Project Management

Feedback score:

Score : 10 pts.

1. Range-based feedback:

10 - 14 pts.

Feedback: Your organization has high quality HR practices. Interpreting the Result

· Hiring (items 1, 2, and 13) – Applicants are evaluated using standardized and professional processes.

· Participation (items 3, 4, 9, and 12) – Employees have the opportunity to participate in the management of the organization, and have a mechanism to complain when necessary.

· Rewards (items 5, 6, 10, 11, and 14) – Pay, promotion, and other types of rewards are connected to performance. Further, pay is high relative to area competitors.

· Communication (items 7 and 8) – Employees are regularly given feedback about their own performance and are told about organization-wide performance.

Research indicates organizations that use these practices and policies tend to have better financial performance, and they also have employees who are more committed, are better organizational citizens, and are more likely to stay with their employer. Action Steps One of the difficult things for you to know is whether an organization is well managed before you decide to accept a position. There are a variety of things you can do to help answer this question. These include looking at the organization’s web site, annual reports and other printed materials, and talking with current or former employees. In addition to these things, the initial application and interview process can provide clues about the quality of the management of the organization. If your application and interview are handled professionally, if the person or persons who you talk with are prepared, and if there appears to be a systematic process every applicant is put through, these are signs the organization is well managed. You should not be intimidated by these types of activities. Rather, you should be encouraged that you are being considered for employment at a high quality organization. If your score is in the moderate or low range, you might want to pay extra close attention to your employment relationship. For example, is your pay stub accurate every pay period? Is your supervisor evaluating you on a regular schedule? Are you aware of job openings that occur elsewhere in the organization? With a lower quality HR department, you need to be proactive about these kinds of issues. You should view the human resource department of your organization (now or in the future) as an ally and as a resource. You should not hesitate to ask for the assistance of the human resources department staff if you do not understand something about your compensation, promotion practices, or other aspects of your employment relationship. If these topics are of interest to you, you might consider a career in human resource management. If so, talk to a faculty member about how you can best prepare for such a career. Among the things you might do is to take elective coursework in psychology and communications in order to prepare yourself. Many students obtain jobs in human resource departments with an undergraduate degree. You can also pursue graduate work in human resource management or organizational psychology. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize other people, some of whom have more experience and knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The resulting discussions may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

Source: Adapted from R. R. Kehoe and P. M. Wright, “The Impact of High-Performance Human Resource Practices on Employees’ Attitudes and Behaviors,” Journal or Management, February 2013, pp. 366–391.

2. Leadership

Score : 15 pts.

13 - 15 pts.

Feedback: High leadership awareness of TQM

Employees

Score : 15 pts.

13 - 15 pts.

Feedback: High employee awareness of TQM

Policy and Strategy

Score : 14 pts.

13 - 15 pts.

Feedback: High TQM policy and strategy

Processes

Score : 14 pts.

13 - 15 pts.

Feedback: High TQM processes

Partnerships and Resources

Score : 20 pts.

14 - 20 pts.

Feedback: High partnerships and resources TQM

Feedback score:

Score : 78 pts.

Range-based Feedback:

64 - 80 pts.

Feedback: High TQM organization Interpreting the Result This self-assessment yields an overall score and five sub-scores. The sub-scores are very helpful in understanding the various elements necessary for an organization to be fully committed to the TQM approach.

· The first subscore (items 1 through 3) assesses the commitment that organizational leaders have to quality management processes. A central element of TQM is that the top management of the organization needs to be committed to allocating resources to quality efforts and to rewarding employees in ways consistent with TQM ideas.

· The second subscore (items 4 through 6) assesses the extent to which employees “buy in” to the TQM approach, as well as the extent to which they are trained and prepared to carry out TQM processes and procedures.

· The third subscore (items 7 through 9) assesses the extent to which the organization has policies and strategies in place that are necessary for TQM efforts to be successful.

· The fourth subscore (items 10 through 12) assesses the extent to which the organization employs procedures that are consistent with TQM. For example, a successful TQM organization is continually in touch with customers, assessing their needs and desires as well as their satisfaction with the services and products that the organization provides (item 12).

· The fifth and final subscore (items 13 through 16) assesses the extent to which the organization partners with suppliers and maintains facilities that are consistent with providing high quality products and services.

Action Steps Research demonstrates that employee morale is higher in organizations that are committed to quality. Even as you now prepare for a career in business and management, you should be giving thought to the kind of organization you would like to be associated with. You might be happiest if you find a job in an organization with a high commitment to quality. There are several ways to determine whether an organization is committed to quality. First, you can examine the organization’s website, annual reports, and marketing materials. What do these things say about the organization? Second, you can ask current employees about their experience in the organization. It is best to do this in a context where the employees are free to be frank about their experience. Third, you can investigate various third party sources such as business publications and surveys. For example, Fortune magazine annually publishes the “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to know the commitments of the organization you have chosen to assess. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize that other people, some of who have more experience and more knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The discussions that result may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

Range-based feedback:

45 - 60 pts.

3. Feedback: Your team may have high productive energy. Interpreting the Result This assessment measures your perception of the productive energy of a team you are on, or with which you are familiar. If your score is low, your team may have lower commitment and lower job satisfaction compared in comparison to other teams, and thus is in danger of being less productive than it should. You would be more likely to be dissatisfied or unhappy if you were on a low energy team, and you care about the team’s performance. If your score is in the moderate range, your team may have average levels of commitment and job satisfaction, and thus may be performing at an average level but with room for improvement. If your score is in the high range, your team may have high levels of commitment and satisfaction and thus may be producing work at a high level. Action Step If your score results are as you expect, then your perceptions are consistent with research results. If your score results are not as you expect, take a look at the survey items and see if you can discern where a disconnect might be. If your score is in the high range, then be thankful that you are a member of a well-functioning team. While you can always look for ways to improve, you are currently in a good position. If your score is moderate or low, the best action that you can take is to look at the survey items and reflect on areas where your team can improve and, most importantly, what you might be able to do to improve things. For example, the text contains advice on task and maintenance roles that various team members need to perform in order for the team to function effectively. Is it possible that you have the skills and temperament to fill one of the roles that is not currently being adequately performed? Perhaps you can help mediate disputes. Or perhaps you can help the team stay on track by taking good notes on team activity and decisions, circulating those after meetings, and suggesting agenda items for upcoming meetings. The point here is that while it is easy to critique the weaknesses of a team, it is much more helpful to do something to help the weaknesses. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You may not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize that other people, some of who have more experience and knowledge of the team, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The discussions that result may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

4. Positive Online Social Networking Use

Score : 16 pts.

14 - 22 pts.

Feedback: You have moderate positive online social networking use.

Distracting Online Social Networking Use

Score : 9 pts.

5 - 11 pts.

Feedback: You have low distracting online social networking use. Interpreting the Result This assessment is intended to measure the extent to which you use online social networking at work for positive purposes and for distracting purposes.

· If your score is in the low or moderate ranges on the positive items (1 to 6), you should give thought to how you can use online social networking to enhance your productivity. Research indicates employees who report they engage in online social networking at work in these positive ways are rated as better job performers on average compared to employees who do not engage in these behaviors. In contrast, if your score is in the high range on these positive items, you can be encouraged you are not “wasting time.”

