essay
malaadi
SELF-ASSESSMENTPORTFOLIODROPBOX.docxSAT 1
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.
SAT 2
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.
SAT 3
Interpreting the Result There are many systems that attempt to capture ethical values. This self-assessment measures one possible approach to ethics. You are classified along two dimensions, and then these are used to create four categories of people. First, let’s define the two dimensions. Idealism – This is the extent to which you think there is always a clear “right” or “good” action. Relativism – This is the extent to which you think there are, or are not, absolute moral rules when making ethical judgments. This then leads to the following four categories.
· Situationists – Persons who are high on both idealism and relativism scales. The typical attitude is to “reject moral rules” and advocate that each situation should be analyzed individualistically.
· Subjectivitists – Persons who are low on idealism, but high on relativism. The typical attitude is to approach moral situations “based on personal values rather than universal moral principles.”
· Absolutists – Persons who are high on idealism but low on relativism. The typical attitude is to approach moral questions with the assumption that “the best possible outcome can be achieved by following universal moral rules.”
· Exceptionalists – Persons who are low on both idealism and relativism. The typical attitude is to think there are moral absolutes but to be “pragmatically open to exceptions.”
If your score is in the moderate range on one or both scales, you do not fit neatly into these categories. This is not a problem. It just means that your views are a bit more nuanced than those of other people. You can still place yourself in one of the four categories by moving your moderate score to the low or high range based on which is closest.
SAT4
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.
SAT 5
· 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.
SAT 6
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.
SAT 7
· If your highest score is on the Directive Style, this indicates you have a low tolerance for ambiguity and your value orientation is toward task and technical concerns when you are making decisions. Persons who prefer a directive style tend to be decisive and to make fast decisions. Of potential concern is that these persons can tend to be autocratic and controlling.
· If your highest score is on the Analytical Style, this indicates you have a high tolerance for ambiguity and you tend to value task and technical concerns. Analytic decision makers tend to take a longer time to make decisions, but they respond well to new or uncertain situations. A concern with this decision making style is the tendency to over-analyze a situation or problem.
· If your highest score is on the Conceptual Style, this indicates you have a high tolerance for ambiguity and you tend to focus on people and social concerns. Persons with this decision making style tend to rely on intuition, to favor discussion and consensus, and are often good at finding creative solutions to problems. On the downside, these same persons can be indecisive.
· If your highest score is on the Behavioral Style, this indicates you have a low tolerance for ambiguity and you tend to favor focusing on people and social concerns. Persons with this decision making style are warm, supportive and open to suggestions. Of possible concern, these persons can avoid conflict and have difficulty making difficult decisions.
Action Steps There is no right, correct, or best way to make decisions. Each decision making style has strengths and weaknesses. So, the action you might take in response to this self-assessment is not to look to change your decision making style. Instead, you should focus on two things. First, you should focus on understanding your own decision making preferences and style. The better you understand yourself, the better you will be able to see both your strengths and weaknesses, and therefore, be able to give thought to how to avoid making mistakes. For example, a person who favors a directive style needs to be careful not to run roughshod over other people and to pay particular attention to suggestions from other people. In contrast, a person who favors the behavioral style needs to recognize that while there is much good in seeking lots of input, many situations require a decision to be made one way or the other, and there are deadlines to be met. Second, you should recognize people differ as to their preferred decision making style. This is helpful in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of people, and in helping you to know how to interact most effectively with others. This knowledge might also be helpful to you when you are in a situation of determining who should be chosen to be on a team. You can look for people whose strengths complement weaknesses that others have, and vice versa. This is also important because people with different decision making styles can easily get into a conflict. For example, a person with a Directive Style can easily become frustrated with a person who has a Behavioral Style because decisions are not being made fast enough or with enough clarity. Recognizing that people have different decision making styles will help you to understand why your colleagues or bosses approach decisions differently than you do
SAT 8
Feedback: Your preference for that particular type of culture is high. Each person who completes this self-assessment receives four scores, one for each of the four types of organizational culture – clan (items 1-4), adhocracy (items 5-8), market (items 9-12), and hierarchy (items 13-16). These scores are interpreted relative to each other. That is, the highest number tells you your strongest culture preference and the lowest score tells you your weakest culture preference. You should not try to compare any individual scale score with anyone else gets on that same scale. However, you can compare the rank-order of the styles for yourself compared to the rank-order someone else achieved.
