Discussion: View Thread

  • 1.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 12:10
    Hi Colleagues,

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

    Best,

    Sue Ashford




  • 2.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 12:49

    Hi Susan, I would suggest you look for vision or strategic thinking.

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Susan Ashford
    Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 12:10 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Please post on the list serve

     

    Hi Colleagues,

     

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

     

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

     

    Best,

     

    Sue Ashford

     



  • 3.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 13:43
    Dear Susan, while I don't have a measure, I know from student feedback that many, if not most, of the many teams I use in my strategy class always have someone who is focused and someone who is a free rider.
    Kim

    Sent from my iPhone

    On Apr 25, 2016, at 11:25 AM, Susan Ashford <sja@UMICH.EDU> wrote:

    Hi Colleagues,

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

    Best,

    Sue Ashford




  • 4.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 14:05
    Hi Sue,
    Have you looked into some of the Engagement measures?  Seems like several of the items for engagement include statements like "I know what is expected of me at work," and "I understand the impact of my work on the success of the company," etc.  Maybe you could reorient an Engagement scale to have a team as the focus rather than the company.
    Just a thought,
    Cindi Fukami


    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv <OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU> on behalf of Susan Ashford <sja@UMICH.EDU>
    Reply-To: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv <OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    Date: Monday, April 25, 2016 at 10:09 AM
    To: "OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU" <OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Please post on the list serve

    Hi Colleagues,

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

    Best,

    Sue Ashford




  • 5.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 14:38

    Hi Sue,

     

    Without knowing more, I'll point out the following leader-oriented measures:

     

    Long, C.P., Bendersky, C., & Morrill, C. (2011)'s control measures:

    Perceived market control

    1. My supervisor primarily monitors the level of individual performance I achieve.

    2. My supervisor emphasizes the need for employees to achieve high levels of individual performance.

    3. My supervisor rewards the top individual performers in my group.

    4. Whether I succeed or not in this organization is largely determined by my level of individual performance.

    5. In doing my job, I spend most of my time working to achieve my individual performance goals and targets.

     

    Perceived bureaucratic control

    1. My supervisor primarily monitors how well I execute standardized rules and procedures when I do my work.

    2. My supervisor emphasizes the need for employees to follow rules and procedures in doing their job.

    3. My supervisor rewards employees who accurately follow rules and procedures in doing their jobs.

    4. Whether I succeed or not in this organization is largely determined by how well I execute formal rules and procedures.

    5. In doing my job, I spend most of my time executing rules and procedures.

     

    Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Moorman, R.H., & Fetter, R. (1990)'s high performance expectations sub-facet of transformational leadership:

    Shows us that he/she expects a lot from us.

    Insists on only the best performance.

    Will not settle for second best.

     

    Stogdill, R. M. (1963)'s Initiating structure measure:

    Lets group members know what is expected of them.

    Encourages the use of uniform policies.

    Tries out his or her ideas in the group.

    Makes his or her attitudes clear to the group.

    Decides what shall be done and how it will be done.

    Assigns group members to particular tasks.

    Makes sure that his or her part in the group is understood by the group members.

    Schedules the work to be done.

    Maintains definite standards of performance.

    Asks that group members follow standard rules and regulations.

     

    If you want to go the team route (i.e., assessing components of the team), you could try some of the measures in these publications:

     

    Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 350 – 383.

    De Jong, B.A., & Elfring, T. (2010).  How does trust affect the performance of ongoing teams? The mediating role of reflexivity, monitoring, and effort.  Academy of Management Journal, 535 – 549.

    Campion, M.A., Medsker, G.J., & Higgs, A.C. (1993).  Relations between work group characteristics and effectiveness: A replication and extension.  Personnel Psychology, 49, 429 – 452.

    Ohland, M.W., et al. (2012). The comprehensive assessment of team member effectiveness:    Development of a behaviorally anchored rating scale for self- and peer evaluation.  Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11, 609 – 630.

    Griffin, M.A., Neal, A., & Parker, S.K. (2007). A new model of work role performance: Positive behavior in uncertain and interdependent contexts. Academy of Management Journal, 50, 327 – 347.

     

    Hope some of those help.

     

    Cheers,


    Jeremy

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Susan Ashford
    Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 11:10 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Please post on the list serve

     

    Hi Colleagues,

     

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

     

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

     

    Best,

     

    Sue Ashford

     



  • 6.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 14:54
    Action Identification theory seems like it might be relevant to what you are hoping to capture. The key theory cite is:

    Vallacher, R. R., D. M. Wegner. 1987. What do people think they're doing? Action identification and human behavior. Psych. Rev. 94(1) 3–15.

    Also, here is a cite for an empirical application of this theory in management. It seems particularly relevant to what you are hoping to capture:

    On Mon, Apr 25, 2016 at 1:37 PM, Jeremy Bernerth <jeremyb@lsu.edu> wrote:

    Hi Sue,

     

    Without knowing more, I'll point out the following leader-oriented measures:

     

    Long, C.P., Bendersky, C., & Morrill, C. (2011)'s control measures:

    Perceived market control

    1. My supervisor primarily monitors the level of individual performance I achieve.

    2. My supervisor emphasizes the need for employees to achieve high levels of individual performance.

    3. My supervisor rewards the top individual performers in my group.

    4. Whether I succeed or not in this organization is largely determined by my level of individual performance.

    5. In doing my job, I spend most of my time working to achieve my individual performance goals and targets.

     

    Perceived bureaucratic control

    1. My supervisor primarily monitors how well I execute standardized rules and procedures when I do my work.

    2. My supervisor emphasizes the need for employees to follow rules and procedures in doing their job.

    3. My supervisor rewards employees who accurately follow rules and procedures in doing their jobs.

    4. Whether I succeed or not in this organization is largely determined by how well I execute formal rules and procedures.

