Job success as a function of personal competencies, cognition and personality variable

Abstract

The aim of this research is to develop a conceptual model consisting of factors which were associated with managerial success in a changing environment and to investigate its predictive validity. This "Successful Manager Profile" contains three domains, each consisting of a number of factors.

An assessment battery was devised to measure the three domains - cognitive abilities, personality variables and personal competencies - of the "Successful Manager Profile."

A sample of 287 employees was assessed during 1991 and 1992 using assessment centre technology, psychometric tests and questionnaires. Five years later (in 1996 and 1997), criterion data, which consisted of the final organisational level attained, were collected.

The research question - whether the variables contained in the "Successful Manager Profile" - was investigated using Stepwise Multiple Regression analysis. The coefficient of multiple determination reported ranged from R2+0.21 for the total sample to R2=0.60 for the male graduate group.