University of Nigeria Virtual Library

Serial No ISBN: 978-37705-6-X

Author 1 UGWU, Leonard Ifeanyi

Author 2

Author 3

Title

Psychological Testing and Leadership Effectiveness in the World of Work

Keywords

Description Psychological Testing and Leadership

Effectiveness in the World of Work

Category

Social Sciences

Publisher

Bill Fred Nig. Ltd

Publication Date

Signature

PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND T.,EADEWSHXP EFFECTIVENESS IN TH

WORLD OF WORK

LEONARD I. UGWU, Ph.D DEPT OF PSYCHOLOGY, ESUT

P 7 1 he application ol'psychological ksting in the world of work is a tacit recognition of differences among jobs and difkrences among individual. Tests are therefore used to select t l m c wliose potentials (abilities, intescsts, attiludcs. aptitude, and personality -

dispositions) match with job demands. When such 'perfect match' is established, then a 'so~ind peg' is put in a 'ro~ind hole, a sit~iation that brings job satisfaction to workers and ultimately leads to high procluclivity.

Since t o n ~ o ~ ~ o w ' s leaders in thc world of work are today's new entrants, proper diagnostic assessnients are required to select the new entrants whose qualities match with job rcquirements. T!ic paper recommends that "one short" type of assessment is inadequate since workcrs are required to climb different levels of occupational laddcr as each job position opens up new challenges to workcrs. This becolnes neccssaty bccause it' a Icader (CEO) is "sick'' tllc cntire organization is "sick" and subordinates bear thc brunt ofthe leader's malaclfl~iiicnt.

INTRODUCTION . - - - .

Traditional asscssmcnt originated mainly from differential psychology. This is - . reflected in many definitions, according to which assessment is concerned with the

description, ~ncmi rc~nen t and causal explanation of individual differences in human achievcnicnt. expel-iencc and behavior (Saccuzo, 1976). The test is characterized and perceived as a kind of psychological attempt to determine the relative position of subjec~s in a group with respect to a certain attribute. Witzlack. (1982)defiiie a test as a proccd~irc in which distinctive bchaviour characteristics of persons in stmdardized situations are taken to scrve as indicators for certain properties of the person, the result oI'vihicI1 tnakcs i t possible to classify the respondents in system of cat-gories, drawn u p ai'tc~ testing a group ol'comparable persons. But a dccade ago, S e w . (1 972), had rightly put it when he said, "when one occupies oneself with the diirmence betweit individi~als, one is not interested in these persons as such, but only in the corfipal-isons between them.

In tlle world of work, workers' potentials. in items of aptitudes, abilities, and pcrsonaiity dispositions need to be tapped and matched with demands ofjob. This is

ncccssary becatrsc there are difl'crences among jobs and differences among workers such Ilint proper assess~ncnt tools need to bc applied to select those whose potenlials match with the requircmcnts oS.jobs. 'Thc applicatiou ~t ' tests in work settings is a tacit recognition of tlicse differences. When a pcrfcct match is established between workers and thc dctnnnds of jobs then a 'round peg' is put in 'round hole'. This situation enslrrcs worker satistiction and rccfuccd stl-csc; in the work environment. 'rhe pcrson-c~ivirantnent l i t (mislit) support assumption of tcsting. When a tit is main~ained between thc wrkcts ' potcnhls and [lie requirclncnts ot'jobs and when such f i t is evaluated as one moves from one job position to another, effective leadership is ensurcd. There is a likely link between regular and appropriate use oC tcsts at rlit'f'erenl Icvcls of ones occupational lacldcr and leadership effectiveness becar~se C ~ C I I occupati~n opens up a new challenge to thc job-incumbents. Furtliernlore, today's new e~nployces may rise and become tomorrow's chief csccutive (CEO) in thc organization. 11' thc worker is not followcd closcly as he climbs occupational ladder by conlparing his abilities vis-h-vis, the dcmands of the new jobs. a ~nismntcli may result midway which may creak problems to the worker, suborciinates and the entire orgnnizalion. A diagnosis of the individual worker and the entire organization is required at dilli-rent stagcs oi' one's cmployn~znt life. The purposes ofthis paper tlierclbre arc: (a) to provide an ovcr\licw of thc runc'tional value of tcsting i n inchtrial setting. (b) to ewluatc the presenr status of psychological testing i n industriaI/organizatio~i~:~l cnvironmcnt. and (c) to establish a link between testing and Ieadcrship clli-ctivcness.