· If your score is in the high or moderate ranges on the distracting items (7 to 11), you should give thought to changing your behavior. Research indicates employees who report they engage in online social networking at work in these distracting ways are rated as worse job performers on average compared to employees who do not engage in these behaviors. In contrast, if you do not engage in these distracting behaviors at work, it is likely you are going to be rated as a better performer than your co-workers who do engage in these distracting behaviors.

Action Steps The use of online social networking is positive when it allows you to do activities such as these.

· Connect with others regarding work-related tasks – to the extent your colleagues, customers, friends, vendors, and other key constituents are using online social networking tools, you may benefit from communicating with them in the same way.

· Connect with experts in your organization – larger organizations sometimes have a hard time ensuring expert knowledge in one part of the organization is effectively available to other parts of the organization. Social networking can help you stay connected with experts who can assist you performing your job.

· Connect with experts outside of your organization – crowdsourcing of information and expertise is leading to some very positive outcomes.

Of course, online social networking can also be a huge distraction and waste of time. You need to practice the discipline of knowing when and how to use these tools. School is a good place to practice this discipline. Refrain from checking your Facebook and Twitter feeds while you are in class. This is a habit you will certainly need if you are going to be a high performer on the job. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your social media habits may change over time, or you may come to understand how best to use these tools only later in life. Third, there will inevitably be new social networking apps that are not even anticipated at this point in time. Most technology has both positive and negative uses. Be wise as you navigate technological changes which are coming.

Range-based feedback:

21 - 33 pts.

5. Feedback: You have moderate job fit. Interpreting the Result Not surprisingly, employees who are in jobs that fit them well tend to be satisfied with the work (assuming other things such as pay and supervision are at least acceptable). There are other positive outcomes as well. Employees who have high person-job-fit also tend to have the following characteristics:

· Competence – They know they are good at their job.

· Self-determination – They feel in control of their working lives.

· Impact – They have greater ability to influence how well the organization generally, and their work-group specifically, perform.

· Commitment – They are more likely to feel attached to the organization because they sense they are vitally important.

· Retention – They are less likely to have thoughts of leaving the organization.

Action Steps If you are working, or have worked, in a job in which you perceived high person-job fit, congratulations. This is a good thing you should attempt to replicate in your career choices moving forward. Persons who have high job fit might not know exactly why they feel this way. If this describes you, spend some time reflecting on why it is (or was) you have such positive feelings about your job. You might be helped by talking with trusted advisers about their perceptions about why you fit in a certain type of job. If you have moderate or low job fit, you should give serious consideration to looking for different types of work. Of course, you may be in school specifically so you have the option to look for future work that is a good fit for you. However, many students—even those who are close to graduation—do not have a good sense of the kind of job that would be a good fit for them. If you are in this situation, you should make use of the resources at your school. Most schools have a career development office. The staff members of this office are trained to help you think through the match between your characteristics and a variety of jobs and careers. Often, they will offer you the opportunity to take an assessment which will provide you with helpful information. In addition, you should seek the advice of faculty, parents, friends, coaches and anyone who knows you well. Internships are a particularly good way to determine if you fit well with a particular type of job. Internships are relatively low risk for both the employer and the intern. They are a good way for an employer to get an extended view of your characteristics. And, as an intern, you can determine whether the type of work you are doing is a good match for your characteristics. Finally, you should also remember the choices you make now in terms of your major or even your initial job do not have to determine your entire working career. In fact, many people find that in the early months and years of employment the kind of job they thought would be a good fit turns out not to be such a good thing. This is a very common experience. Do not hesitate to look for other types of employment if you find yourself in a job that does not fit you well. You can even start to make this kind of assessment during the recruitment process. If you think that you will not fit well with an employer, you may want to consider turning down a job offer. Of course, it may be that economic necessity makes it the wise to take even a low fit job. In this case, keep looking even as you begin work with your new less-than-ideal employer. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your person-job fit may change over time, or you may come to understand what your fit actually is only later in life. Third, do not allow yourself to feel like you are trapped in a job that does not suit you. You are always free to pursue other options.

6. In-Group Collectivism

Score : 10 pts.

8 - 10 pts.

Feedback: High In-group Collectivism

Uncertainty Avoidance

Score : 8 pts.

8 - 10 pts.

Feedback: High Uncertainty Avoidance

Future Orientation

Score : 9 pts.

8 - 10 pts.

Feedback: High Future Orientation

Institutional Collectivism

Score : 7 pts.

5 - 7 pts.

Feedback: Medium Institutional Collectivism

Gender Egalitarianism

Score : 2 pts.

2 - 4 pts.

Feedback: Low Gender Egalitarianism

Power Distance

Score : 4 pts.

2 - 4 pts.

Feedback: Low Power Distance

Performance Orientation

Score : 5 pts.

5 - 5 pts.

Feedback: High Performance Orientation

Humane Orientation

Score : 9 pts.

8 - 10 pts.

Feedback: High Humane Orientation

Assertiveness

Score : 5 pts.

5 - 7 pts.

Feedback: Medium Assertiveness Interpreting the Result There are nine GLOBE dimensions that describe and differentiate different elements of culture across nations.

· In-Group Collectivism (items 1 and 2) – the extent to which you think people in society should take pride in their family, circle of close friends, and work organization. While this may sound positive, in some contexts it has a dark side because it can lead to favoritism for persons in the “in-group.” If you scored high, you may think that people should have “in-group” pride. If you scored low, you may think that people should not have “in-group” pride.

· Uncertainty Avoidance (items 3 and 4) – the extent to which you think that people in society should rely on social norms and procedures to alleviate uncertainty of future events. Western societies tend to be high on this dimension which reflects their high value on the rule of law. If you scored high, you may think that there should be clear social norms and procedures. If you scored low, you may think that there should be less clarity in social norms and procedures.

· Future Orientation (items 5 and 6) – the extent to which you think people should plan and save for the future. If you scored high, you may think people in society should plan for the future. If you scored low, you may be more likely to think people should live for the present and let the future take care of itself.

· Institutional Collectivism (items 7 and 8) – the extent to which you think people should be rewarded for loyalty to the group as opposed to pursuing individual goals. Citizens of Asian and Scandinavian countries tend to score high because they tend to favor the achievement of group goals rather than the achievement of individual goals. If you scored high, you may have a collectivist orientation. If you scored low, you may think individuals should be free to pursue their own interests and goals.

· Gender Egalitarianism (items 9 and 10) – the extent to which you think that society should focus on minimizing gender discrimination and role inequality. Scores on this dimension are positively related to objective outcomes such as the ratio of male-to-female earned income and the percentage of females in the adult labor force. If you scored high, you may not be particularly concerned about gender egalitarianism. If you scored low, you may place high value on gender egalitarianism.

· Power Distance (items 11 and 12) – the extent to which you think power should be unequally shared in society. If you scored high, you may be comfortable with a strong and clear hierarchy with power held by relatively few people. If you scored low, you may think society is better when power is more equally shared in society.

· Performance Orientation (item 13) – the extent to which you think people should be challenged to improve their performance, and rewarded for doing so. Asian countries and the United States are high on this dimension. If you scored high, you may be very oriented toward focusing on individual performance. If you scored low, you may be less concerned with pushing people to maximal performance.

· Humane Orientation (items 14 and 15) – the extent to which people in society should be encouraged and rewarded for being altruistic, caring, kind, generous, and fair. If you scored high, you may think this is something that society should encourage. If you scored low, you may think this is not an important social value.

