Introduction
This paper explores the imperativeness of CEOs in institutions and the role of human resource personnel in getting the right persons for management positions. It also covers the cardinal competencies and knowledge capability, including professional skills that should be considered when selecting a CEO for a company.
Key knowledge, skills, abilities, and traits that a search committee for art museum CEO should prioritize
As noted, CEOs are important individuals whose roles are critical in shaping performance in various institutions. They are the lifeblood of institutions, especially in the museum sector, since they are the ones who coordinate activities (Pynes, 2009). This explains why companies in the art museum sector need to have the right individual for the position of CEO who can turn around performance through the adoption of conventional operating systems. The individual should hold requisite competence capacities and should be picked through a credible recruitment process by human resource officials. Key performance elements that should be considered by the recruitment panel include the knowledge capacity of the individual, interpersonal skills, workability, and character traits (Pynes, 2009). In particular, an individual who is to be hired in a museum company in the current operating environment must have credible knowledge of the maintenance and expansion of cash collections. He must also be a good financial manager and a fundraiser.
Secondly, he must hold good interpersonal skills that include self-discipline, hardworking, substantive work experience, and communication capacity. He should also have the capability to build strong quality circles and teamwork groupings to foster creativity and innovation. This is essential in enhancing stakeholder participation in institutional affairs and the delivery of quality services that are based on quality ideals.
Is the expertise level of a prospective candidate as important, more important, or less important than management and financial skills
Indeed, the field of expertise of a prospective candidate for a CEO position is just as important as the management and financial skills. This is evident since a CEO that holds holistic capacity and requisite incentives for performance should be an expert in the field in which he is to operate, and he should hold unquestionable management credentials, including financial skills (Pynes, 2009). That is, being an expert with relevant experience is to enable him to understand the operating dynamics of the sector where he is bound to operate. Therefore, the expertise level of an individual must be considered, especially when hiring a company’s head, who to drive service delivery in a museum. Variably, management skills are vital elements that prospective candidates for top jobs, especially in the museum sector, must hold. The skills are vital since they entail the ability to make credible decisions and policies to boost performance.
Notably, management skills are essential, especially in the museum industry, since CEOs in museum corporations should always be decisive as they deal with a wide range of customers (DuBrin, 2011). They should be able to coordinate work effectively through proper delegation procedures, ensure proper allocation of resources, and design viable schedules to guide customer visits. Further, financial skills are just as important as management capabilities and expertise. Financial skills are important since they enable managers to balance cash inflows and outflows, thereby eliminating wastage of resources. According to Pynes (2009), financial skills are important since a company that cannot manage its resources well does not hold high-performance prospects. Such companies normally register low productivity in the end. Therefore, the aspects go hand in hand since they all contribute to achieving institutional objectives.
Discussion on whether a good chief executive for a non-profit institution can come from outside of the knowledge area of that organization
As noted, any institution, whether profit-making or non-profit making, requires managers who are experts with proper administration and financial management skills. This is apparent since every institution requires a skilled person who can give reliable direction and working guidelines that can facilitate the achievement of its goals (DuBrin, 2011). Therefore, the reasoning that non-profit institutions can survive with a leader who comes from outside the knowledge area of an institution is flawed to a bigger extent. This is because a leader who comes from outside cannot have full knowledge about the dynamics of the sector. He may not understand his full roles, cultural practices in the sector, and work ethics. He may also lack the capacity to mobilize funds, maintain collections, and how to delegate work, especially in the art sector, that is better understood by insiders.
The role of HR in the search for the new CEO
Human resource officials are instrumental in any organization that aspires to have qualified personnel who hold pertinent work attributes. They are integral since they are the ones who drive recruitment processes in institutions, design compensation value, make payrolls, and execute training activities. They operate with the mandate to ensure that an organization has the right type of personnel who are highly motivated to facilitate the realization of set objectives. This explains why HR officials in the museum company will be integral in ensuring that the company gets anew CEO who is highly qualified to run its affairs (King, Logan & Fischer-Wright, 2012).
Firstly, the HR officials are to identify the vacant position that is to be filed, then design a proper job description of the holder and perform the recruitment process. The process must start with the job advertisement, receipt of applications, short-listing, and then execution of interviews. It is during the interviewing process where the recruitment panel is to establish the potentials of each candidate. Key potentials that are established at this stage include management capacities, expertise level, character traits, and financial management skills (King, Logan & Fischer-Wright, 2012). This is to enable them to choose an individual who is capable of turning around the company by ensuring proper mobilization, utilization of resources, and delegation of work.
References
DuBrin, A. J. (2011). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning
King,J., Logan, D. & Fischer-Wright, F. (2012). Tribal Leadership: Leveraging natural groups to build a thriving organization. London (UK). HarperCollins.
Pynes, J. E. (2009). Human resources management for public and nonprofit organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.