Managerial Performance Development Constructs and Personality Correlates

The goals of this study were (a) to identify managerial performance development constructs through factor analysis, (b) to understand their motivational determinants using personality correlates, and (c) to examine differences between rating sources. Factor analyses identified 5 developmental constructs: Interpersonal Effectiveness, Willingness to Handle Difficult Situations, Teamwork and Personal Adjustment, Adaptability, and Leadership and Development. Comparisons with Borman and Brush's (1993) managerial performance megadimensions showed that the developmental constructs overlapped with but also added to the day-to-day performance domain. Each of the five factors showed a distinct pattern of personality correlates. Personality correlates supported hypotheses based on socioanalytic theory regarding the motive to get along with others (e.g., Interpersonal Effectiveness correlated with empathy and agreeableness) versus the motive to get ahead (e.g., Willingness to Handle Difficult Situations correlated with potency measures). Rating sources (supervisor, peer, subordinate, and self) showed some differences in their results.