Intuition and entrepreneurial behaviour

Entrepreneurs can be differentiated from non-entrepreneurs on the basis of intention, but intention is not always translated into performance that produces entrepreneurial outcomes. It is proposed that an alternative basis for differentiation is cognitive style (preferred approach to information processing). The present study hypothesizes that those owner managers who are, in practice, successful at identifying and exploiting opportunities for growth and capital accumulation (i.e., successful entrepreneurs) are (1) more intuitive in their cognitive style than the general population of managers; (2) no different in cognitive style from senior managers and executives; and (3) more intuitive than middle and junior managers. A questionnaire containing the Cognitive Style Index (CSI), a measure of the intuitive-analytic dimension, was distributed to the 437 founders of high growth companies listed in the latest edition of the publication Local Heroes (Scottish Enterprise, 1997). The 156 replies (representing a response rate of 35% were compared with those of 546 managers from various organizations who had completed the questionnaire previously. Results showed that all three hypotheses were upheld. Although the study was essentially exploratory, the findings are encouraging. They suggest fertile ground for further research by highlighting the importance of cognitive aspects of entrepreneurial behaviour.     

CAN WORKING WITH AN EXECUTIVE COACH IMPROVE MULTISOURCE FEEDBACK RATINGS OVER TIME? A QUASI‐EXPERIMENTAL FIELD STUDY

This study examined the effects of executive coaching on multisource feedback over time. Participants were 1,361 senior managers who received multisource feedback; 404 of these senior managers worked with an executive coach (EC) to review their feedback and set goals. One year later, 1,202 senior managers (88% of the original sample) received multisource feedback from another survey. Managers who worked with an EC were more likely than other managers to set specific (rather than vague) goals ( d = .16) and to solicit ideas for improvement from their supervisors ( d = .36). Managers who worked with an EC improved more than other managers in terms of direct report and supervisor ratings, however, the effect size ( d = .17) was small.     

The dynamics of work-family relationships in managerial lives

This article will focus on the relationship between professional and private life among successful managers, people who live outwardly meaningful work lives. We wish to report some findings from a broader study, showing the dynamic nature of this relationship which changes during the course of adult life. The latter part of the paper assesses those dynamics and their implications.     

Multisource Assessments of Behavioral Competencies and Selection Interview Performance

This study sought to determine whether and how ratings of leadership in a developmental multisource feedback program compare against those obtained by leadership selection decision makers. Seventy‐seven senior managers received feedback on eight competencies that also formed the basis of a subsequent promotional interview for senior executive positions. Each rating source displayed a unique perspective on the participants, but only the supervisor and peer ratings predicted performance on the interview. As well, peer, subordinate, and self‐ratings failed to improve upon the supervisors' predictions. The results also suggested a general performance factor underlying both the multisource assessments and the interview ratings.     

高级职业经理人的职业枯竭状况及其与工作压力的关系

本研究使用问卷法,对1555名高级职业经理人的职业枯竭状况进行了分析,考察了各种人口统计学变量之间的差异,并探讨了职业枯竭的各维度与工作压力的关系。结果发现:高级职业经理人的职业枯竭水平在性别、年龄、学历、婚姻状况、职位等人口统计学变量上存在着显著差异;各工作压力源中,除人际关系外,可分别预测职业枯竭的三个维度,其中对于耗竭维度的预测度最高。     

Important First-line Sales Management Qualifications: What Sales Executives Think

Abstract

What personal characteristics and performance dimensions are important in determining who is promoted to first-line sales management positions? This question concerns those who aspire to sales management positions, as well as managers who are involved in the first-line sales management process. Despite the significance of the topic, virtually no published research has examined this issue. This paper reports the results of a nationwide survey of senior-level sales executives that focused on criteria that are important in the selection of first-line managers.     

Normative studies with the Scale for Interpersonal Behaviour (SIB): i. Nonpsychiatric social skills trainees

The Scale for Interpersonal Behavior (SIB) (Arrindell and Van der Ende, 1985) is a multidimensional self-report measure of state assertiveness. The SIB measures both discomfort (anxiety) associated with self-assertion in specific situations and the likelihood of engaging in a specific assertive response (performance). This is achieved with an overall measure and four factorially-derived scales: (I) Display of negative feelings (Negative assertion), (II) Expression of and dealing with personal limitations, (III) Initiating assertiveness and (IV) Praising others and the ability to deal with compliments/praise of others (Positive assertion). To enhance its application, the SIB was psychometrically evaluated in a sample comprising 562 female and male junior and senior executives (managers) who had voluntarily applied for social skills training in a (nonpsychiatric) commercial guidance center. Findings on factorial invariance and measurement reliability were outstanding. Normative data and sex differences were presented. Compared to their male counterparts, female managers reported higher mean levels of assertive responding on the dimensions of Positive assertion, Expression of and dealing with personal limitations and General assertiveness. While not large in magnitude, these differences were judged to be of some practical importance.     