FUNCTIONAL VALUE OF TESTING IN NIGERIAN INDUSTRIAL SETTING

TIlc relevance of testing in inclustriallorganizatiolid settings in Nigerian carmot be o~welnpllnsized. The lifc wire of any o~ganization is dcpendcnt upon the k i ~ d oI'workcrs selected and how clkxtive their Icadcrs are. This stcms from the fact that proper selection and placement help assign tasks to ariiudged most qualified in terms of posscssing some attributes tllat arc perl'or~iiance-rclated. The proper use of diagnostic tools in assessment in Ihc world ol'work provirIcs lhrec tblds of benefits. Sonic of'thc cspected bencfits, according to Ugwr (1 995). include finding the bcst person for the job. obtaining a high degree ofjob satisraction for tlic employees; and rcducing turnover. Some of tlw psychological tcsts that are used in industrial settings i~tclr~clc;

- tnrclligencc t a t s (prulicicncy and aptitudc tests) - Vocational tests - Tk-souality tcsts The intclligcncc tests arc designed to nleasurc mcntal capacity and to test

mcmory, sped 01' thought, and ability to scc relationsliips in complex psoblem sittrations. TIlc rationale for rhe usc oS intclligcncc rest i n industrial scltings is the bcliel'hal intclligcncc colr~latcs wit11 job pcrlbr11i;mx. 13111 may I quickly add that whcn somcbocly's IQ Il'ns bccn clcnionstratcrl to be \'cry high. i t docs not automatically ,

mean that ilc will s~~cccssli~lly r~iect Iligli cognirive denlancls on thc job, as is scrmctimesconcl~~dcd too rapidIy in diagnostic invcsligations.

O k r tcsts, which also measure intclligcncc, arc thc proliciency and aptitude

tests. Thcsc tcsts arc designed to discoyer existing!skills,and potential ; for :ic~~u~;.:n~! skills~Aptilucle tests d.0 not,mc;asurc the knowledge.acquired.during rainin!: r ~ . hc r they try to predict an individual's.abilily.~~ benefit from training ifinet~d be. ,A ntltr~cli. I

tests arc easily separated from-inteiligence ,tests.because-they,are all,measurcs o f I innate potetltialq. \Vhile vocational tests. measure individual interes~ in the job or related j ~ b s , personality . tests arc designed toz? reveal :~andid~:tc's pcrsonal characteri~lics andl the ,way they may:,affect others, ,thet.eby.giving a measlire of' potentiality Ibr leadership. Some ofthese tests are used as a single asscssment toolior solneti~ncs as a composite assessment tool. In most cases, it is better to adopt multiple assessmen1 icchniquc since perlor~nance;~is influenced by, nlultiple factors (abilities, motivations. intelligence, interest:and aptitude). Although onecis not here tocargue on whethcr tcs t in~ in necessary or not in industrial settings, the bone of contentionis to.

I what extent arc these tesrs standardized measures of behavior in our organizatianal. climate. Furthermore; to what extent do qualified personnel use thcse tests and how are the tests interprcted?Thc issues raised above bring us to the next areaofinterest. .

; I . , . , : , , . I : . ! - < . ,:is t ; , ,. , . . ' I - 3 , , , , ; I ;., y ' ; [ T , \ , , . , q j ; ~ : c : r L i s.,, ' I , . ,

THE PRES,\IT. STATUS OF PSYCHOLO,GICA~~,TEST~NG IN NIGERIAN, JNDUSTRT,AtSETTINGS a . ; . ( ,y.-, i;.-. ~ . : I . , : ! ~ ~ , i' . - ; : I , : ! : . : . . ! ! I ( - : ,I : .

- . ;. , . : Al tj~or~gh: no,: one. can. .proceed. .thro;ugh ;Nigeria school without frequent eyposure, totcsrs of p i o u s , kinds. testing in Nigeria in connection with job.entry and prornolio~?,or professional ,certificat.ion.;is, not ,widespread :enough to have -directly touched ~Gany lives. This could,be, attributed partly! to; . tkdear th . of professio~lals i n area.of,testing, and .partly due to the fact. that,Nigeriap cultural, and'politica1,life is not rooted in testiqg. . !, I , t . : : I + ; I i L , , c : > I - 1 , .

