Nonverbal Emotion Recognition and Performance: Differences Matter Differently

PURPOSE: This paper aims to explore and test the relationship between emotion recognition skill and assessment center performance after controlling for both general mental ability (GMA) and conscientiousness. It also seeks to test whether participant sex or race moderated these relationships. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Using independent observers as raters, the paper tested 528 business students participating in a managerial assessment center, while they performed four distinct activities of: an in-basket task; a team meeting for an executive hiring decision; a team meeting to discuss customer service initiatives; and an individual speech.FINDINGS: Emotion recognition predicted assessment center performance uniquely over both GMA and conscientiousness, but results varied by race. Females were better at emotion recognition overall, but sex neither was related to assessment center performance nor moderated the relationship between it and emotion recognition. The paper also found that GMA moderated the emotion recognition/assessment performance link, as the former was important to performance only for people with low levels of GMA. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results seem to contradict those who argue that E-IQ is an unqualified predictor of performance. Emotional recognition is not uniformly valuable; instead, it appears to benefit some groups more than others. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper clarifies the emotional intelligence literature by providing further support for the predictive validity of emotion recognition in performance contexts, and by separating out how emotional recognition benefits certain population groups more

Assessing the Effectiveness of Whole Person Learning Pedagogy in Skill Acquisition

We describe a whole person learning experiential/behavioral skill pedagogy developed in an executive skills course. The pedagogy was designed to address recent criticisms of MBA education relative to program relevancy and the skill sets of students entering the workforce. We present an experiential learning model based on the concept of whole person learning, discuss how the model is used in the class, and provide an empirical assessment of skill improvement over a 5-year period. Using a pre–posttest with control group design to test student skill levels by way of an assessment center, the effectiveness of the pedagogy was supported. The skills assessed included communication, teamwork, leadership/initiative, decision making, and planning/organizing. Guidance is provided for implementing the pedagogy into MBA curricula. We describe a whole person learning experiential/behavioral skill pedagogy developed in an executive skills course. The pedagogy was designed to address recent criticisms of MBA education relative to program relevancy and the skill sets of students entering the workforce. We present an experiential learning model based on the concept of whole person learning, discuss how the model is used in the class, and provide an empirical assessment of skill improvement over a 5-year period. Using a pre–posttest with control group design to test student skill levels by way of an assessment center, the effectiveness of the pedagogy was supported. The skills assessed included communication, teamwork, leadership/initiative, decision making, and planning/organizing. Guidance is provided for implementing the pedagogy into MBA curricula

Influence of CEO and firm characteristics on SME internationalization: evidence from California

Drawing on upper echelons and internalization theories, this study investigates the association of CEO’s demographic characteristics and firm-specific advantages (FSAs) with the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To address the gaps identified in the literature, it was hypothesized that the founder’s characteristics, including educational level, previous start-up and industry experience, immigrant status, various international experiences, and foreign language ability, will be positively associated with SMEs’ internationalization. Additionally, the SMEs’ age and size measured by the amount of start-up capital, number of employees, and annual sales would also have a positive association with SMEs’ internationalization. These factors were analyzed using logistic regression, based on two separate datasets. The first dataset consisted of archival data from 2,240 California firms collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, while the second dataset was collected by the authors through an online survey of 329 SMEs. The study found that the CEO’s educational level, immigrant status, and previous work abroad experience, were positively associated with firm internationalization. SMEs’ size based on annual sales and number of employees were firm factors associated with internationalization. The findings point to the importance of people’s development, by both firms and government initiatives, in supporting and boosting SMEs’ internationalization

An Integrated Approach to the Prediction of Chemotherapeutic Response in Patients with Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: A major challenge in oncology is the selection of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents for individual patients, while the administration of ineffective chemotherapy increases mortality and decreases quality of life in cancer patients. This emphasizes the need to evaluate every patient's probability of responding to each chemotherapeutic agent and limiting the agents used to those most likely to be effective. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using gene expression data on the NCI-60 and corresponding drug sensitivity, mRNA and microRNA profiles were developed representing sensitivity to individual chemotherapeutic agents. The mRNA signatures were tested in an independent cohort of 133 breast cancer patients treated with the TFAC (paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide) chemotherapy regimen. To further dissect the biology of resistance, we applied signatures of oncogenic pathway activation and performed hierarchical clustering. We then used mRNA signatures of chemotherapy sensitivity to identify alternative therapeutics for patients resistant to TFAC. Profiles from mRNA and microRNA expression data represent distinct biologic mechanisms of resistance to common cytotoxic agents. The individual mRNA signatures were validated in an independent dataset of breast tumors (P = 0.002, NPV = 82%). When the accuracy of the signatures was analyzed based on molecular variables, the predictive ability was found to be greater in basal-like than non basal-like patients (P = 0.03 and P = 0.06). Samples from patients with co-activated Myc and E2F represented the cohort with the lowest percentage (8%) of responders. Using mRNA signatures of sensitivity to other cytotoxic agents, we predict that TFAC non-responders are more likely to be sensitive to docetaxel (P = 0.04), representing a viable alternative therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the optimal strategy for chemotherapy sensitivity prediction integrates molecular variables such as ER and HER2 status with corresponding microRNA and mRNA expression profiles. Importantly, we also present evidence to support the concept that analysis of molecular variables can present a rational strategy to identifying alternative therapeutic opportunities

Improving the estimation of moderating effects by using computer-administered questionnaires

A program designed to administer questionnaires on IBM and IBM-compatible personal computers is documented. The program prompts subjects to indicate their response by clicking on a graphic line segment displayed on the screen or by entering a numeric value using the keyboard. Features of the program include (a) easily modifiable anchors for the graphic line segment (e.g., agree-disagree, satisfied-dissatisfied), (b) no limit to the number of questions included, and (c) responses that are stored directly into an ASCII file. The program enhances the accuracy in estimating moderating effects because it overcomes two limitations of the more traditional paper-and-pencil mode of administration: (a) transcriptional errors and (b) scale coarseness

Extracurricular activity as an indicator of interpersonal skill: Prudent evaluation or recruiting malpractice?

There is widespread agreement that success in organizations requires more than high intellect. Thus, college recruiters commonly examine job candidates\u27 extracurricular activities in search of “well-rounded,” emotionally intelligent, and interpersonally skilled students. Intuitively, extracurricular activities seem like valuable student experiences; however, research evidence is sparse, suggesting far more questions than answers. Is participation in extracurricular activity truly linked to interpersonal skill performance? Does leadership experience make a difference? Do extracurricular experiences yield higher skill development? Six hundred eighteen business students and the relationship of their extracurricular involvement to four interpersonal skills were examined. Significant relationships were found and recruitment implications are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Setting the stage for effective leadership: Antecedents of transformational leadership behavior

Although transformational leadership behavior (TLB) has been linked to a number of positive organizational outcomes, research regarding the antecedents of such behavior is limited. Guided by Ajzen and Fishbein\u27s theory of reasoned action [Psychological Bulletin 84 (1977) 888], we investigated two potentially relevant antecedents to performing TLB: cynicism about organizational change (CAOC) and the leader\u27s social context—specifically peer leadership behavior. We hypothesized that CAOC would negatively predict TLB, while peer leadership behavior would positively predict TLB. Further, we expected that peer leadership behavior would have a positive moderating effect on leader CAOC. Data were gathered from 227 managers from multiple organizations and their 2247 subordinates. Findings supported the proposed hypotheses. Cynicism and peer leadership behavior explained nearly one quarter (24%) of the variance in TLB. Further, it appears that both CAOC and TLB may be malleable in organizational contexts. Implications for leadership research and practice are discussed