Adhocracy
Score : 20 pts.
16 - 20 pts.
Feedback: Your preference for that particular type of culture is high. Each person who completes this self-assessment receives four scores, one for each of the four types of organizational culture – clan (items 1-4), adhocracy (items 5-8), market (items 9-12), and hierarchy (items 13-16). These scores are interpreted relative to each other. That is, the highest number tells you your strongest culture preference and the lowest score tells you your weakest culture preference. You should not try to compare any individual scale score with anyone else gets on that same scale. However, you can compare the rank-order of the styles for yourself compared to the rank-order someone else achieved.
Market
Score : 17 pts.
16 - 20 pts.
Feedback: Your preference for that particular type of culture is high. Each person who completes this self-assessment receives four scores, one for each of the four types of organizational culture – clan (items 1-4), adhocracy (items 5-8), market (items 9-12), and hierarchy (items 13-16). These scores are interpreted relative to each other. That is, the highest number tells you your strongest culture preference and the lowest score tells you your weakest culture preference. You should not try to compare any individual scale score with anyone else gets on that same scale. However, you can compare the rank-order of the styles for yourself compared to the rank-order someone else achieved.
Hierarchy
Score : 19 pts.
16 - 20 pts.
Feedback: Your preference for that particular type of culture is high. Each person who completes this self-assessment receives four scores, one for each of the four types of organizational culture – clan (items 1-4), adhocracy (items 5-8), market (items 9-12), and hierarchy (items 13-16). These scores are interpreted relative to each other. That is, the highest number tells you your strongest culture preference and the lowest score tells you your weakest culture preference. You should not try to compare any individual scale score with anyone else gets on that same scale. However, you can compare the rank-order of the styles for yourself compared to the rank-order someone else achieved. Interpreting the Result If your Clan score is the highest of the four scores, this might indicate you prefer an organization with an internal focus that also values flexibility. Organizations with this type of culture often use the “family” metaphor to describe the employee atmosphere. Collaboration and trust are key elements, and the organization has a reputation for “taking care” of its employees. If your Adhocracy score is the highest of the four scores, this might indicate you prefer an organization with an external focus that also values flexibility. Organizations like this value and encourage entrepreneurial spirit among its employees. There is a lack of stability and certainty since the organization is constantly looking for new challenges and market opportunities. Also, and the possibility always exists that a new product or service, or a new way of performing an organizational function, will lead to a change in organizational priorities and staffing. If your Market score is the highest of the four scores, this might indicate you prefer an organization with an external focus that also values stability and control. Customer satisfaction is often the highest value in this type of organization such that customers’ needs and desires are valued higher than the needs and desires of employees. This type of organization is highly competitive and pays constant attention to market data. If your Hierarchy score is the highest, this might indicate you prefer an organization with an internal focus that also values stability and control. This type of organization is characterized by clear policies and procedures, and extensive control mechanisms to ensure quality and reliability of products and services.
SAT 9
eedback: 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.”
SAT 10
Feedback: You have high adaptability. Interpreting the Result Research indicates there are eight dimensions, or ways, in which employees demonstrate they are adaptable to change.
· Handling emergencies or crises – Employees are more adaptable if they are calm under particularly urgent or emergency situations.
· Handling work stress – When the demands of work become difficult due to workload and/or time constraints, adaptable employees mange the frustration well by searching for constructive solutions.
· Solving problems creatively – Adaptable employees think of new and innovative ideas to address problems that arise.
· Handling uncertainty at work – There is often much uncertainty at work. Adaptable employees take this ambiguity in stride, and make the best decisions they can under the circumstances.
· Learning – Adaptable employees seek out opportunities to learn about new technology and new approaches to work and organizational life. To use a well-worn phrase, they are life-long learners.
· Interpersonal flexibility – Adaptable employees learn to adjust their own work and style to fit with the others. They also are able to consider other viewpoints with an open mind.
· Cultural adaptability – Adaptable employees are able to navigate cultural differences.
· Physical environment – Adaptable employees are able to make adjustments for physical changes such as temperature, humidity, time differences, and so on.
SAT 11
Interpreting the Results There has been a great deal of research and thought given to how best to categorize persons in personality terms. Much of this research and writing has coalesced around the view that the most helpful categorization scheme involves five dimensions of personality. These have come to be known as “The Big Five.” Much attention has been given to this question—what is the relationship between personality and real world outcomes such as job performance and career success? This feedback focuses on the answer to that question.