. , . I-Iowcver; psychological testing, is> still&-in, use, in ;Nigeria organizatirtn~ t climate even though some of these tests are not properly standardized and more oftell than not left in the hands of consultants who, to say the least, arc not trained psychologist. Most of these psychologicel tests are-administered in tile privale sectors. Eyen'when these are administered;they are only meallt for vAection and placemch. In this rcspect, testing is 'one short affairs' since once the app'icants are sclcctcd; no follow.up testing is instituted, This system of testing in our private firms has made'it diflicult for workers to be a~sessed'~eriodical l~ in order to icentify the workers' ability to adjust to the job demands. Secondly; when an applicant i n cmployccl, he is expected to clinlb some occupational ladder through pro1no:im evGn when the dcmanc's df thcse new job openings , are . not built into tests used for initial screening olapplical;ts. . c _ . . "

In climbing occupational laddel', therefore, employees are then left to their own fatc as they struggle to adjust to the challenges of the newjob opening:. Rccausc non-professioonl psychologists administer some of these tests, interpret;dion is fraught with errors. Test results provide database for informing dechion; 3501tt

L ? D O (1 C C U ~ ~ workers. Therdore interpretation requires cfiution'since wrong interpralt lead to wrong labeling: for unqualified applicants may be hired or a13iliied applicants rejccted dn the basis oftheir test performance. '

ci ;ue no: ~urtherm6re. in Nigeria sectors, son~e 'of the tests r1.1:.

collstructed will1 Nigeria sa~rlple in mind. Such tests need to be st: ~-:.:r.Iixri . i

illcarporate perfo~lllance-relatcd bel~aviors operative in - our cuihlre. L-1 XL; .lr-i. , rk ;

performance is not a simple or unitary phenomenon, and models that treat "performance" as a single entity without considering how different facets of this complex construct are combined, a misleading picture of the validity and utility of t h e tests may res~~ll . As Burman, I4anson and Iiedge (1997) observed:

"The attributes that lead some applicants to excel in specific aspects of pcrfor;nance (cg.. perfrrrlning individual job tasks) appear to be different from those that lead some applicants to excel in other aspects of job performance (e.g.; tcnniwork, I! 25).

The above escerpl suggests [hat using rnultiple testsor assessment methods in intlusfrinl sctling is a bcttcr approach since a single approach method is unlikely to capture the rage of' nttribules lhaL arc likcly to be relevant in predicting job pcrf'orrnancc.

'Tile situation is worse in public sectors and government parastatals where the use of psychological tests for selcction and placement is viewed with rnised feelings. ,

This results limn1 the fact that the policy makers view testing as negating the principle of quota system. which stipulatcs that any cnlpioyrnent in the federal civil service n~ust reflect fkder-al cl~nmctcr. This quota policy has constrained the use of tests in sclcction in public scrvicc on the premise that tests are barriers to job opportunities for the 'educationally disadvantaged' states. This has ailected the development of tesling cultrrre in Nigeria and thc rcsultanl effect is low productivity arising from a mismatch betwcen cmployec pttntials and thc clemnnds ofthejob.

Psycliological testing in Nigeria/organizational cnviron~nent today is in its Ibrrnative stage and even where such tcsts arc administered, they are handled by non- pml'cssional psychologist and used without proper slandarclization to rcflect the demands of'our organization a I c .I ' mate.

PSYCHOL OGICA I: TESTING AND LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS Leaders are neither made nor born; rather. Icadership d c p n d s on thc leader's

personality characteristics and siti~ational variables. "The above assertion perhaps,, explains why some leaders perform well in one situation and badly in another organizational climate. Sincc two factors arc involved in the making of leadership eitectiveness, i t is pertinent that psychologists, in the world of work, should occupy themsclvcs wit11 idcntirying and asscssir~g thcsc factors. They can achicvc success in this area by incorporating some indiccs of efl'ective leadcrship into the general psychological testing used for assessment in the world ofwork.

As notcd above, leadcrship ctt'ectivencss is influenced by the leader's motivations, abilities. and intcrests, attitude, intelligence, and personality clispositions. These and more should be assessed to ensure that the worker (potential leader) possesses these qualities that are relevant to the performance ofthejob. '

Emphasis on the attributes relevant to t l~c performance of the job is very important because what a worker does not have and is not capable of acquiring, he cannot impart on others. Whcn a worker is messed and found to be in Ilar~nonious tune with his job. chances arc that he can lead others. Ilowevcr, it is necessary to point out hcre

that each lob ha\ its own cicmnds; as such psycliological incorporatfc perl'ortnatice-~cI:itccI bchaviours in test items si pc r ib~ ln~~nce dcl>cnds 011 h c congruence between job dcma~ cl~aractcris~~cs. I !'a woskcr's pcilcnti;~ls vis4-vis the detnands of j and Ii7und cc~ligrucnt. tlic workcr can climb lhc occupational I occupic:; lca~lciship position in llic ~ ~ i x l ~ l r ~ f ~ ~ o s k .