· Assertiveness (items 16 and 17) – the extent to which you think people should be encouraged to be confrontational and competitive as opposed to tender and modest. You might think of whether you prefer people who are more like stereotypical hard-as-nails military leaders (General Patton) or more compassionate and nurturing (Mother Theresa). If you scored high, you may prefer the more confrontational approach. If you scored low, you may favor more modesty in interpersonal relationships.

Action Steps The results of this self-assessment do not necessarily reveal anything you should change. Your views on this subject are not objectively right or wrong. Reasonable people have different beliefs on each of these dimensions. The key action here is to reflect on your own beliefs and orientation and to understand that (1) people in the same culture have different views on these things, and (2) there are cross-cultural differences in how people respond to these dimensions. It is this latter conclusion that is the focus of this chapter. You should know national culture is an important factor in affecting how people think about life and world events. Thus, as you prepare to deal with people across cultures, you will be better prepared to the extent that you understand your own views and the views of others. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while helpful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find that your views about these nine GLOBE dimensions may change over time, or you may come to understand what your views are only later in life. If you think that any of these scores do not reflect what you really think about this dimensions, take some time to look back at the items to see why you scored the way that you did.

Range-based feedback:

56 - 75 pts.

7. Feedback: You have high university experience satisfaction. Interpreting the Result It is true that students are customers in many respects. The staff and faculty of your institution should be concerned about the level of your satisfaction. Faculty should strive to present material in an interesting and relevant manner. Food service providers should work to provide meals which are appealing and healthy. Student life professionals such as resident directors, career counselors, health service providers and many more should provide services that support you in your educational endeavors. Persons involved in course registration, financial aid, and business services should strive to provide high quality service. Therefore, your satisfaction with your college or university experience is a good example of customer satisfaction. A high quality organization is focused on customer satisfaction because customers almost always have other options for their business. Organizations that lose their focus on customers will not maximize their effectiveness. This is also true for universities. Action Steps As a student, you can pay attention to the interactions you have with professional staff. What do you like and what do you not like? Which faculty and staff contribute to your satisfaction with you college or university experience? Which ones detract from your satisfaction? You can also try to model your own behavior after people who are positive and to avoid behaving in what might be perceived as negative. Based on your results, what are the three or four things you think your college or university does not do well? As appropriate, seek out faculty or staff who have responsibility for these things. Rather than complaining, seek to make helpful suggestions about how things might be improved. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize other people, some of whom have more experience and knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The resulting discussions may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

Range-based feedback:

12 - 27 pts.

8. Feedback: You have low strategic planning skills. Interpreting the Result According to research conducted at the College of Business at Ohio State University, the 12 skills you have just self-assessed are fundamental to strategic planning.

· If your score is in the low range, this might indicate you do not think you are well prepared to do strategic planning.

· If your score is in the moderate range, this might indicate you think you possess some of the skills necessary for strategic planning, but there is room for improvement.

· If your score is in the high range, this might indicate you think you do possess the skills necessary for strategic planning.

Action Steps If your score is in the low or moderate range, do not despair. It is not unusual for students to not have these skills, or, at the very least, to be uncertain about whether you have them or not. Each of these skills can be learned and developed. However, they will not develop automatically. You will need to work at putting yourself in situations where you are challenged to get better. For example, if you did not describe yourself as a good listener, congratulations on being honest with yourself. The textbook has guidance on becoming a better listener (see Ch. 15, Communication). You can consciously practice these skills both in formal situations such as in the classroom as well as in informal situations like everyday conversations over meals and with people you live with. Many of these skills are discussed in various chapters within this textbook. For those areas in which you scored low, you might consider reading about them in your book and making a plan for how you can improve. Note that almost all of the skills listed here are what might be called “soft” skills. That is, they have to do with interpersonal relationship and management style as opposed to a so-called “hard” (or concrete) skill such as doing a calculus problem. Computer skills are clearly hard skills, and research skills might best be classified as hard skills also. But the remainder of the skills are things you need to develop and practice. If your score is in the high range, you are well on your way to having the skills necessary to be successful at strategic planning. However, you should not relax. These skills can always be developed and improved. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your skills may change over time, or you may come to understand what your skills actually are only later in life. Third, to repeat, these skills can be learned and developed. If you aspire to management and leadership, these are skills you should work on, both while you are a student, and early in your professional career.

RANGE BASED FEEDBACK:

56-75 pts.

9. Feedback: Your organization has high balanced scorecard use. Interpreting the Result Companies that use a balanced scorecard do so to measure performance from the following four perspectives:

· Financial perspective – Financial measures include data such as sales, revenue, expenses, profit, and stock price.

· Customer perspective – Customer measures include data such as satisfaction, returns and repairs, delivery time, and cost.

· Internal business perspective – The internal business measures include data on production time, inventory on hand, and employee productivity.

· Innovation and learning perspective – The innovation and learning measures include data on dollars spent on employee orientation and training, employee motivation, and patents awarded.

If your score is low or moderate, this might indicate you think that the organization does not use all four perspectives. If your score is in the high range, this might indicate that you do think the organization collects, analyzes, and utilizes data from all four perspectives. Action Steps To the extent you have opportunity, you should think about the work you control and how best to measure things under your control. You will be of great service to your supervisor if you can suggest innovative ways to measure your performance. Many organizations have a system to ensure that individuals have clear measureable goals. (See the discussion on goal setting theory in chapter 12.) You will raise your value to your supervisor, and to the organization, if you can suggest measureable goals in your work area. When you apply for work in a new organization, you should look for ways to communicate that you have a goal and measurement orientation for the four balanced scorecard perspectives. This will set you apart from other applicants. Explain to recruiters ways in which you set goals for yourself, and the ways in which you tracked your progress towards meeting those goals. One way to practice this is to be fully aware of how your instructors measure performance, and to track your own progress as each course proceeds. If you do not understand how your grade is determined, schedule an appointment with your instructor or teaching assistant to learn about this activity. This will help prepare you to measure your own performance. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize other people, some of whom have more experience and knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The resulting discussions may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

10. Feedback: You have a positive attitude towards unions. Interpreting the Result There are several arguments in favor of unions. The most important of these arguments are briefly summarized here.

· Unions help ensure that a fair share of the economic benefits are distributed to non-management employees.

· Unions are a necessary protection for employees from the arbitrary or unfair actions of management.

· Unions give non-management employees a collective voice in the political arena.

If your score is in the negative range, this indicates you are not persuaded by the arguments that are generally made in favor of unions. If your score is in the moderate range, you tend to see both sides of these arguments. If your score is in the high range, you are persuaded by these arguments. Action Steps If your score is in the negative range, you should spend some time reading about the benefits of unions. This is not to say you need to change your mind about the value of unions, but it is always a good idea to understand the alternate point of view. This is particularly true with unions because you may well end up working in an organization that has a union workforce, in whole or in part. The knowledge acquired from reading about union history will help you during interviews at companies that have unions. It will also help you to navigate your way personally and professionally in a unionized work environment. You also might benefit from talking to union members to hear their personal experiences, positive or negative, about being part of a union. If your score is in the positive range, it would be helpful to spend some time studying the arguments against unions. As above, this is not to suggest you should change your position. But, you will almost certainly encounter professional and managerial colleagues who are opposed to unions. You would be helped by understanding the negative arguments. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your attitudes towards unions may change over time, or you may come to understand what your perspective actually is only later in life.

