#17: Ms. Matches and Mr. Matches

Introduction to Concept:

Part I: A recent study (reported in the September 1996 issue of Solutions, page 11) revealed the primary reason why corporate managers are terminated. As you might guess, it is not because they lack the requisite skills. (Without them, they probably would not have been promoted to the position in the first place.) The top reason, according to Manchester Partners International, sponsor of the survey, is that they are mismatched with their positions. When people are stuck in their roles as technicians, the study points out, they are unable to think in a more visionary, strategic manner. According to Dr. Elliott Ross, a consulting psychologist for the division that conducted the study, organizations must “do a better job of identifying the competencies that people require to be more successful now, and in the future.”

The short test you are going to take now is only a first step in the process of identifying your competencies and then ensuring that they are matched to the requirements of the job you perform. [Pause here and distribute Worksheet #17-1. After participants have made their selections, continue with Part II of the mini-lecture.]

Part II: For more than forty years, Professor David McClelland of Harvard has conducted research on the kind of motivation that drives us to perform our very best work. Some people, he has learned, are driven by a need for power. Others are driven by a need to work with other people, a need he refers to as “affiliation.” Finally, some people work best in a situation that allows them to achieve because of their individual efforts, rather than the collective efforts of others. You can learn more about the three motivational drives from this handout. [Distribute Handout #17-1.]

Procedure:

1. Distribute Worksheet #17-1 and ask participants to select the scenario they feel best describes the illustration. Once they have made their selections, continue with Part II of the Introduction.

2. Distribute Handout #17-1 and lead a discussion based on whether or not people agree with these initial assessments of their motivations. Ask those who found the assessment accurate whether the work they currently do matches the preference indicated by their choices on Worksheet #17-1. If not, ask if they have ever thought about doing a different kind of work—perhaps when they retire.

3. Emphasize that the more we know about our preferences (occupational, cognitive, etc.), the more easily we can fit our interests to our livelihood. Then explain that you have one more test to give them. Assure participants that there are no right or wrong answers. They will surely be learning more about their thinking styles.

Extending the Activity:

1. Ask someone from the personnel department to discuss the use of psychological testing as part of the interview process.

2. If you or another facilitator is familiar with the administration of the Myers-Briggs personality tests, allow time for participants to take the tests and then to study the results.

Workplace Connections:

1. Suggest that participants spend some time discovering more about their own thinking style or preferred manner of executing work-related tasks. Then suggest they spend time doing a similar assessment for their immediate supervisor. If there is considerable variance, advise them to forge a partnership with their supervisor that reduces misunderstanding or supplements the “weaknesses” of each partner.

2. Because the research shows high numbers of people whose careers do not parallel their passions, suggest that participants meet with career counselors or take other tests that indicate their job preferences. If there are incongruities between what they do and what they like to do, have participants discuss with their supervisors possible transfers to other positions within the organization.

Questions for Further Discussion:

1. Dr. Joyce Brothers created the term “the Lockheed Syndrome” to describe the thinking style of engineers; she suggests it is distinct and different from that of non-engineers. Would you agree with her opinion? Tell why or why not.

2. What path led you to the job you hold today?

3. What advice would you give to young people trying to find their occupational niche in the world?

4. Describe your parents’ career decisions as compared to your own.

5. How will impending changes impact how you work and what you work on?

Directions: After looking at each illustration, select the scenario that you feel most closely approximates what you think might be happening in the picture.

Directions: Which answer—a, b, or c—did you select more than once?

If you selected (a) more than once, you have a strong need for Achievement.

You place a very high value on such things as the ability to work independently. You prefer a job that allows you the freedom to make your own decisions and control your own destiny. You would do well as an entrepreneur, making the business grow as you see fit. You would also do well in a position that permits autonomy (such as a professor) rather than in a position that is bound by many rules and regulations (such as a manager in a corporation).

If you selected (b) more than once, you have a strong need for Power.

Thank goodness there are people like you around. Otherwise, America would never have won a war and corporations would not be able to report profits to their shareholders. Those with a need for power make excellent managers. They like to get things done through the efforts of those whom they manage or lead. You enjoy being in a position of authority. You value getting done what you are paid to do more than you enjoy developing close personal relationships.

If you selected (c) more than once, you have a strong need for Affiliation.

Individuals who value positive relationships in the workplace are driven by a strong need for affiliation. The thing they typically like best about their jobs is the people with whom they work. They feel a need to resolve office conflicts so positive morale can be restored to the workplace. Typically, persons with a high need for affiliation do not enjoy work that is supervisory in nature.

If you selected (a) once, (b) once, and (c) once, there is no clear indication of your motivation preference and further tests are warranted.