· Extroversion – Persons who score high on this dimension tend to be outgoing, talkative, sociable, and assertive. Research has shown that people in sales (think of a coach who recruits college athletes or a car sales person) tend to be more successful if they are on the high end of the extroversion scale. Likewise, managers tend to be more successful if they behave in extroverted ways. In contrast, persons who score low on extroversion (introverts) tend to like more solitary activities such as doing office support, research and development work, working with data, and so on. Both extroverts and introverts can be, and are, very successful in different work contexts. You might give thought to looking for a career that aligns well with the kind of person that you are, particularly if you are at the very high or very low end.
· Agreeableness – Persons who score high on this dimension tend to be trusting, good-natured, cooperative, and soft-hearted. Surprisingly, while all of us would like to have work colleagues who are agreeable, research shows that agreeableness is less connected to general work success than are extroversion and conscientiousness. Of course, this does not mean that you should not work at being as agreeable as you can be!
· Conscientiousness – Persons who score high on this dimension tend to be dependable, responsible, achievement-oriented, and persistent. Research shows that people who score high in conscientiousness tend to be more successful in all types of employment settings than their less conscientious co-workers. It is easy to see why. What employer wants to hire someone who sees themselves as lazy (item 3) or someone who does less than a thorough job (item 8)? If your score on this dimension is not as high as you would like, you can expect a high payoff from working on becoming stronger in this area.
· Emotional stability – Persons who score high on emotional stability tend to be relaxed, secure, and unworried. In contrast, persons who score low tend to experience more highs and lows in terms of their emotional life. Research shows that this dimension has less to do with success at work than extroversion and emotional stability.
· Openness to experience – Persons who score high on this dimension tend to be intellectual, imaginative, curious, and broadminded. Research shows that there is not a strong relationship between scores on this dimension and success at work. However, certain types of jobs are certainly better fits for people who are strong in this area. For example, people who have to work across cultures are likely to be more successful if they are more open to experience because it is easier for them to imagine that people are different from them without having to draw conclusions about whether these differences are good or bad.
SAT 12
Interpreting the Result Researchers work at trying to simplify this question by grouping various types of motivation into broad categories. One of the most well-known and studied of these categorization efforts is the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
· Intrinsic motivation occurs when you behave in a certain way because the satisfaction, or reward, comes from the behavior itself. If you volunteer to help someone prepare for a GED test, you are likely doing this for intrinsically motivating reasons.
· Extrinsic motivation occurs when you behave in a certain way because you will get something that you value from someone else. When you cut your neighbor’s lawn because he will pay you $20, this is classic extrinsic motivation.
Often, behavior is caused by both intrinsic and extrinsic reasons. For example, you might have taken this self-assessment because it is part of your grade for the course (extrinsic reason) but you may (we hope!) also find the result to be interesting in and of itself (intrinsic motivation). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are not two ends of a single dimension. For comparison, introversion and extroversion are two ends of a single dimension because a person cannot be both introverted and extroverted at the same time. However, it is quite possible for a person to be both highly intrinsically motivated and also highly extrinsically motivated at the same time. This self-assessment measures your tendency to be intrinsically and extrinsically motivated.
· High intrinsic, high extrinsic – You have a tendency to behave in ways that are both personally satisfying and which result in a payoff of some sort.
· High intrinsic, low extrinsic – You have a tendency to behave in ways that lead to personal satisfaction and you do not care much about an external payoff.
· Low intrinsic, high extrinsic – You have a tendency to behave in ways that lead to an external payoff and you are less concerned about a feeling of personal satisfaction.
· Low intrinsic, low extrinsic – The source of your motivation is murky!
If one or both of your scores is in the moderate range, you can decide which one of these categories is closest to the way you see yourself.
SAT 13
Interpreting the Result This self-assessment measures each of these so you can get a sense of where you stand on each style, and you can also identify your preferred style of handling conflict.
· Avoiding style – You tend to withdraw from problem situations and work to suppress disagreements.
· Accommodating style – You tend to minimize differences and highlight similarities in order to please other people.
· Forcing style – You use your formal authority or the force of your personality to decide the issue in your preferred fashion.
· Compromising style – You tend to engage in a give-and-take approach with others who have opposing views.
· Collaborative style – You confront issues with other interested parties and cooperatively identify the problem, generate and weigh alternatives, and select a solution.