11. HR Generalist

Score : 4 pts.

3-4Feedback : Your suitability to be an HR generalist might be high.

Compensation Professional

Score : 3 pts.

3-4Feedback : Your suitability to be a compensation professional might be high.

HR Information System Professional

Score : 4 pts.

3-4Feedback : Your suitability to be an HR information system professional might be high.

Benefits Professional

Score : 4 pts.

3-4Feedback : Your suitability to be a benefits professional might be high.

Training and Development Professional

Score : 4 pts.

3-4Feedback : Your suitability to be a training and development professional might be high.

Organizational Development Professional

Score : 4 pts.

3-4Feedback : Your suitability to be an organizational development professional might be high.

Total score: 23 pts.

RANGE BASED FEEDBACK:

17-24 pts.

Feedback: Your suitability to be an HR professional might be high. Interpreting the Result This self-assessment is designed to help you assess whether a human resource career might be right for you. The scores provide feedback on specific positions within HR, as well as an overall score. Here is a brief description of each of the types of HR positions.

· HR generalist – HR generalists take on many different roles, whether negotiating a company’s employee benefits package or interviewing a candidate for a director-level position. An HR generalist is supposed to be flexible and able to change gears at a moment’s notice.

· Compensation professional – Compensation professionals, who are very much in demand, design reward systems that attract, retain, and motivate employees. The job requires both good technical skills and good people skills. It also requires a great amount of number crunching, creativity, and ingenuity, because a compensation package that might work for one employee might not work for another.

· HRIS professional – HRIS stands for Human Resource Information Systems. With technology now such a key part of human resources, HRIS products help companies manage their personnel. Because information systems are now so sophisticated, there is great demand for experienced HRIS professionals, who must be very detail oriented and, of course, enjoy working with computers. Such professionals are involved in product selection, systems customization, implementation, and ongoing administration.

· Benefits professional – Benefits professionals are responsible for designing and implementing benefits plans. The job requires strong technical and communication skills.

· Training and development professional – Training and development professionals are responsible for building environments that foster learning, management, and leadership development. People in this field may be involved in distance learning programs as well as on-site, computer-based training programs.

· Organizational development professional – Organizational development (OD) professionals work with top management to make sure the organizational design adheres to the company’s mission, vision, and goals. Besides doing some training and development, an OD professional must be able to embrace change and work long hours.

The overall HR professional score is helpful because many small or medium size organizations need HR professionals who can perform multiple HR functions. If your score is low or moderate, you may not be suitable or enjoy HR work. If your score is high, you might want to give serious consideration to pursuing a career in HR. If you are wondering about pay, here is a quote from “ www.allbusinessschools.com/human-resources/salary/  ” “According to the 2016-17 Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median national annual salary for a human resources manager is $102,780. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors.” Action Steps If your scores indicate you might be suited for an HR career, and if these brief job descriptions sound like something you would like to do, there are a number of things you can do to prepare yourself.

· Talk with your faculty adviser and other professors about what coursework is best suited to human resources. Many business programs have a course or courses in these topic areas. Take every appropriate business course that you can.

· In addition to business courses, course work in psychology and communications are very useful as well. In psychology, the most appropriate courses might have titles like Introduction to Psychology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Work Psychology, Tests and Measures, Cross-Cultural Psychology, and Social Psychology. Almost any communications course will be helpful to you.

· Talk to a one or more current HR professionals. Ask them how they obtained their positions, what they like and dislike about their positions, and what advice they have for you.

· Pursue an HR internship.

· Visit the website for the Society of Human Resource Management. It has a wealth of information about HR careers.

Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your interest in HR may change over time, or you may come to understand what your interest actually is only later in life. Third, work in HR is not for everyone. If your scores are low, and if these jobs do not interest you, there are many, many other types of managerial careers available to you.

RANGE BASED FEEDBACK:

37-59 pts.

12. Feedback: Your view of employees is split evenly between a Theory X and a Theory Y perspective. Interpreting the Result It would be a rare manager who was completely Theory X or completely Theory Y. Later in this chapter, you will learn about a contingency approach to management. This is the view that managers can—and should—adjust their managerial perspective and behavior to the particular employee and situation that they are dealing with. So, if an employee has shown themselves to be trustworthy, the manager who operates from a contingency perspective will place a great deal of trust in that employee, whereas newer employees or employees who have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted will get more of their attention. However, it is also true that employees will often behave in ways consistent with the way people expect them to behave. This “self-fulfilling prophecy” effect is well known and well established. You might be able to think of a person who believed in you so much that your performance was even better than you thought it could be. This might have been a teacher in a class, a coach in a sport, or a leader of a scouting group. The point here is that managers who have a stronger Theory Y perspective are more likely to have employees who live up to their optimistic expectations. Action Steps If you find that the results on this assessment are not what you expect, you should take the opportunity to reflect on why this might be. If you are stronger in a Theory X orientation, you can begin to work on seeing the good in other people even while acknowledging that we all have imperfections. To use an analogy from research on helping couples who have marital problems, it is clear that if you expect to see problems in other people, you will find them and it leads to difficult relationships. But it is also true that you can train yourself to see the good things in other people (including your employees), and if you work at this, you will find you will be rewarded with better relationships. By the way, if you are in a romantic relationship, this same advice applies to you. The more that you look for the good in someone else, the more you will find it. If you are strong in a Theory Y perspective, you need to be aware that it is also good to have a watchful eye. President Ronald Reagan is famous for saying that in the context of negotiations about nuclear weapons and capabilities with the Soviet Union that the United States should “trust, but verify.” For example, while you should trust your employees, you should also have good controls over things such as cash management, travel reimbursements, and treating customers well. Finally, if you are in work situation where your boss or supervisor is overly harsh and controlling, you should know that many managers are not like this. You might want to look for another employment opportunity that would be more consistent with the way that you would like to be treated. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find that your orientation to employees may change over time, or you may come to understand what your perspective actually is only later in life. Third, the Theory X and Theory Y concepts are very simplified versions of perspectives of employees. So, this self-assessment is useful to the extent that it helps you to understand both your own view of people, as well as helping you to understand that managers differ in their view of employees.

13. Future Work Self-Salience

Score : 24 pts.

19 - 25 pts.

Feedback: You have a high ability to imagine your future.

Current Behaviors and Future Orientation

Score : 27 pts.

23 - 30 pts.

Feedback: You have a high orientation to the future.

Upward Career Aspirations

Score : 25 pts.

19 - 25 pts.

Feedback: You have high upward career aspirations.

Feedback score:

Score : 76 pts.

Range-based Feedback:

60 - 80 pts.

Feedback: You have a high future career identity. Interpreting the Result

· Future Work Self-Salience – In the first five items, you are asked about how easy it is for you to imagine your future life, particularly as it relates to work.

· Current Behaviors and Future Orientation – Items 6 to 11 measure the extent to which your current thought and behavior is oriented around your desire to achieve certain future outcomes.

· Career Aspirations – Items 12 to 16 measure the extent to which you are motivated to become a manager and leader in an organization, and to consistently move up from lower level management to upper level management.

