Final answer:
Robert Katz's model includes technical skills, which are vital at the lower levels of management; human skills, necessary at all levels but increasing in importance up the management hierarchy; and conceptual skills, which are crucial at the top management levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Robert Katz identified three types of principal skills that managers need: technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills. Technical skills involve understanding and proficiency in a specific type of activity, particularly one involving methods, processes, procedures, or techniques. Human skills, also known as interpersonal skills, involve the ability to work well with other people, both individually and in a group. Lastly, conceptual skills involve the ability to think and to conceptualize about abstract and complex situations regarding the organization.
According to Katz, technical skills are most important at the lower levels of management as this level involves work with specific operations within the organization. Human skills are essential at all levels of management, but the emphasis on these skills generally increases as managers rise through the managerial ranks because they must coordinate the activities of many people. Conceptual skills are most important at the top levels of management, where strategic planning and broad decision-making occur.