THE SOUNDNESS OF SUPERVISORY RATINGS AS PREDICTORS OF MANAGERIAL SUCCESS

A model of career development is presented. Using this model, three types of validity, empirical, content, and construct, are considered for supervisors' rating of non-managers as a predictor of success as managers. As denned in the Uniform Guidelines and the professional literature, all three are inapplicable to this prediction situation. Characteristics of a sound rating system are suggested.     

THE PREDICTION OF OCCUPATIONAL SUCCESS AND PROFICIENCY

Neither standardized test data nor grades made in required courses in high school contribute significantly to the prediction of occupational success or proficiency. The General Aptitude Test Battery makes practically no contribution to the prediction of success although the instrument is widely used to predict trainability. Intelligence test scores are of little value in predicting success in the labor market. It may be that efforts to predict occupational success and proficiency are in reality exercises in futility since workers tend to be successful regardless of test results. Apparently workers find places where they are considered successful. Possibly new research designs will be required before success can be predicted. Success should not be considered an entity, however, because it does not lend itself to exact measurement.     

AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE PREDICTORS OF EXECUTIVE CAREER SUCCESS

This study examined the degree to which demographic, human capital, motivational, organizational, and industrylregion variables predicted executive career success. Career success was assumed to comprise objective (pay, ascendancy) and subjective (job satisfaction, career satisfaction) elements. Results obtained from a sample of 1,388 U.S. executives suggested that demographic, human capital, motivational, and organizational variables explained significant variance in objective career success and in career satisfaction. Particularly interesting were findings that educational level, quality, prestige, and degree type all predicted financial success. In contrast, only the motivational and organizational variables explained significant amounts of variance in job satisfaction. These findings suggest that the variables that lead to objective career success often are quite different from those that lead to subjectively defined success.     

FACTORS RELATED TO SUCCESS IN AN MDTA PROGRAM

A study was undertaken to attempt to relate selected defined factors to success in a Manpower Development Training Center program. Subjects were disadvantaged or culturally deprived adults who were referred to a nurse aide-orderly training course that consisted of both vocational and remedial education phases. Factors studied were an evaluation by the referring counselor in the stated interest of an individual taking the training, previous employment history (compiled by both type and duration), formal educational level, age when completing the course, expressed attitudes toward the course while enrolled, and aptitude test results.     

AN OBJECTIVE GROUP QUESTIONNAIRE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR A PERSONAL INTERVIEW IN THE PREDICTION OF SUCCESS IN MILITARY TRAINING IN ISRAEL

The need for reliable and valid measures of personality and motivational factors in the prediction of success in military training was discussed. The personnel classification system currently used by the Israeli Army was briefly described. The personality factors used in that system are measured by an interview, which is individually administered to each enlisted man. The goal of the present study was to replace this interview by an objective group questionnaire, with the hope of saving time, manpower and effort without any loss to predictive validity. The criterion for validation of the system was the performance of the soldiers in elementary training. This performance was assessed by commanding officers and by peers. The results showed that the questionnaire is eventually equivalent to the interview as a predictor of performance in military training. It was concluded that the questionnaire should be preferred for economical reasons.     

USE OF THE GATB IN PREDICTING SUCCESS ON THE TESTS OF GENERAL EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

An attempt was made to determine how useful the General Aptitude Test Battery can be when used as a predictor of success on the Tests of General Educational Development. The General Ability and Verbal Aptitude subtests of the GATB were found to be the best predictors. Estimating the applicant's chance of passing the GED from the ‘G’ and ‘V’ scores was discussed.     

THE USE OF REBT PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Training, coaching, and consulting with people in leadership roles can be a primary consulting function for clinicians. In this paper, the authors describe their model of leadership, and what they believe to be the central personality or character components of leadership necessary for producing extraordinary results. Throughout they will show where and how REBT skills can make a significant contribution.     