In addition to calculating these three subscores, an overall total is also given. This total score combines the responses from the three dimensions to give an overall score of your future career identity. If your score is in the low or moderate range, this may indicate you have a tendency to neglect future possibilities as you think and behave in the present. If your score is in the high range, this may indicate you have a tendency to want to aim at specific future goals and outcomes. Action Steps Planning is a critically important function of management. In order to plan, you need the ability to imagine the future and the motivation to plan. Research indicates people vary in terms of this orientation. This self-assessment helps you to discern the extent to which you may have this orientation by asking about your plans for yourself. If you scored in the low or moderate range, you might want to give some thought to developing plans for yourself. This begins by creating personal mission and vision statements. These are defined, discussed and illustrated in section 2 of Chapter 5. Most of the discussion relates to developing these statements for organizations, but the basic ideas hold for doing these for yourself. A personal vision statement identifies what you want to become over your life span. This will force you to think about priorities across various aspects of your life such as work, home, leisure, and friendships. It also helps clarify various milestone events you want to occur. For example, at what age would you like to purchase a home, have children, be debt free, and retire. Once these statements are in place, you can use them as the starting point to do some strategic planning (should you go to graduate school?, should we try to have children?, how should we decide where we should live?, and so on). Making plans to accomplish these milestones will help turn them into reality. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your future work orientation may change over time, or you may come to understand what your perspective actually is only later in life. A third caveat relates to the Upward Career Aspirations dimension. Sometimes, people assume a successful life can only be judged by career and salary progression. This scale might contribute to that assumption. However, there are many criteria by which life success can be measured, most of which have nothing to do with career or salary progression. Persons who want to help others often work in low paying contexts and have very satisfying lives. Many people find themselves in jobs they enjoy and which they are well-suited for, and have no interest in advancing further in the organization. Do not let this scale contribute to the fallacious view that success can only be equated with career and salary progression.

14. Feedback: Your organization is high in strategic thinking. Interpreting the Result In order for strategic thinking to be successful, it needs to be embedded within an organization’s culture. There are several things an organization can do to embed an activity such as strategic thinking in its culture.

· Make the activity measureable (for example, what percentage of executive time is spent on strategic issues).

· Make it the basis for resource allocation decisions.

· Make it the basis for personnel decisions such as promotion and termination.

· Model the activity and coach less senior managers in how to do it.

· Make it the basis for compensation decisions.

· Use crises as an opportunity to communicate its importance.

This assessment is intended to measure the extent to which these things are present in the organization you rated. If your score is low or moderate, this might indicate the organization has a long way to go to embed strategic thinking in the organization. If your score is high, this might indicate the rated organization is doing a good job in this area. Action Steps Young professionals are limited in actions they can take to influence the way in which their organizations are run. However, it is important to recognize that strategic thinking is done at all organizational levels. You can begin to train yourself to think strategically in almost any organizational setting or level. For example, you can do a SWOT analysis for a student organization, for a non-profit where you volunteer, or for a workgroup in which you have an internship. When you have the opportunity, ask leaders if they would be willing to talk with you about the strategic issues they are facing, and the processes they have in place to do this kind of analysis. In addition, the business press is filled with examples of strategic analysis, including both examples of strategic decisions that have gone very well and those that have not. One of the best things you can do as a business student and young professional is to develop a habit of regularly reading a business newspaper or periodical on a regular basis. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize that other people, some of whom have more experience and knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The discussions that result may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

15. Feedback: You have high entrepreneurial orientation. Interpreting the Result Research indicates that entrepreneurs seem to have a particular set of characteristics that cause them to want to take the risk to start their own business. The research used to develop this survey identified five characteristics as being most important. The most influential characteristic seems to be resourcefulness, which is the tendency to have ideas and the desire to act on those ideas. The first three survey items are indicators of this characteristic. The second most important characteristic is having a future orientation. Items 4, 5 and 12 are indicators of this characteristic. Taken together, these two characteristics seem most important in determining whether you have a strong orientation to be an entrepreneur. The third characteristic, assessed by items 6 and 7, is to believe in your own competence. The fourth characteristic is the ability and willingness to understand your own strengths and weaknesses (items 8 & 9). The final characteristic is the desire to build a business that has a good reputation and that provides employment opportunities for other people (items 10 and 11). Action Steps If the result of this assessment suggests that you have an orientation towards entrepreneurship, there are several things that you can do to prepare yourself. First, if your college or university offers a course or courses in entrepreneurship, talk to your academic adviser about fitting one or more courses into your schedule. Second, seek out conversations with people in your network who are, or who have been, entrepreneurs. Listen to what they have to say, particularly so that you get a realistic preview of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Third, seek out internship opportunities where you can work closely with an entrepreneur. This generally would mean working in a smaller organization where you can be close to the boss. Be sure to ask for advice, including asking the entrepreneur to be brutally honest about both the pluses and minuses of owning your own business. If your score is in the low or moderate range, this may mean that you do not possess the characteristics associated with successful entrepreneurship. There is no shame in this—the evidence indicates that most people, even highly successful people in business—would not be successful as entrepreneurs. You will likely want to orient your career preparation and job search towards working in established organizations. Be sure to take maximal advantage of whatever career services your institution offers as you think about where your skills and abilities would be best utilized. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while helpful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your orientation to entrepreneurship changes over time, or you may come to understand what your capabilities are only later in life. Third, entrepreneurship takes on a wide variety of forms. There are many ways to be an entrepreneur. If you think your low or moderate score on this scale is not reflective of your true entrepreneurial orientation, do not let this score stop you from investigating an entrepreneurial life. After all, if you scored lower on this assessment than you hoped, and you are disappointed by that result, that disappointment in and of itself might be evidence that you have an orientation to entrepreneurship.

16. Autonomy

Score : 29 pts.

23 - 30 pts.

Feedback: You have a high need for autonomy.

Competence

Score : 30 pts.

23 - 30 pts.

Feedback: You have a high need for competence.

Relatedness

Score : 27 pts.

23 - 30 pts.

Feedback: You have a high need for relatedness. Interpreting the Result The self-reported needs you see in yourself in an educational context may also be the same needs you will see in yourself at work.

· Autonomy – The extent to which you have the desire to be independent and in control of your situation and environment. For example, you are likely high in the desire for autonomy if you like to be told what the end goal is, but then left alone so you can decide how best to reach the goal.

· Competence – The extent to which you have the desire to feel successful in your work. For example, you are likely high in the desire for competence if you are driven to earn an “A” grade in the course.

· Relatedness – The extent to which you have the desire to feel interpersonally connected to your teacher (or boss) and your classmates (or co-workers).

If your scores are in the low or moderates ranges in any or all of the three areas, this might indicate you are not particularly motivated by one of more of these desires. In contrast, it is quite possible your scores are high in all three areas. If so, you would be a good person to defend self-determination theory. Action Steps The text book discusses actions managers can take in response to self-determination perspective on motivation. If you find yourself in a managerial or leadership position right now, such as the leader of a student group, a shift supervisor in a fast food franchise, or a team captain, you can put these ideas to work immediately. Here is a brief summary.

· Autonomy – Look for ways to give responsibility to others and let them decide how to accomplish the tasks which need to be done. You should avoid the temptation to micro-manage the performance of other people.

· Competence – Look for ways to help others learn how to do their job better. This might involve training, or it might involve some positive encouragement whenever they do something well.

· Relatedness – Look for ways to connect with the people with whom you work. Ask about their family and other aspects of their personal life. This is much easier if you are willing to share things about yourself with them.