    5. In doing my job, I spend most of my time executing rules and procedures.

     

    Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Moorman, R.H., & Fetter, R. (1990)'s high performance expectations sub-facet of transformational leadership:

    Shows us that he/she expects a lot from us.

    Insists on only the best performance.

    Will not settle for second best.

     

    Stogdill, R. M. (1963)'s Initiating structure measure:

    Lets group members know what is expected of them.

    Encourages the use of uniform policies.

    Tries out his or her ideas in the group.

    Makes his or her attitudes clear to the group.

    Decides what shall be done and how it will be done.

    Assigns group members to particular tasks.

    Makes sure that his or her part in the group is understood by the group members.

    Schedules the work to be done.

    Maintains definite standards of performance.

    Asks that group members follow standard rules and regulations.

     

    If you want to go the team route (i.e., assessing components of the team), you could try some of the measures in these publications:

     

    Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 350 – 383.

    De Jong, B.A., & Elfring, T. (2010).  How does trust affect the performance of ongoing teams? The mediating role of reflexivity, monitoring, and effort.  Academy of Management Journal, 535 – 549.

    Campion, M.A., Medsker, G.J., & Higgs, A.C. (1993).  Relations between work group characteristics and effectiveness: A replication and extension.  Personnel Psychology, 49, 429 – 452.

    Ohland, M.W., et al. (2012). The comprehensive assessment of team member effectiveness:    Development of a behaviorally anchored rating scale for self- and peer evaluation.  Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11, 609 – 630.

    Griffin, M.A., Neal, A., & Parker, S.K. (2007). A new model of work role performance: Positive behavior in uncertain and interdependent contexts. Academy of Management Journal, 50, 327 – 347.

     

    Hope some of those help.

     

    Cheers,


    Jeremy

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Susan Ashford
    Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 11:10 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Please post on the list serve

     

    Hi Colleagues,

     

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

     

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

     

    Best,

     

    Sue Ashford

     




  • 7.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 14:41
    Professor Ashford,
    You might see the paper linked below on bottom-line mentality. 



    Sent from mobile device. Please excuse spelling. 


    On Apr 25, 2016, at 12:09 PM, Susan Ashford <sja@UMICH.EDU> wrote:

    Hi Colleagues,

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

    Best,

    Sue Ashford




  • 8.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 15:25

    Hey Sue,

    Antonakis recently published an award winning paper in LQ on the construct of "instrumental leadership" which added novel information to the MLQ. The scales include environmental monitoring, strategy formulation and implementation, path-goal facilitation, and and outcome monitoring. I believe it may be similar to some of Yukl's scales as well in his various scales to measure facets of initiating structure. Here is the citation:

    Antonakis, J., & House, R. J. (2014). Instrumental leadership: Measurement and extension of transformational–transactional leadership theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(4), 746-771.


    On Apr 25, 2016 12:25 PM, "Susan Ashford" <sja@umich.edu> wrote:
    Hi Colleagues,

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

    Best,

    Sue Ashford




  • 9.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-25-2016 17:59
    Hi Sue,

    You can find something like this from your own Robert Quinn there at Michigan. How about these items that measure the "Producer" dimension of team leadership:

    • Maintains a "results" orientation in the unit
    • Sees that the unit delivers on stated goals
    • Pushes the unit to meet objectives
    • Emphasizes unit's achievement of stated purposes

    Quinn, R. E. (1988). Beyond Rational Management: Mastering the Paradoxes and Competing Demands of High Performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Michael Johnson
    Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior
    The Boeing Company Professor of Business Management
    Foster School of Business, University of Washington
    544 Paccar Hall, Box 353226
    Seattle, WA 98195
    (206) 616-2756
    mdj3@uw.edu
    faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/mjohnson


    On Apr 25, 2016, at 9:09 AM, Susan Ashford <sja@umich.edu> wrote:

    Hi Colleagues,

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

    Best,

    Sue Ashford






  • 10.  Please post on the list serve

    Posted 04-26-2016 10:15

    Hi Susan,

     

    You can check out the sub-scale "Goal Directed Problem Orientation", which is part of the Managerial Resourcefulness measure described in:

     

    Kanungo, R. N. & Menon, S. T. (2005).  Managerial Resourcefulness: Measuring a Critical Component of Leadership Effectiveness.  Journal of Entrepreneurship, 14(1): 39-55.

     

    Regards,

     

    Sanjay

     

    Sanjay T. Menon, Ph. D.

    Dean of Graduate Studies

    Director of India Studies

    Louisiana State University Shreveport

    Office: (318) 797-5247     Fax:     (318) 798-4120

     

    One University Place

    Shreveport, Louisiana 71115

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Susan Ashford
    Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 11:10 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Please post on the list serve

     

    Hi Colleagues,

     

    I'm hoping to measure the extent to which someone is "results focused" in a team setting.  I'm having trouble, though, finding a measure of this tendency.  I don't really mean "focus on task" (versus "focus on people") but more the person is clear on the result he/she is trying to create, sets high standards, helps keep the group on a route to high achievement.  Would that be captured by leader measures oriented toward focus on task or are there other measures that might better get at this (admittedly fuzzy) tendency.

     

    I'd appreciate any insights any of you might have!

     

    Best,

     

    Sue Ashford