Development and Validation of a Biodata Tool for Civilian Army Personnel The U.S. Army developed the Civilian Leader Improvement Battery (CLIMB) containing a biographical data Personal Characteristics Inventory (PCI) A sample of 320 current employee supervisor pairs we statistically related Biodata tool supervisor performance ratings. Results show the Self-Efficacy, Work Motivations, and Peer Leadership scale scores had low to moderate relationships to performance on many of the 27 leadership competencies apprised by supervisors. The scales combined to account for additional performance variance resulting in a significant canonical relationship between the PCI and the LEA. 1

Development and Validation of a Biodata Tool for Civilian Army Personnel Originally developed to assess Special Forces leaders for the U.S. Army (Kilcullen, 2006) PCI is a rational versus empirical biodata test that measures temperament characteristics by asking multiple-choice questions about one’s past behavior and reactions to life events. The PCI consists of 72 items for measuring temperament characteristics designed to be relevant to supervisory job performance. Scales include.., 1) Work Motivation 2) Cognitive Flexibility 3) Peer Leadership 4) Stress Tolerance 5) Social Perceptiveness 6) Team Orientation 7) Self-Efficacy. 2

Development and Validation of a Biodata Tool for Civilian Army Personnel 3 1. How often have your work efforts been blocked by someone who didn't like you? 2. How often have coworkers asked for your help in resolving personal problems? 3. In the past, how confident have you been about your leadership ability when you were placed in charge of a group? 4. How often have you enjoyed working on projects where it was clear that there was not a right or wrong answer? 5. How often were you the one who was asked to organize group projects? 6. How often have you stayed up late several nights to finish a work project? 7. To what extent have changes at work made you uneasy even when they have not directly affected you? 8. How often have you lost time trying to prevent an argument among coworkers? 9. How frequently have you been surprised by events that turned out differently than you expected? 10. I would be able to perform well as a leader in most settings. Example Items (72 total )

Development and Validation of a Biodata Tool for Civilian Army Personnel Graph 1 Sample CLIMB PCI Score Report for the Stress Tolerance Dimension Graph 1 presents an example of a CLIMB PCI score report graph showing how the employee scored (X) compared to a normative group of civilian supervisors. The gray box defines the area one standard deviation above and one standard deviation below the mean for the supervisor sample. Scale anchors were written to neutrally reflect the characteristic being measured in both high and low conditions. Hence Stress Tolerance is depicted as a bipolar continuum with “Expressive” on the low end to “Calm” on the high end. Employees can see where they fall on the behaviorally anchored continuum compared to other supervisors and can observe the extent to which they are in the norm or extreme on any characteristic. 4

5 Correlations, Means, Standard Deviations, and Alphas, for PCI Scale score Ratings and LEA Employee Supervisor Ratings on 27 Competencies (n = 320) Canonical Correlation =.578 (p <.003, 189, 1106)

6 Personality Job Performance Canonical Correlation =.578 (p <.003) IVs DVs

360-DEGREE FEEDBACK

What is 360 Degree Feedback Internal Customers “Boss” Peers External Customers Team Members Self Feedback collected from Using a specially designed tool Anonymously

360-Degree Feedback Provides performance data from multiple points of reference More powerful, reliable and accurate as compared to traditional, single source feedback processes

Not just a performance system …360-degree feedback should be regarded as an organizational process rather than a mechanical tool.

How its being used ……. Leadership development programs. Voluntary feedback Team assessments Organizational Change Assessment of training needs Assist performance management

Benefits For the organisation: Promotes constructive feedback and open communication Develops a culture of continuous performance improvement Builds leadership/ managerial capability Embeds values and expected working competencies Can be a powerful trigger for change Provides feedback about leadership and management ‘strength’

Benefits For the individual: Increased self-awareness Discovering the blind spots Understanding the strengths and opportunities for development Taking ownership and control of own development Helps managers to know how to get it ‘right’

Pitfalls When used in lieu of performance management, …… When “laid” on supervisors ………….. When requested of skeptical employees, ….. When not connected to organizational or leadership strategy, …. When respondents don’t know how to provide constructive feedback, …….. When there is insufficient information, ….. When the focus is on the negative, …… When there is workplace overload, …….. When implemented as fad without systemic support ……. When there is unethical behavior in the organization….

Why are Companies not adopting 360 degree approach? It is costly and time consuming Emotional attachment in peers. Appraises are not ready to take feedback Tend to be somewhat shocking to managers Employees desire to “get the boss” or may alternatively “scratch their back”

5 things to consider before you start 360 degree appraisal 1. Purpose 1. clarify why and what 2. communicate to everyone. 2. Culture – are you ready? 1. Do you have a mature enough team dynamic? 2. Are you open enough? 3. Those involved need to feel comfortable & supported. 3. Timing of introduction – also link with the budget and training planning cycle. 4. Roll out – champion? 1. How to generate buy-in? 2. Involve everyone early. 5. Confidentiality for appraisees and raters – non-attributable.