If you are not in a management or leadership position, you can still put these ideas into practice.

· Autonomy – If you are high on autonomy, you may want to look for jobs and careers in which employees can exercise considerable self-direction. Many professional and managerial jobs are like this. In contrast, if you are working in a structured office environment, you may have little control over your schedule and how you do your work.

· Competence – If you are high in the need for competence, the best thing to do is to prepare yourself well. In school, this means being well prepared for tests and not waiting to the last moment to write papers. At work, this might mean taking advantage of training opportunities, asking for help and advice, and putting in the extra time to ensure your work is done well.

· Relatedness – If you are high in relatedness, make the effort to meet and talk with your co-workers. They are much more likely to open up to you if you open up to them first. Share personal stories. Go out to lunch. Listen and be concerned.

Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your self-determination needs may change over time, or you may come to understand what your needs actually are only later in life. Third, be aware that human motivation is very complex. Self-determination theory is just one perspective. If it does not resonate with you, look for another perspective to guide your thinking.

17. Feedback: You might have a moderate attitude toward corporate social responsibility. Interpreting the Result This self-assessment is intended to help you reflect on your attitudes about CSR.

· If your score is in the positive range (low scores), this might indicate you are very comfortable with the idea of CSR. That is, you think corporations should have social responsibility as one of its chief goals alongside profit maximization and abiding by all applicable laws and regulations.

· If your score is in the moderate range, this might indicate you are only somewhat comfortable with the idea of CSR. That is, you think corporations should take social responsibility into account in some types of decisions, but it should probably not be as high a goal as profit maximization.

· If your score is in the negative range (high scores), this might indicate you are very uncomfortable with the idea of CSR. That is, you likely think corporations should not generally consider social responsibility as a goal or even a consideration when making important business decisions.

Action Steps The textbook adopts the perspective that CSR is a good and reasonable idea. However, as the textbook notes, there are organizational theorists and economists who disagree. So, your score is neither right nor wrong, but it does reflect a specific orientation. No matter where you scored, you should try to understand the opposing perspective because this is important in many corporate contexts. You will be able to understand what is going on better the more you are informed. You will almost certainly encounter colleagues who have a different perspective. You will be a better manager and leader if you are able to understand and talk intelligently about this issue. Your score on this self-assessment will also be helpful to you as you consider various employment opportunities. Different employers and corporations have different views on whether CSR is a good idea. You are more likely to fit-in when your attitudes are consistent with those of your employer. Further, among those corporations who value CSR, there is considerable variability in what this means. Some corporations focus on the well-being of its employees. Other corporations focus on supporting charitable activity of one sort or another. For example, TOMS famously donates one pair of shoes to people in impoverished communities for every pair of shoes purchased. In contrast, other corporations allow their employees to take paid time off to volunteer in a variety of charitable activities. The point here is you may want to use the results of this self-assessment to guide you in your search for suitable employment. Employees who fit with the corporate culture are more likely to be satisfied and productive. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your view about CSR may change over time, or you may come to understand what your perspective actually is only later in life. Third, there are many varieties of CSR. While you may be uncomfortable with some versions of CSR, you may find you are quite comfortable with other versions.

18. Feedback: You have high global manager potential. Interpreting the Result The characteristics of a successful global manager include the following 14 dimensions: sensitive to cultural differences, business knowledge, courage, brings out the best in people, integrity, insightful, committed, takes risks, seeks feedback, uses feedback, is culturally adventurous, seeks learning opportunities, open to criticism, and flexibility. If your score is low, this may mean you do not possess enough of these 14 characteristics or that you are particularly low in too many of them. If your score is moderate, you might be on the cusp of having the characteristics necessary to be a global manager. If your score is high, you might be well on your way to preparing yourself for working as a manager in international contexts. Action Steps If you have aspirations to work in a global management context, and if you scored low on this self-assessment, all is not lost. There are many things that you can do to prepare yourself for this exciting and challenging work. In school, you should take courses focusing on international business, economics, and social issues. If you have the opportunity to study internationally, you should pursue those opportunities. This includes studying abroad for a semester or a year, but also includes shorter international study trips as well. If your school does not offer such opportunities, there are many options you can find online. Additionally, you might seek out internship opportunities with companies with international operations. Finally, look at the items on this assessment, identify your areas of weakness, and begin to work on them. If your score is in the moderate or high range, you are in a stronger position at this point in your life, but you also need to pursue the same courses and experiences that are listed in the previous paragraph. A high score is no reason to assume that you are as prepared as you can be. The fact is that successful managers are constantly looking for opportunities in which they can challenge themselves to learn as much as they can. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while helpful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find that your global manager perspective may change over time, or you may come to understand what your strengths are only later in life. If you think that your score does not reflect your actual global management potential, take some time to look back at the items to see why you scored the way that you did. Do not let a score on this self-assessment discourage you from pursuing your career aspirations, but you should use the information gathered here to help you know what you need to work on.

19. Feedback: You have a positive attitude toward teamwork. Interpreting the Result Teamwork is important for many reasons. Here is a brief summary of some of the reasons given in the textbook.

· Productivity increases – Businesses find when teams are functioning well, the effectiveness of the organization improves.

· Increased speed – When employees work together effectively, business processes can be accomplished more quickly.

· Reduced costs – Expenses can be reduced because effective teamwork reduces redundancies.

· Improved quality – The pooled ideas of employees leads to better quality products and services.

· Reduced destructive internal competition – When employees are not working toward a shared, common goal, organizational effectiveness is reduced.

· Improved workplace cohesiveness – Persons involved in effective teams develop a collaborative spirit.

Action Steps If your score is in the negative range, you might be a good example of the common student attitude described above. You might not like teamwork for a wide variety of reasons. The entire educational system is not helpful here because it rewards individual effort and achievement, rather than effective teamwork. Nonetheless, you need to work on fighting this negative attitude. Here are some things you can do.

· Learn to cooperate. Although it may be initially distasteful, your team experiences will help you to learn the value of collaboration.

· The fundamental attitude needed for effective teamwork is that teammates trust each other. Ample research shows trust is reciprocal. That is, the more you trust other people, the more likely it is they will trust you. So, the action you can take is to decide to trust your teammates more.

· Effective teams are cohesive. That is, they stick together even when times are difficult. Athletes know this very well. But it is also true in student teams and workplace teams.

· Having a common goal is very helpful for fostering positive attitudes. In everyday language, this means ensuring everyone is on the same page. You can help your team by being clear about what the goal is and what needs to be done to accomplish it.

If your score is in the neutral range, you can take action to improve your attitude by working on the same things that are listed above. Your score indicates you are closer to a positive attitude than some others might be. If your score is in the high range, this might indicate you possess the type of attitude towards teamwork employers are looking for. When you are interviewing for jobs, you should think of two or three specific examples of when you have been a good teammate and have helped a team to achieve its goals, and then communicate those examples when appropriate. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your attitudes towards teamwork may change over time, or you may come to understand what your attitude actually is only later in life. Third, attitudes towards teamwork can be changed. Use the advice given above as well as in the textbook to help you.

