Job type as an intervening variable in the prediction of managerial success, using measures of cognitive abilities, personality, and self-perceived leadership style

Abstract

This research is a predictive study of managerial success by specific job type in a single British company. Seventy-four managers, at the same level, in specific jobs differentiated by degree of task structure, completed a battery of tests of cognitive abilities, personality, and self-perceived leadership. Three years later their status was checked to determine if they had been promoted or not. Differences examined in Successful managers between job types, Unsuccessful managers between job types, and between Successful and Unsuccessful managers within job type, for all managers as a whole regardless of job differences. The basic hypothesis of the research, that a situational approach to the prediction of managerial success differentiating managers by job type, would yield results than predictions of managerial success regard for job differences was supported. Significant differences in cognitive abilities, personality, self-perceived leadership style were found between Successful managers in the two job functions, and classification of Successfuls and Unsuccessfuls by discriminant analysis was more accurate for managers within specific job types than for the total sample of managers regard for job differences