USE OF SOCIAL-SKILLS TRAINING IN THE TREATMENT OF EXTREME ANXIETY AND DEFICIENT VERBAL SKILLS IN THE JOB-INTERVIEW SETTING

A 30-year-old recent college graduate, exhibiting extreme anxiety and deficient verbal skills in job interviews, was treated with a social-skills training procedure that included instructions, modelling, behavior rehearsal, and videotape feedback. Three target behaviors—focused responses, overt coping statements, and subject-generated questions—were presented using a multiple-baseline design. Galvanic skin-response activity was monitored during pre- and posttraining in vivo job interviews. In addition, independent judges unobstrusively rated the subject's social-communicative behaviors in his temporary work-setting before and after training. Training resulted in expected changes for all three target behaviors and a decrease in the rate of speech disturbances. Physiological data supported the subject's report that training enabled him to deal with his anxiety more effectively during job interviews. Training was found to generalize to novel interview questions and different interviewers. Furthermore, unobtrusive measures of eye contact, fluency of speech, appropriateness of verbal content, and composure supported the subject's report that training generalized to his daily social interactions on the job.     

THE USE OF PHYSICAL RESTRAINT IN THE TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURY AND AS POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

Two experiments investigated the effects of a treatment package on the self-injurious behavior of three profoundly retarded persons who appeared to enjoy the physical restraints used to prevent their self-injury. The treatment package included physically restraining subjects contingent on increasing periods of time during which no self-injury occurred, and providing them with toys and attention during intervals between restraints. A reversal and multiple-baseline analysis documented that the rapid and complete reduction in self-injury by all subjects was due to this treatment package. Because these results suggested that physical restraint might function as a positive reinforcer, in a third experiment physical restraint was applied contingent on a marble placement response with one subject. A reversal design demonstrated that toy play systematically increased when each response resulted in restraint. The experiments have implications for the nonaversive remediation of self-injury in individuals who are restrained, as well as for the development and maintenance of self-injury in natural settings.     

PREDICTORS OF SAT MATHEMATICS SCORES OF GIFTED MALE AND GIFTED FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

A regression analysis was conducted to determine the relative importance of a series of variables in the prediction of SAT-Mathematics (SAT-M) scores of gifted males and females. Among the variables considered were visual-spatial ability, cognitive reasoning ability, learning style, and SAT-Verbal (SAT-V) scores. Scores on the visual-spatial task were analyzed for speed of response as well as ability. For both sexes, reasoning skills were the predominant factor in the prediction formulas. Differences in the two formulas seemed to reflect males' greater facility with process skills necessary for the SAT-M. Implications are discussed regarding how to interpret the differential performance of gifted males and females on the SAT-M.     

AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SATB NORMS IN MDTA SELECTION

An investigation of the use of SATB norms for MDTA training courses disclosed that approximately half the applicants admitted to training did not pass the appropriate norms. Research was undertaken to determine whether these norms, developed mainly on samples of employed workers or regular technical-vocational students, were capable of differentiating between successful and unsuccessful MDTA trainees. An analysis was also made to determine the appropriateness of a new method of SATB interpretation based on the standard error of measurement for each of the GATB's nine aptitudes. The results indicated that the SATB's had good selective efficiency for MDTA trainees, and the new method of SATB interpretation was strongly supported by the data.     

PREDICTORS OF OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE CAREER SUCCESS: A META-ANALYSIS

Using the contest- and sponsored-mobility perspectives as theoretical guides, this meta-analysis reviewed 4 categories of predictors of objective and subjective career success: human capital, organizational sponsorship, sociodemographic status, and stable individual differences. Salary level and promotion served as dependent measures of objective career success, and subjective career success was represented by career satisfaction. Results demonstrated that both objective and subjective career success were related to a wide range of predictors. As a group, human capital and sociodemographic predictors generally displayed stronger relationships with objective career success, and organizational sponsorship and stable individual differences were generally more strongly related to subjective career success. Gender and time (date of the study) moderated several of the relationships examined.