20. Feedback: You may have high motivation to lead. Interpreting the results Research shows that there are three elements to the motivation to lead. The first element is the extent to which you see yourself as a leader and the extent to which you find yourself accepting or pursuing leadership positions. One of the truisms in life is that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. If you find that others see you as a leader (for instance, you have been asked to lead a student organization or you have been voted as a team captain), then there is a strong possibility that you will desire to be in leadership positions in the future. Items 1 through 4 are related to this element. The second element is the extent to which you are willing to act in a leadership role even when there is no clear reward for doing so. For example, if you have found yourself willing to spend extra time to help organize group activities or to be prepared to run a meeting even if there is no compensation (money, class credit) for doing these things, then this suggests that you have a strong internal motivation to lead. Items 5 through 7 are related to this element. The third element is the extent to which you respond positively when you are asked to lead and the extent to which you think that you have a duty to provide leadership when the opportunity presents itself. Research shows that people who have these thoughts and beliefs are more likely to be successful leaders. Items 8 through 10 are related to this element. Action Steps If you have a history of leadership, and you have found those experiences to be fun and rewarding, then you likely have higher scores on this self-assessment. You can be confident that you are building a good foundation for future leadership responsibilities. If your score on this assessment is lower than you hoped or expected, it may be that you have not had the opportunity to test whether you would be a good leader or not. If you have the desire to assume managerial and leadership responsibilities in the future, you should seek out opportunities for leadership right now. Your university or college probably has a number of possibilities for this. There are student organizations, varsity and intramural athletic teams, student life positions, and many more. Outside of higher education, you might have a job in which you can pursue leadership positions, even in small ways. Or you might belong to a social organization in which you can seek out leadership positions. In short, the best way to see if you have the motivation to lead is to actually lead and see how it goes. As this course proceeds, you will learn many things that are associated with quality management and leadership. Research shows that people can learn to be good leaders if they have the motivation and opportunity. Take the things that you read about in the text, and that you learn about and discuss in class, and put them into practice wherever and whenever you can. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while it is helpful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture the unique person that you are in a short self-assessment. Second, many people find that their preferences for leadership change over time, or that they come to understand what their actual leadership capabilities are only later in life. Third, leadership takes on a wide variety of forms. For example, being a leader in a social service agency has different elements than being a leader in a law enforcement department. In short, if you scored lower on this assessment than you hoped, and you are disappointed by that result, that disappointment in and of itself might be evidence that you are motivated to lead. How you perform in leadership situations, and how much you like leading, will be a better indicator of leadership than this, or any other, survey.

21. Obstacle #1: Rules

Score : 3 pts.

3 - 6 pts.

Feedback: Good rules execution.

Obstacle #2: Emotions

Score : 3 pts.

3 - 6 pts.

Feedback: Good emotions execution.

Obstacle #3: Initiatives

Score : 3 pts.

3 - 6 pts.

Feedback: Good initiatives execution.

Obstacle #4: Immediate Actions

Score : 4 pts.

3 - 6 pts.

Feedback: Good immediate action execution.

Obstacle #5: Integrity

Score : 3 pts.

3 - 6 pts.

Feedback: Good integrity execution. Interpreting the Result A number of obstacles to the execution of strategic plans exist. Five of the more important ones are measured by this assessment.

· Rules – Organizations need to have rules, or systems, in place that serve to communicate how important goals are to be achieved. If the rules focus on the wrong goals, or a limited set of goals, it is difficult for the organization to pursue the goals specified in the strategic plan.

· Emotions – Employees in the organization need to be committed to achieving the goals of the strategic plan. If employees are not emotionally attached to the plan, then execution of the strategy is difficult.

· Initiatives – Managers and employees must actually take initiative to move toward accomplishment of the objectives of the strategic plan. For example, if the plan calls for an increased marketing effort, resources must be allocated, appropriate personnel hired, marketing firms interviewed, and so on.

· Immediate Actions – The leaders of the organization need to create a sense of urgency in order for necessary changes to take place. Organizations tend to do things the way they always have been done unless executives are able to create and maintain the perception that change must occur.

· Integrity – A successful strategic plan should have goals and objectives consistent with the values of the organization. If employees detect a mismatch between goals and values, there is likely to be considerable resistance to carrying out the plan.

Action Steps Take a look at the 3 or 4 items you rated lowest. Think of things you can do—or could have done—to improve the way the organization functioned in those areas. Be as specific as possible. What behaviors could you do, and what other behaviors could you avoid, that would help move the organization forward. While it is true lower level employees generally do not have the responsibility for strategic execution, it is also true if you see yourself as part of the solution rather than merely a passive observer and critic, you are much more likely to help your organization. And, you are much more likely to put yourself in the position of being promoted into a higher level position where you will have the opportunity to be responsible for the execution of strategic plans. Young professionals are limited in actions they can take to influence the way in which their organizations are run. However, it is important to recognize the execution of strategic plans is done at all organizational levels. You can begin to train yourself to act strategically in almost any organizational setting or level. For example, you can do a SWOT analysis for a student organization, for a non-profit where you volunteer, or for a workgroup in which you have an internship. Once a SWOT is done, you can collaboratively develop a strategic plan and think about how to execute the goals and objectives. Doing these things on a small-scale will give you good practice. You will likely discover that, as difficult as planning can be, execution can be even harder. Good managers and leaders know how to move plans forward in spite of the obstacles that may exist. In addition, the business press is filled with examples of strategic execution, including both examples of strategic plans that have gone very well and those that have not gone well. One of the best things you can do as a business student and young professional is to develop a habit of regularly reading a business newspaper or periodical on a regular basis. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize that other people, some of whom have more experience and knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The discussions that result may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

22. Feedback: Your organization has a supportive communication climate. Interpreting the Result

· Supportive communication climate – An organization with a supportive communication climate is characterized as having a great deal of collaboration, a sense of equality among employees, spontaneity, and empathy. When problems arise, they are dealt with openly and with a problem solving orientation.

· Defensive communication climate – An organization with a defensive communication climate is characterized as authoritarian, with tight managerial control, and the use of interpersonal manipulation to attempt to control other people.

· A supportive communication climate – An organization is associated with higher employee satisfaction and commitment.

Action Steps If your score is in the defensive communication climate range, you should think about ways you can act and communicate which will help to lessen the negative culture in which you are working. It is likely you cannot do much in the short-term to change the way your boss specifically, or management generally, communicates overall. But, communication research shows that people communicate with others in part based the way they are expected to communicate. Thus, if you go to work expecting your boss is going to be mean and controlling, there is a higher likelihood your boss will be mean and controlling. If you take steps to break the cycle of defensive and controlling communication, you may be able to break the pattern, or at least lessen its severity. If you find the climate is too oppressive, you probably should be begin to search for other employment. If you work in a larger organization, this might involve transferring from one position to another. If you find you do not fit with the organizational culture for whatever reason, it is better to move than to try to just endure the situation. If your score is in the neutral or supportive range, this is probably a good place to work. You should be mindful of your own communication tendencies. Strive to be supportive rather than defensive. The textbook contains advice on how to avoid defensive communication. This includes building trust, controlling personal pride, developing and using helpful listening skills, and avoiding stereotypes and prejudice. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this assessment, while helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize other people, some of whom have more experience and knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The resulting discussions may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

