Organizational Change

Record your answers to the 18 questions below. Score it with the directions that follow. Then order the Supervision Preference Survey to determine whether your style meets the needs and expectations of your subordinates.

1.        Do you enjoy being in charge and giving direction to others?

 YES                                         NO

 2.         Is it your practice to keep subordinates fully apprised of developments that affect their work as a group?

 YES                                         NO

 3.        When giving assignments to subordinates, do you stress the goals to be accomplished, while leaving the manner in which those goals are achieved to your subordinates?

 YES                                         NO

 4.         Is it to a leader’s advantage to keep an attitude of superiority or uncertainty with subordinates, due to the lower level of respect that comes with familiarity? 

YES                                         NO

 5.         Do you find it generally worthwhile to explain the reasons for a policy or decision to subordinates before putting it into effect? 

YES                                         NO

 6.        Do you prefer the planning responsibilities of leadership over activities in which you work directly with your subordinates? 

YES                                         NO

7.        Is it your general opinion that providing appropriate consequence for policy offenses is one of the best ways to avoid discipline problems with employees? 

YES                                         NO

 8.         Is friendliness to employees an important trait for a supervisor? 

YES                                         NO

 9.         Do you agree that it is healthy to have a difference of opinion among work group members, rather than taking the view that dissention is a sign of poor management? 

YES                                         NO

 10.      Do you feel that your subordinates should have a degree of loyalty to you? 

YES                                         NO

 11.      The majority of employees would prefer to meet at lunchtime for a company award ceremony, however you are fairly certain that a breakfast event would be best for everyone. Would you make the decision rather than letting the employees vote? 

YES                                         NO

 12.     You have made a difficult decision that has required a great deal of time. When the decision is presented to your subordinates, there is much criticism. Would you be annoyed that the problem remains unresolved, and likely voice your disappointment with the lack of acceptance from the staff? 

YES                                         NO

 13.     If a new employee came into your area at work, would you first ask their name, rather than introduce yourself? 

YES                                         NO

 14.      When your decisions are criticized by employees, do you explain your reasoning and use persuasion to change their view rather than state that, as the supervisor, you have the ultimate decision-making authority? 

YES                                         NO

15.  As a matter of practice, are informal, daily communications with your subordinates their responsibility? 

YES                                         NO

 16.      Are evaluations of  low performing employees easy for you to give? 

YES                                         NO

 17.      If given a choice, would you prefer using committees and specially convened groups to solve problems rather than being the sole decision-maker? 

YES                                         NO

 18.      If given your preference, would you hold personal meetings with employees only at their request, making communication the responsibility of the employees? 

YES                                         NO

How to Score

Answering “yes” to questions 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, and 16 provides a general indication of how directive your leadership style is.

My DIRECTIVE score: 

1            2            3             4            5              6

Answering “yes” to questions 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 provides a general indication of how much participation you allow your subordinates.

My PARTICIPATIVE score:

1            2            3             4            5              6

Answering “yes” to questions 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 provides a general indication of how much freedom and autonomy you give to your subordinates.

My PERMISSIVE score:

1            2            3             4            5              6

Success can be achieved through the use of any style.

The key factor is whether your leadership style is complementary with the expectations of employees. 

  For the next step, ask several of your subordinates to take the Supervision Preference Survey. Have a copy e-mailed to you by sending a request to:

Mark@EffectiveOrganizationalChange.com

Be sure to include your name and email address. Helpful information would be your title or position, and the name or type of company.

The Supervision Preference Survey is sent to you in the same easy-to-score format. After administering the survey, contact us again to interpret and apply the information it provides.