I would not use self-assessment as the primary way to provide actionable
knowledge for new managers. Instead, I would use 360 feedback.
One lesson learned form studying 360 feedback is that self-assessments
are at least partially self-delusions, and for the managers that need
the greatest improvements, the self-delusions are often the largest.
Even for personality tests, seemingly non-transparent self-assessments,
observations by others add valuable information.
Another lesson learned from the research and reviews of 360 instruments
is that not all are created equal. You should look for instruments that
have the following five prosperities:
1. Observable behaviors (leads to reliability)
2. Related to role (leads to validity)
3. Under control of person to change (removes all personality traits,
leads to utility)
4. Presented in priority sequence (leads to focus)
5. Covers independent factors as much as possible (leads to concise
description).
In my own teaching, I use the Survey of Management Practices. I have
found that students respond very well to a course based on the
Managerial Task Cycle, a specific adaptation of Task Cycle Theory for
managers. In addition, I use it for consulting and research purposes.
You can find a number of articles and presentations that I have made
based on this theory and instrument on my web site listed below.
Frank Shipper, Ph.D.
Professor of Management
Perdue School of Business
Salisbury University
Salisbury, MD 21801
Phone: (410) 543-6333
FAX: (410) 546-6208
E-mail:
fmshipper@salisbury.edu
Home Page:
http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~fmshipper/home/
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lklong@COX.NET 01/16/06 2:15 PM >>>
I am looking for recommended assessment tools for new managers. I am
working with a college's continuing education office to create a
training program for new managers and supervisors from a wide variety of
organizations. As part of the program, the college would like to offer
a self-assessment to participants.
The program is in the very early stages of development, so the desired
assessment is not well-defined at this point. However, I would like to
start researching options and I welcome any suggestions. Most likely we
are looking at evaluating interpersonal skills, leadership abilities and
possibly management-related personality traits.
Thanks, Lori
Lori K. Long, Ph.D., SPHR
LK Consulting, LLC
(216) 319-1091
www.LoriKLong.net