Assessment of Organizational Conditions and Leader Performance
Background information: You are being asked to contribute to an organizational and leader assessment. The instrument should take between twenty and twenty-five minutes to complete. A cover letter will stipulate the terms of confidentiality, the return address, and whether to use this form for responses or a separate form that can be scanned. The survey has two parts. The questions regarding organizational effectiveness may or may not reflect a particular leader’s effect on the organization. For example, leaders who are new or have a relatively small range of discretion may not have a major impact. Because leadership is ultimately about improving organizational effectiveness, however, these questions are vitally important no matter how great or small the leader’s past role. The second part of the assessment focuses on the leader’s traits, skills, and management behaviors. Leader traits are generally predispositions toward effectiveness, rather than guarantees of success. The leader skills selected here are those generalized capabilities that are used in many management behaviors. The leader behaviors are divided into those that are task-oriented, people-oriented, and change-oriented.
Important guidelines for respondents:
• In nearly all cases, the organization, area, or unit being referred to is the area under the jurisdiction of the person being assessed, not the organization at large. The exception is when the person being evaluated is the chief executive officer.
• Reserve 5’s for truly exceptional behavior. Most people are exceptional in a few things; almost no one is exceptional in all leadership areas.
• Reserve DK/NA (do not know/not applicable) for cases when you have no idea or the question seems completely inapplicable.
• Even though a number of the questions are broad or composite in scope, provide an average score for the range that you feel applies.
PART 1
Organizational Conditions
Unless a special scale is called for by a question, rate the following statements about organizational conditions using the following scale:
5 = strongly agree
4 = agree
3 = neither agree nor disagree
2 = disagree
1 = strongly disagree
DK/NA = do not know or not applicable
OVERALL ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
(ORGANIZATION-WIDE)
1. The technical management of routine performance and problem solving of the organizational area is optimal.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5
2. The management of employees’ needs—enhancing satisfaction and creativity—is optimal.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5
3. The management of change—either to improve current systems significantly, replace processes altogether, or make changes in organizational culture—is optimal.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5
4. Which of the three areas is most in need of attention in your opinion (technical management, employer’s needs, management of change)?
ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS AFFECTING SUCCESS
5. Task skills (as a result of recruitment, experience and/or training) are generally excellent in the organizational area.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
6. Role clarity—for individuals, teams, and entire units—is generally excellent in the organizational area.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
7. The unit/organization is characterized by high levels of creativity and innovation.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
8. Resources for the organizational area are generally optimal for employee pay, technology, facilities, support staff, training and development, travel, and so forth.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
9. The level of subordinate effort (in terms of both well-managed time and subordinate enthusiasm) is generally excellent in the organizational area.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
10. Formal groups/units and other teams are characterized by high levels of cooperation and mutual support in the organizational area.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
11. The organization of work groups and the performance strategies they use to ensure high levels of productivity and quality are generally excellent in the organizational area.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
12. The coordination of the organizational area with other external constituencies—other areas or agencies, legislative overseers, and public interest groups—is generally optimal.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
13. Overall, how would you rate the level of organizational effectiveness, with 5 being high?
Low High
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
CONSTRAINTS ON LEADERSHIP
14. Rate the degree of constraints placed on the leader by legal/contractual restrictions (such as legal limitations on rewarding and punishing employees, mandatory purchasing/travel/process requirements, union contracts, etc). Many legal/contractual restrictions would be a 5; few legal/contractual restrictions would be a 1.
Few constraints Many constraints
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
15. Rate the degree of constraints placed on the leader by the level of their position in the organization. A chief executive position would be a 1; a frontline employee’s position might be a 5 (but might also be lower depending on delegation and empowerment).
Few constraints Many constraints
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
16. Rate the constraints on leadership based on the level of resources. Few resources would be a 1; extremely lush resources would be a 5.