23. Feedback: Your organization may have a good climate for innovation. Interpreting the Result If your score is in the poor range, this may indicate your organization finds that it is difficult to innovate. For example, Sears long dominated the retail and mail order sectors in the United States. However, Sears was not able to respond successfully to the innovative practices that Walmart developed prior to the introduction of the internet, and has further been unable to compete in the online marketplace. If your score is in the moderate range, this may indicate your organization has some features that foster innovation, but that it could be better at innovating. If your score is in the high range, this indicates your organization is well situated for innovative innovation. For example, IBM has successfully re-invented itself through the various stages of the technology revolution. Once primarily known for its manufacturing prowess, IBM has transformed itself into a provider of software and business services. Action Steps As a single individual, and probably one who does not have a great deal of influence in your organization, it is likely there is not much that you can do at the organizational level to change the climate for innovation, at least in the short term. However, you can do two things. First, you can use your influence to foster innovation in your particular work group or department. Major innovations often start in small and unexpected ways. Second, you can help the organization nurture innovative practices. Look at the items you scored lower, and then look for ways you might be of assistance in fostering and nurturing innovative practices. If you focused on a smaller organization, of if you are an entrepreneur yourself, you can certainly use the information from this brief survey to give guidance as to how you might help your organization develop a climate that supports innovation. Finally, as a student of business, you are preparing yourself for a career. You will be a more attractive job candidate to the extent that you are aware of the need for innovation, familiar with innovative practices, and comfortable with the change that accompanies innovation. Use the material in the text to familiarize yourself with the terms, concepts, and practices associated with innovation. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this assessment, while it is helpful for understanding, should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should also recognize that other people, some of whom have more experience and knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check your perceptions of the organization with other people. The discussions that result may be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.

24. Feedback: You have moderate consumer ethnocentrism. Interpreting the Result If your score shows you have low consumer ethnocentrism, this means you think it is fine to purchase goods made in foreign countries. You are less likely to consider where something is made when making a purchasing decision. Rather, you are likely to consider factors such as product quality, price, and availability. If your score shows you have moderate consumer ethnocentrism, this means you have a moderate belief that it might be inappropriate to purchase foreign-made goods, but this belief it not so strong as to overwhelm other considerations. You might also consider the source of the product equally with other considerations such as product quality and price. If your score shows that you have high consumer ethnocentrism, this means you might think it is inappropriate or wrong to purchase goods made in a foreign country, particularly when you have a choice. You might be likely to only consider products made domestically, even if you perceive that domestically-produced products are of inferior quality or a higher price. Action Steps The results of this self-assessment do not necessarily reveal anything that you should change. Your views on this subject are not objectively right or wrong. Reasonable people have beliefs on both sides of this issue. Therefore, there is no specific action that your result on this survey points to other than recognizing that this is an issue that people can, and do, view quite differently. The research on which this self-assessment is based shows two interesting demographic relationships. First, persons who come from a lower socio-economic background tend to be higher in consumer ethnocentrism compared to persons who come from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Second, older persons tend to score higher in consumer ethnocentrism than younger people. In both cases, these effects are consistent with the view that persons whose economic livelihood is connected with the availability of blue-collar jobs – the kind of jobs most threatened by foreign competition – are more likely to score higher in consumer ethnocentrism. So, no matter where you scored, you should at least take the time to try to understand why someone might hold a different view. Survey Caveat Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while helpful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find that your orientation to consumer ethnocentrism may change over time, or you may come to understand what your views are only later in life. If you think that your score does not reflect what you really think about this issue, take some time to look back at the items to see why you scored the way that you did.

25. Feedback : You might have a high preference for an organic organization. Interpreting the Result

· If your mechanistic score is 5 or more points higher than your organic score, you may find you would fit better in a mechanistic organization.

· If your organic score is 5 or more points higher than your mechanistic score, you may find you would fit better in an organic organization.

· If your mechanistic and organic scores are within 4 or fewer points of each other, you may find you would fit well in either type of organization.

As is described in the text, mechanistic organizations have an orientation towards centralized authority, where tasks and rules are clearly specified, and where employees are closely supervised. An organization which is highly mechanistic is any branch of the U. S. military (Army, Navy, or Air Force). However, there are many business organizations which, while not this extreme, have a strong mechanistic orientation. For example, Amazon is well-known as an organization which has strong centralized authority and a number of policies in place which prescribe a clear set of expectations of employees. In contrast, organic organizations tend to have decentralized authority, have fewer rules and procedures, and expect employees to be able to cooperate and respond quickly to unexpected tasks. Colleges and universities are good examples of this type of organization. Think of the different styles and expectations your various professors have for you. Faculty have a great deal of individual discretion in how they do their work. Consulting firms and organizations which are strong in research and development also tend to be organic in nature. Action Steps There are four actions you might take in response to this self-assessment. The first pertains to thinking about the type of organization you might be most suited for and then aiming your career preparation accordingly. When interviewing for jobs, prepare questions for recruiters that aim to determine if the company has the type of organizational structure you prefer. For example, if you like organic structures, you might ask “to what extent are employees empowered to make decisions?” The second pertains to broadening your perspective about organizational structure. You can do this by seeking internship experiences that will allow you to see how organizations work from the inside. You may also seek advice from parents, advisers, and career office professionals. Ask them about different organizational types and the ways they have fit well (or not) with their organizations. Of course you might discuss this issue with the professor teaching this course. The third action relates to the idea of individual differences and the idea that there is not one best type of organizational structure. Some people love highly structured environments and are uncomfortable with the ambiguity that can be found in organic organizations. Conversely, some people dislike structured environments and prefer autonomy and flexibility within the work environment. The key is to find a company which possesses a structure that fits your preferences. Take a few minutes to think about your results and what they reveal about your preferences. The fourth action relates to interpersonal interactions between people with different structural preferences. If you prefer an organic structure, you are more likely to get frustrated by people who want structure or direction at work. The converse is true of people who prefer mechanistic structures. Don’t take offense to differences in such preferences. Realize the cause is personal preferences and then do your best to accommodate or work with them. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your organizational structure preference may change over time, or you may come to understand what your perspective actually is only later in life. Third, be aware that neither people not organizations fit neatly into these two categories. Many people like mechanistic structure in some circumstances, and organic structures in other circumstances. And while organizations may have overall tendencies, most organizations will have departments or divisions which are different from the dominant structure. So, for example, a highly mechanistic organization will have certain departments which tend to be more organic, and vice versa.

26. Feedback: You have high financial literacy. Interpreting the Result In order to have a good understanding of personal finance, you need to be aware of issues such as these.

· Seek online resources – There are many, many resources available online to help you improve your personal finance literacy. One of them is provided by a partnership between the Bank of America and the Khan Academy ( www.bettermoneyhabits.com/khan-academy-partnership.html ).

· Consult financial professionals – There are many options to get financial advice from professionals such as bankers, insurance agents, realtors, and many more. Often, they can give you free advice in exchange for the opportunity to win your business. We encourage to meet with a financial planner in your 20s and start to discuss long-term financial planning.

· Read books and newspapers – There are many books which provide a good overview of personal finance topics. In addition, many newspapers (both print and online) offer regular columns and stories about personal finance.

There is no shortage of resources available to you. You should take advantage of one or more of these resources in order to be in position to take control of your personal financial situation. Remember that is it never too early to start financial planning. Setting financial goals and plans is more likely to help you create a positive financial future. Survey Caveat Remember your score on this self-assessment, while useful for self-understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find your knowledge of personal finance improves as you take courses in finance and accounting. Third, do not let a low score convince you these topics are not possible for you to understand. You can improve your knowledge and understanding as long as you are motivated to do so.