O n lllc ctnrlr-aq.. ii'a \\orkcils potenlials are at variance 7

rnistii:~tcIi niay rcwll, a situation that may lead to stress, lo t ~ r r n o w ~ . W l ~ c n :r \ tosku is 11udcr stress as a rcsult of misfit, Ile I Iiit~iscll: llis co-\roskcrc, and nsganizations in gcncral. Worsc st olga~iizalion arc not properly lilted to tlicirjobs, tlicn t l~c work en a 17rcwit:g po( o~ 'c~r~I l ic ' t . ~'r.liicI~ crealcs Ic;~dcssliip problem. For with IiimGll'. his cubosdinatcs bcar rl~c hrunt of his incflicicncy. I nrltl c \ u i intc~~i;~lional \vars bcgin licl~n llic ~ i l i r ~ ~ l nl 'a 111a11, wc ncccl to wlccl our ;~pl-rlicatits carcli~lly rrsing psyclwlogicnl tcc applicant Ihr il yii.c~ijoh. orgnnimtional and individual diagnose c m u x ~ l m t incliccs ol'pcrroi.m:~nct.-rcln[c.d behaviors, across dil'rcrcnt occupational Ia~ldcr.. arc. incorporateti. 'This bcconlcs necessary bccausc today's crnployees may bcctlmc to~nossowc Cliirl 'cscci~tii.~ of'tl~at company. This is in line with the thinking ol'Tl;~l,~n , ~ n d I i i ~ 1y (2002) 1 1 ~ 1 uml~loycc.; SII'OLIICI hc cc~n~idcrc~l I11r Illc i~nrnediale ioli r lmxwt i and hcyonci so thnl ~ l le jolx he will meet in his occu~~ntionaljourney will IJC 11,:itllcr o \ w ~ I ~ a I l ~ n g i ~ i g nor undcr challenging. Earlier, Mnycr and Salovery ( I 907) haw suggcctcd that cmotiu~iaF inlulligcncc shoultl rcn lnre ~ r n r r ~ l intc1liycnc.c i l l ;~sccssnicnt rcgimcn and that 'adaptability' which is t cmotional intclligcncc slloiild he cn~phasizcd, Arguing in fx7o i~:~c.ll i~oncc tl1c01-y GOICIIICII ( I OW) Said;

"Frnotionnl int~'lligcncc gives YOII a ~ o m p e t i t i \ ~ cclge.. . 11; ir~tc.ll:.ct~~al nhililics m y make you a s u p c ~ b liscnl analyst or I c p l highl> ~ic\~lol-rcd cmotional intclligerlcc will niakc you a car~didatc bi illiant [ I ial la\vycr" (I', 76). Sincc Icnclci \ pcrli~rni Lhe rulc ufcoorclinaling l l~c d u n s r~follicr, Ibs p c y c I ~ o l o ~ i s ( ~ 10 incospnralc cmc~tionul intelligence Lesls into the intcl l igcllcc tests so that t l l ~ Icadcr's ability to n~onitor otic's own ;In( ailcl c~~wtiotv, i.; cns~arc~!

I~ustlics~i~o~c. i n turlny's world o f work, signilicant chxlgcs \vliich rccli~irc ;I I d e r wIlo recognizes h c need for a change, creaks that cllmgc, esccr!tcs thnt change cffkctivcly, and has the ability to in the dynamic organizational climate. Kahn (1902) prefers transl'ormntionnl leadcrs. 'I hc challenging job of psychologists in thls o w < nsarton 1s Iivw LO rcposiiion thc~nsclvcs arid clcvclnp appropriate diagnosti tapping ~~cswna l i ty dispositions rcquircd for the chul lcngc-l of th psycliolngis~s I'rtil to acliieve this fi'at and bccoli~e$ lcss respc cicr~in~ids oljobs. Icadcrsliip problems beca~ncemincnt.

In summary, if workers are selected with proper diaenostic a;53=33bu LIJ

they clirnb diffcrcnt occupational Iaddcrand arc matched i will hc i n hnrinonioi~s tune with the work. bccnmc mare

ivi th job demands, a w productivity and lecomes a burden to i l l . when workers in ~vironmcnt bccoines r if a leader is at war Swe recall that wars now appreciate Lhe

;ts. In choosing an s need to be rnadc to

wing great scholar, but a

for CEO or a

thcrc is the nced : exisling general d othcrs' fcclings

arc taking place, a visinn w'guidc * .

