Showing papers in "Personnel Psychology in 1968"

The relationship between supervisory- and self-appraisals of executive performance

Abstract: Summary There has been increased use of self-appraisal programs for evaluating the performance of executive personnel. Because objective measures of performance are rarely available or adequate for this level of personnel, ratings are often relied upon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between supervisory-perceptions and incumbent self-perceptions of the performance of executive personnel. The rationale for this study was that the relationship between supervisory-ratings and self-ratings has important implications for the usefulness of self-appraisal programs. If self-evaluations are to be effective in enlisting a person's cooperation and participation, it seems essential that his perceptions agree with those of his superior. This study was designed to identify those areas of executive performance where there might be significant amounts of disagreement. Knowledge of these problem areas would then be useful in conducting self-appraisal programs. Supervisory-ratings and self-ratings on 27 performance variables were obtained for the top executives of a large manufacturing corporation. A measure of promotability was used as the criterion and analysis of variance and correlation analyses were carried out to attain the objectives. The major conclusions of the study were: (1) Executives tended to rate themselves higher than they were rated by their supervisors, (2) Disagreement in the relationship of the two sets of ratings was found in several areas, (3) Executives who tended to overrate themselves were found to be the ones who were considered least promotable on the basis of a criterion measure of success in the organization.

A study of the grapevine in a governmental organization

Abstract: Summary The purposes of this investigation were to replicate a classic study of the grapevine reported by Davis in 1953, and to extend the results by obtaining personality data (Bass Orientation Inventory scores) on the subjects. The present study was carried out in a state government unit with 79 employees. Davis’“ecco analysis” method was used to study the flow of information through the grapevine. Nine grapevine items were investigated with respect to where, when, and how the subjects had learned of the information. Two of Davis’ findings–the relatively small percentage of in-dividuals functioning in a liaison capacity in disseminating any particular item of information, and the positive relationship between grapevine knowledge and an individual's level in the organizational hierarchy–were confirmed. Two other findings of Davis–relating to the degree of within-unit vs. between-unit spread of information, and the degree of individual consistency in functioning as liaisons–were not confirmed. Again, it should be stressed that, while Davis’ study was concerned with communication within the managerial force of a manufacturing concern, the present study was carried out in a governmental organization and involved personnel from both the managerial and the rank-and-file levels. Thus, because of the particular nature of the samples in each of the two investigations, any generalizations about the operation of grapevines in organizations need to be stated with extreme caution.

Needs and need satisfaction among clerical workers in complex and routine jobs

Abstract: Summary Reliable measurement of needs and need satisfaction on Maslow's hierarchy is possible. Clerical employees (mainly female) indicated a high need for self-actualization and autonomy. In this respect they are similar to lower level managers described by Porter (1962) and women described by Jurgensen (1949). There was no substantial difference in need satisfaction patterns between clerical employees in routine jobs and those in more complex clerical jobs. Similarly, no difference was found in the motivation of these two groups. It was concluded that jobs which appear to management as higher in responsibility and complexity, and which are commonly viewed as promotions, may not always provide additional satisfactions in self-actualization, autonomy, or esteem. This study focused on the importance of defining accurately what constitutes job enlargement. An increase in variety and responsibility does not necessarily result in increasing higher order need satisfaction or motivation. How much job enlargement makes a difference in these variables is still open to question and must be the subject of further investigation.

Validity and test‐retest stability of the nash managerial effectiveness scale on the revised form of the strong vocational interest blank

Abstract: Summary Managers’motives (preferences for different activities or outcomes) probably determine, in part, their relative job effectiveness. This hypothesis was tested and confirmed by Nash (1966) when he developed and cross-validated a Managerial Effectiveness Key for the 1937 edition of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB). We revised the Nash SVIB key for those items retained in the recently-revised form of SVIB (Campbell, 1966). The new key has the same validity as Nash's key and high test-retest stability for lengthy periods of time (up to twenty-two years). Validity of the key is not extremely high (about .30), but its content does denote a pattern of stable and distinct manager motives which merit study along with cognitive, aptitude, and temperament factors as potential determiners of effective managing.

The subordinate's role in the delegation process

Abstract: Summary The purpose of this experiment was to test the effect of two degrees of delegation on the foreman's behavior in a conference with his men. A simulated life situation, involving a foreman and three assembly workers, was used. Time-study data indicated a source of inefficiency and raised the problem of improving work methods. Groups of four persons interacted under two conditions: in 85 of the groups the foreman was instructed by his superior to introduce a specific solution to a problem; in the other 86 groups he was instructed to share the problem with his men. All subjects were middle-management personnel in government and industry, and all had been exposed to the concept of participation in gaining the acceptance of a decision. Equal samples from each population were tested under the two conditions. Measures included the following: (1) types of decisions reached; (2) foreman's method of posing the topic for discussion; (3) men's acceptance of the decision; (4) foreman's perception of men who disagreed with him; and (5) whether or not the foreman shared the time-study data with the men. The results revealed that the two experimental conditions produced no differential effect on any of the measures. Persons serving as foremen conducted their meetings as they saw fit and were uninfluenced by their lack of freedom under one condition and their high degree of freedom under the other.

Readability changes in employee handbooks of identical companies during a fifteen‐year period

Abstract: This study, by a well-known student of the subject, presents a comparison of the readability changes in employee handbooks since Flescli first heightened interest in the subject in 1949. It appears that there has been some improvement in the read ability of employee handbooks, although much is still left to be desired. Interestingly, the firms which had the most read able handbooks in 1949 also had the most readable ones in 1964.This article is printed with the permission of Personnel Psychology, in which it will appear this Winter.