should implement a competency model while preserving enough flexibility to adapt as organizational needs evolve.
- Introduction: The Role of Senior Management: Senior managers as organizational backbone and visionaries
- Managerial Styles and the Case for a Universal Model: Leadership typologies and rationale for universal manager profiles
- Competency Modeling: Overview and Organizational Perception: How competency models work and industry-wide adoption data
- Arguments Supporting Competency Model Implementation: Benefits including recruitment efficiency and competitive advantage
- Arguments Against Competency Model Implementation: Risks of rigidity, narrowed candidate pools, and disruption
- Conclusion: A Balanced Approach for Baker Foods: Recommendation to implement with organizational flexibility
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds the abstract concept of competency modeling in a concrete organizational case (Baker Foods), making the analysis applied rather than purely theoretical.
- Presents both sides of the implementation debate in structured parallel lists, giving the argument balance and clarity.
- Incorporates direct quotations from managers and stakeholders to illustrate differing organizational perspectives authentically.
- Cites empirical support—the Arthur Anderson and Schoonover Associates (2000) study—to substantiate claims about real-world adoption patterns.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates balanced argumentation: it systematically identifies proponents, opponents, and neutral parties before synthesizing a qualified recommendation. Rather than advocating unconditionally for one position, it acknowledges contextual contingency—noting that competency model success depends on organizational characteristics—then derives a nuanced conclusion that incorporates flexibility as a safeguard.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by establishing the importance of senior managers and surveying major leadership typologies. It then introduces competency modeling, contextualizes it within Baker Foods, and presents survey data on industry-wide perceptions. Two parallel sections methodically list supporting and opposing arguments. A brief conclusion synthesizes these positions into a practical recommendation, advocating implementation with built-in adaptability.
Introduction: The Role of Senior Management
Senior managers represent the backbone of any organization. They are the individuals who envision the company's future and unite its people in pursuit of shared organizational goals. As businesses grow more complex and markets more competitive, the question of how to identify, select, and develop effective senior leaders becomes increasingly urgent.
Managerial Styles and the Case for a Universal Model
Modern management literature presents a range of managerial styles and leadership types. Belker and Topchik (2005), for instance, identify the autocrat and the diplomat as two broad leadership archetypes. Mullins (2007) takes a more nuanced approach, arguing for the existence of five managerial styles that give rise to five corresponding leadership types: the impoverished manager, the authority-compliance manager, the country club manager, the middle-of-the-road manager, and the team manager.
Despite this diversity in categorizing leadership figures and styles, some sources argue for the necessity of developing and implementing a universal model of the senior manager — one that establishes specific criteria relating to education, professional background, and personal skills and abilities. This process is known as competency modeling, and it involves a human resource team assessing the organization's needs and constructing a profile of the ideal future manager based on those specific characteristics.
At Baker Foods, the head of the Human Resource Division viewed this process as the logical next step in an "ongoing leadership development project," arguing that the company "need[ed] to define exactly what we're looking for from our people at the top." In practice, the leadership competency modeling program would both establish the criteria that senior managers must meet and define the functions they would be expected to perform. As Morrison (2007) describes it, the framework "would not only highlight the critical values, knowledge, and skills necessary to lead any of the divisions of the consumer-packed-goods company but also identify the corresponding tasks, behaviors and measures of success."
Competency Modeling: Overview and Organizational Perception
The response from employees at Baker Foods was, as might be expected, varied. Some parties defended the benefits of competency models, others were skeptical, and a third group did not fully understand the concept. This situation is common across most organizations. A 2000 study conducted by Arthur Anderson and Schoonover Associates examined levels of integration and perception of competency models and documented a similarly diverse range of standpoints. Its most significant findings include the following:
- Competency models are used across virtually all business sectors, regardless of organizational size or industry.
- Competency models are most effectively used in selection and recruitment, development of job descriptions, training, performance management, planning, and career development.
- Levels of satisfaction following the use of competency models vary by institution; more sophisticated organizations generally report higher levels of satisfaction.
- The most common factors reducing the success of competency models include insufficient allocated resources, lack of managerial support, lack of prior experience with competency models, and an organizational focus on competitive positioning at the expense of internal development (LaRocca).
These findings make clear that competency modeling is simultaneously encouraged and impeded within real-world organizations. Understanding both the drivers and the barriers is essential before any implementation decision is made.
Arguments Supporting Competency Model Implementation
Several factors support the implementation of a competency modeling framework at Baker Foods:
- Streamlined selection: Competency models would substantially reduce the workload of the HR Department, lower recruitment costs, and increase the likelihood of hiring a manager best suited to the organization's needs.
- Competitive advantage through human capital: A defining characteristic of the modern organization is that it values its human resources as its most important asset. Managers increasingly recognize employees' ability to meet customer needs and thereby generate revenue stability (Boyd, 2003). In this context, Baker Foods could use competency models to build competitive advantages through better-skilled managerial teams capable of developing more effective strategies (LaRocca).
- A unified managerial culture: Competency models could help integrate the managerial team within the broader context of the company's needs and values. This would foster collaboration, sharpen strategic alignment, and exponentially increase Baker's chances of success. As one internal voice articulated: "There's simply too many senior managers operating on their own agendas. The cowboy mentality might have worked ten years ago, but we've grown exponentially since then and the market is much more competitive. There's just no room for rogue leaders" (Morrison).
The importance of leadership development as a source of organizational competitive advantage is well established in management practice, and competency frameworks offer a structured mechanism for pursuing it.
Conclusion: A Balanced Approach for Baker Foods
The final decision regarding competency assessment models cannot be derived from any single article or textbook; it must be grounded in the unique features of the organization in question. The situation at Baker Foods suggests that implementation will face initial obstacles, but once the company works through those early challenges, the framework can serve as a platform for generating lasting competitive advantages — a critical capability in today's demanding market environment.
Accordingly, Baker Foods should move forward with implementing competency models, while taking deliberate steps to mitigate the associated risks. Most importantly, the framework must preserve a degree of flexibility — in its criteria, its application, and its capacity for revision — so that it can adapt as both the company and the market continue to evolve.
References
Belker, L. B., & Topchik, G. S. (2005). The first-time manager (5th ed.). AMACOM Div American Mng Assn.
Boyd, C. (2003). Human resource management and occupational health and safety. Routledge.
LaRocca, M. (n.d.). Career and competency pathing: The competency modeling approach. San Diego State University. http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/arossett/pie/Interventions/career_1.htm
Morrison, M. (2007, January). The very model of modern senior manager. Harvard Business Review.
Mullins, L. J. (2007). Management and organizational behavior (8th ed.). Pearson Education.
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