Few resouces Many resouces
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
PART 2
Leader Traits, Skills, and
Management Behaviors
LEADER TRAITS
17. The leader exhibits a high degree of appropriate self-confidence.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
18. The leader exhibits decisiveness in situations calling for decisive action.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
19. The leader is resilient in handling setbacks and disappointments. S/he is also persistent in promoting long-term organizational goals and new projects that require time to provide results.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
20. The leader generally exhibits high levels of energy.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
21. The leader demonstrates a high regard for excellence and motivates others to achieve excellence forcefully.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
22. The leader exhibits flexibility in responding to situations and also adapts her/his leadership style to the situation.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
23. The leader generally demonstrates a public service mentality and a customer service orientation specifically.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
24. The leader has very high standards of fairness, integrity, and honesty.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
25. The leader’s emotional maturity—self-control, responsibility for actions, lack of egotism—is consistent.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
LEADER SKILLS
26. The leader’s oral communication skills are exceptional.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
27. The leader’s written communication skills are exceptional.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
28. The leader’s mastery of social and interpersonal skills (e.g., listening and empathy) is exceptional.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
29. The leader is able to use influence and negotiation skills deftly to the good of the organization, without being perceived to be manipulative or excessively coercive.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
30. The leader has the analytic skills—memory, ability to handle cognitive complexity, ability to make fine distinctions—necessary to do the job well.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
31. The leader has technical credibility in the core responsibilities required by the unit entrusted to him/her.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
32. The leader demonstrates continual learning on a personal level.
Disagree Agree
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
LEADER BEHAVIORS
Rate the leader in these behavior areas.
Task-Oriented
33. Monitoring and assessing tasks of subordinates.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
34. Planning and organization of work processes.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
35. Clarifying roles and objectives of subordinates.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
36. Informing.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
37. Delegating work appropriately.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
38. Problem solving related to routine work issues.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
39. Managing technical innovation and creativity.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
40. Overall, how would you rate the leader’s task-oriented behaviors?
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
People-Oriented
41. Consulting (with employees in their area of responsibility).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
42. Planning and organizing personnel (e.g., deployment of the right people for the right jobs).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
43. Developing staff (e.g., training and mentoring).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
44. Motivating.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
45. Building and managing teams.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
46. Managing conflict.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
47. Managing personnel changes (e.g., redeployment, getting personnel to adopt new standards).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
48. Overall, how would you rate the leader’s people-oriented behaviors?
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
Organization-Oriented
49. Scanning the environment.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
50. Strategic planning and organizing issues related to organizational alignment (e.g., introducing a new service or taking steps to eliminate a service that is an inefficient use of resources).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
51. Articulating the mission and vision of the organization clearly.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
52. Networking and partnering (outside the organization).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
53. Performing general management functions (human resources, budget, information management, spokesperson responsibilities, etc.).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
54. Decision making that is timely, effective, and well articulated (regarding major issues).
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
55. Managing major organizational change and organizational culture over the long term.
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
56. Overall, how would you rate the leader’s change-oriented behaviors?
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
LEADER STYLE
57. How would your rate the leader’s style range (whether that style is appropriate or not)? Does the leader change styles in different situations—sometimes being more participative, sometimes more consultative, and sometimes more directive. (The next question will consider style appropriateness.)
Limited Broad
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
58. How would you rate the leader’s style appropriateness? For example, does the leader only use a directive style when speed or discipline are priorities and only use a participative or delegated style when subordinates are equipped and prepared to handle the responsibility?
Not
appropriate Appropriate
1 2 3 4 5 DK/NA
OVERALL
59. What is the key leadership weakness or organizational issue that is especially important for the leader to deal with, in your opinion?
60. Finally, how would you rate the leader’s overall performance, taking into consideration the current level of organizational performance and the leader’s effect on it through his/her traits, skills and management behaviors, and also taking into consideration the constraints the leader faces and his/her time in the position?
Poor Excellent
1 2 3 4 5
Activity (A and B):
A) Read and answer the questions on page 51 regarding the scenario: Leadership analysis based on style strengths and situational needs.
B) Complete the Assessment of Organizational Conditions and Leader Performance (at the back of the book). It will be a useful preview of the course. Share a scanned copy, or simply share some highlights with your group.i will upload it<<<
this is the book ((https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=XFfpMajgggkC&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA51))