Intrinsic motivation a key enabler of African managers’ cultural intelligence

This study sought to determine manager's intrinsic motivation to engage multiculturally in the workplace as the managers varied by demographic background. Participants were a convenience sample of managers on supervisory level, middle level and senior level (n=550; Male 54.9%; Black ethnicity 64.4%). They completed the Motivational Scale of the Managerial Cultural Intelligence Measure. The data were analysed by means analysis of variance procedures to determine workforce diversity ability by managerial level and other demographics. The results showed a managerial level effect in that senior managers were significantly more motivated to get information about other cultures in the work group compared to middle managers and supervisors. Supervisors were significantly more willing to change their views of other cultures with learning as compared to senior managers and middle managers. Generally, managers with a shorter employment history are more motivated to engage with multi-cultural groups compared to those with a longer service history. Managers’ motivation to engage multi-culturally would enhance their competence in working with a diverse workforce and thereby embracing true democracy in the workplace.     

Still Catching up: Schools, Sexual Orientation and Homophobia in Ireland

This paper outlines research that was conducted among students, parents, teachers and senior management teams in five high schools in the Greater Dublin area of Ireland. The research involved semi-structured interviews and observations. The findings of this research are significant in that it was the first time any data was gathered on this topic directly from those within the school system. Overall, the qualitative nature of the data allowed us to obtain an insight into how students, parents, teachers and senior management teams understand and experience homophobic bullying in their schools. The data from this study shows that the impact of not having a mainstream approach to sexual orientation within schools results in fear, negative stereotypes, and worse still discriminatory and bullying behaviour.     

Predicting successful territory sales performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the London HouseSales Professional Assessment Inventory (SPAI) for identifying successful territory managers at a national food distribution company. Forty-seven territory managers with valid SPAI results and usable performance information comprised the sample. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the relationships between results on the SPAI and year-to-date sales figures for a 10 month period. Territory managers recommended by the SPAI had $350,000 more in average year-to-date sales revenues than those not recommended. Finally, those scoring in the top 10% on the SPAI haddouble the amount in sales revenues of those not recommended. The results indicate that the SPAI is a valid instrument for use in predicting the successful performance of territory managers at a national food distribution company.     

Moving Beyond the Illness: Factors Contributing to Gaining and Maintaining Employment

The work presented here, exploratory in nature, uses a comparative and qualitative approach to understand the factors associated with the ability of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness to successfully gain and maintain employment. Based on open-ended interviews with individuals in an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program, we compare the experiences of those who have been successful gaining and maintaining employment, with those who have been successful gaining but not maintaining work, and those who have been unsuccessful gaining employment. The three groups seemed to differ in three significant ways: (1) in the ways the individuals talked about their illness, (2) in the ways the individuals talked about work, and (3) in the strategies they described for coping with bad days. In each of these areas individuals' awareness of and attitude toward their illness was significant. The findings have clear implications for agencies working to help people with severe and persistent mental illness obtain and maintain employment.     

INDONESIAN MANAGERS,TODAY AND TOMORROW

The Indonesian people are from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, each with its own cultural heritage, and socio-cultural manifestations. Three main cultural levels can be distinguished: the ethnic-regional, the regional-national, and the national-international level. The managers belong to the last level where intensive interchanges take place between the ‘national’ values and the ‘international’ values. Research results show a typical profile of the Indonesian managers who also share the same characteristics of successful managers in other countries. In an ever-changing environment, the Indonesian managers today, should possess not only characteristics unique to Indonesians, but also those of their counterparts in other countries in order to be effective.     

New Directions in Sales Leadership Research

The changing environment facing sales organizations is characterized by the dimensions of complexity, collaboration, and accountability. Responding effectively to this dynamic environment requires a focus on specific leadership activities by senior sales leaders, field sales managers, and salespeople. A sales leadership framework is presented and used to identify and discuss specific leadership challenges and important research questions at different sales organization levels. Several new directions for sales leadership research are proposed to improve sales leadership thought and practice.     

The Effect of General Creative Personality and Freedom of Task Choice on Adolescents' Social Creativity

This study investigated the effect of general creative personality and freedom of task choice on the social creativity of adolescents. The results indicated, first, that senior high school students scored higher than junior high school students. Second, girls scored higher than boys on originality, fluency, flexibility, appropriateness, and utility with regard to creative social problem‐solving. Third, freedom of task choice and its interaction with creative personality had significant effects on the originality, appropriateness, utility, flexibility, and fluency of social creativity. Adolescents who completed the task voluntarily scored higher on these dimensions than adolescents who completed it reluctantly and, among the voluntary adolescents, those with high and medium creative personality scored higher than those with low creative personality, whereas no such difference was found among the reluctant adolescents. Adolescents were more likely to show social creativity, and their general creative personality was more likely to be brought into effect under the freedom of task choice condition.     