~fluevcc otl~ers in to call them . 1. .. .

c too!!: i ~pable of e new jnbs. When ~nsi~~.:: io the new

" ~ i t h j o b rcq~ircnients, they committed. an?, above all

take directive's readily froln t1ieir~Ieader:In:the sade vei knowledgeable ol'the job and.relates Iiappilyriyith worker: ]eve] of productivity. ! . ,,-::; . 8 : , ' : t , * ! , . ; , ;.

,, ' , , ; , ,, , , , I , ! . ' ! . ; , > ., . . . ' , , , I , ...''!:,;,.:.:i..,/. i

. . 8 . , , ' : , , , I , m , ; ; , , , : , . ; I : SUGGESTIONS . , . I J , . , ~ ! : , .- L l r : * , , ! . ( 1 1 / i , { f I t ; j :

, , , . . . ; , I . 1 . . ; . . , ; ,..... Psychological testing is an iijdi&isabii tobi 61 assessment . . i i th i :~&i l$ 'd . f . .

work because of its usefulness . . in protridihg database that will help ~ s ~ c h o l o ~ i s t form ,-,!,,;,:i decision and, consecluently match workel's with different job demands. But tlie use of

such diagnostic tools in Nigeria, is fr;iuglit with errors. In the light of di&, the : I ( . . / .. I , ' , .

following suggestions are made: ,. , I ! . .I. . , ! ; : rc, 1 I f , . ~ ~ : ; ! ~ r ! - l ,

2. Psychological tests :should be 'developed - a n d validated. \with::,a Nigerian san~ple SO that 1 they : become standai-dized ' . measuresi:;of

. _ , . , - , . perSormance-related beliaviours. ! , , i : , , , , , , ( . ! ;. !: . , $ . , ' , r i - )

t , . f ; , 1 : I

3. A follow-up assessment should be institut'ed aslw'&ikers chmb different occupational ladder since each job opens up 'hew' c'hdllenges, to the worker. I I

\ I , I ' l l

4. A team of psycl~ologists Srom dii'ferent areas of specializatiori lstlouId always participate in any assessment since assessment goes beyond immediate demand ofa givenjob. 1 1

' ' l , I ( , 4

5. An attempt should be made at incorporating tests that measure leadership effectiveness with the existing psychological tests used in industrial settings.

I I ' ' 1 ! '

REFERENCES

I * 8 I : I \ Botman. 1V.C.. Ilanson. M;& Hedge (1997). Personal selection.

# I . ; , , A~rtzrrnl Review of Psycltology, 48,299-3 37.

( * . * . I I ' 1

Goleman.lD. (1 997). Emotimrnl Tntelligmcr: why it carr mrrttrr n t o r h ' t l h IQ . New York: Bantan Books. I , , . / : I

1 l o , 1 , ; , ' s i \

Kahn. W. (1992). 'To be fully there: psychological presence ai work. ; , , ;! - $ , ; I

Himan Rrlntinns, 45, 32 1-349.- . , . ) I I : - I I \ I ! ; J ~ I I i 1 ( t . . - ,,! J , a !

~ n ~ e r ; J.D.'& Salovey. P. (1997). What is enlotional intelligence? In P. Salovey d D.J. Slaughter (eds), Entotior~nl ~ ~ v d l o ~ n t r , r t m d entotintrnl ir~tdlligeitce. New York: Basic Books.

1 I ( , < . ,

Saccuzo, D. (1976). The decline of psychological tcsting.'hujessiih~$ ( , I r , , ,, ,

P.~~~clrofogy, Mny edition, 1 77- 1 84. . . .I I ,,; : ,

Thilan, L, & Kirby, L.S. (2002). Is emotional intelligence a exploration of the impact of eliiotional and general intell performance. The Jnrtrr~nl of socinl Psvcliology, l

U g w . I,.[. ( I 995). The relevance of psychological testiug Indus~rialiurganizationnl settings. In E. Moral1 (cd). I; N I ~ A S S ~ S S I ~ ~ I I ~ . Enugu: Dulacs.

Wutzlack, G. (1982). Theory and practice in the constructi i psycho diagnostic procedures in the German Democratic I

111tt.rnntiorrnl Review of Applied Psj~clrology, 31, 55-73

Berhn: VEB Deutch

In advantage? In igence on individual 42(J), ! 33- 143

on and application of tepublic.