Interactions with senior managers: Perceived differences by race/ethnicity and by gender

Differences among junior managers in their perceptions of various types of interactions with senior managers and levels of self-efficacy in initiating interactions were investigated. Study variables were determined following preliminary focus group interviews. These variables were subjected to a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANACOVA) to assess differences among the various racial, ethnic, and gender groups. Data were derived from a 53% response rate to a survey of 3106 junior managers in a Fortune 500 company. Subjects included Asian men (n = 29), Asian women (n = 21), Black men (n = 94), Black women (n = 84), Hispanic men (n = 28), Hispanic women (n = 18), White men (n = 708), and White women (n = 647). Results reveal that women perceived having less access to career-related interactions and to informal interactions with senior managers. Women also reported lower levels of self-efficacy in their personal skills and abilities in informal social activities. Black managers presented higher levels of self-efficacy related to initiating career-related interactions than White managers and Asian managers. Asian managers reported lower levels of self-efficacy related to initiating informal interactions with senior managers than Black, Hispanic, and White managers. Findings suggest that gender has a stronger influence than race or ethnicity on the nature of interactions with senior managers within this organization.This research was funded by a Susquehanna University Research Grant. The authors would like to thank Stacy Ross for her assistance with data collection and Richard K. Caputo, Paul Dion, and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this article.     

Cognitive factors in the explanation of the mismatch between confidence and competence in performing basic life support

Abstract

The main approach to rectifying the well documented poor basic life support (BLS) skills of doctors and nurses, based on a Skills Model, has met with only partial success. This study compares the utility of a Skills Model with one that incorporates a cognitive component in predicting BLS skills. Outcome-expectancy, self-efficacy, training and experience of BLS, and BLS ability were assessed in 53 trained nurses. Ability was unrelated to training or experience of BLS. Nurses who scored highest on the BLS skills assessment perceived the procedure as significantly more successful than those with lower scores. Self-efficacy was unrelated to ability, but was related to status: senior nurses were significantly more confident but no more competent in performing BLS than junior nurses. Nurses who had attended more arrests, while more confident, were no more competent than those who had attended fewer. Assessment of BLS skills reduced self-efficacy beliefs. A model for predicting the relationship between self-assessed ability and objectively assessed skill is outlined.     

Assessor Constructs in Use as the Missing Component in Validation of Assessment Center Dimensions: A critique and directions for research

The basis for assessment center dimension ratings has been examined through the lens of various multitrait–multimethod approaches, with some researchers concluding that dimension ratings are not representative of meaningful constructs. This presents a serious challenge for those who would generalize predictor constructs, particularly those that are broadly articulated in management assessment center dimensions. This paper addresses the problems with applying such analyses to assessment center dimension ratings without first articulating expected construct relationships. Ackerman and Humphreys' analysis of constructs will be used to better frame assessment center dimensions and to articulate possible assessor constructs in use. Theories of performance held by the managers, who serve both as subject matter experts when dimensional constructs are initially defined, and as the assessors who impose these dimensions on assessees' behavior in assessment center ratings, are suggested as important bases for further construct validation. Approaches for generalization of assessor constructs in use to the managerial work domain will be discussed.     

Complex decision making: A longitudinal study of process and performance

Two studies using a computer-simulated, strategy-formulation game and business students were conducted using simultaneous verbal protocols. It was found that a number of information-processing and information-evaluation thought processes were significantly related to game performance. Consistent with what is known about individual decision making, the present results suggest that, for the task used in this study, individuals who engage in causal analysis perform better than those who do not. But those who focus on negative emotions, blindly repeat previously successful decisions, and engage in illogical through processes perform more poorly than those who do not. Causal replication using real managers within organizational settings, however, is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn from this research.     

Are female managers quitters? The relationships of gender, promotions, and family leaves of absence to voluntary turnover.

This study examined the relationships of gender, promotions, and leaves of absence to voluntary turnover for 26,359 managers in a financial services organization. Using Cox regression analyses and controlling for human capital, the authors found that, contrary to their prediction, female managers' voluntary turnover rates were slightly lower than those of their male counterparts. Managers who had been promoted were less likely to resign than nonpromoted managers only if the promotion had occurred within the past 11 months, and promoted women were less likely to resign than promoted men. The authors also found that managers who had taken family leaves had higher voluntary turnover rates than managers who had not taken leaves, and among family leave takers, managers with graduate degrees were less likely to resign than managers with less education.