Self-Assessment 1.

1: How Strong Is
My Motivation to Lead?
This self-assessment is intended to help you reflect on whether you have a strong
internal motivation to lead other people. Since one of the four major elements of a
manager’s responsibilities is to be a leader (along with planning, organizing, and
controlling), it makes sense that you would be better manager if you have a strong
motivation to lead.
For each of the statements listed in this self-assessment, select the response that best
characterizes the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement, with 1
representing “Strongly Disagree” and 5 representing “Strongly Agree.” After completing
the self-assessment, read the feedback that explains how to understand your score and
interpret your results.
You must respond to all statements in order to receive full credit for this self-
assessment activity.
Strongly Disagree  
Disagree  
Neither Agree nor Di...  
Agree  
Strongly Agree  
* 1. Most of the time I prefer being a leader rather
than a follower when working in a group. 
* 2. I am definitely a leader by nature. 
* 3. I have a tendency to take charge in most
groups or teams that I work in. 
* 4. I am seldom reluctant to be the leader of a
group. 
* 5. I would agree to lead others even if there are
no other special rewards or benefits with that
role. 
* 6. If I agree to lead a group, I would never
expect any advantages or special benefits. 
* 7. I feel that I have a duty to lead others if I am
asked. 
* 8. I agree to lead whenever I am asked or
nominated by the other members. 
* 9. I was taught to believe in the value of leading
others. 
* 10. It is an honor and privilege to be asked to
lead. 
Feedback: 

Feedback is calculated by sum

Feedback score: 

Score : 40 pts.

Range-based feedback: 
38 - 50 pts.
Feedback: You may have high motivation to lead.

Interpreting the results

Research shows that there are three elements to the motivation to lead. The first
element is the extent to which you see yourself as a leader and the extent to which you
find yourself accepting or pursuing leadership positions. One of the truisms in life is that
past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. If you find that others see you as
a leader (for instance, you have been asked to lead a student organization or you have
been voted as a team captain), then there is a strong possibility that you will desire to
be in leadership positions in the future. Items 1 through 4 are related to this element.

The second element is the extent to which you are willing to act in a leadership role
even when there is no clear reward for doing so. For example, if you have found
yourself willing to spend extra time to help organize group activities or to be prepared
to run a meeting even if there is no compensation (money, class credit) for doing these
things, then this suggests that you have a strong internal motivation to lead. Items 5
through 7 are related to this element.

The third element is the extent to which you respond positively when you are asked to
lead and the extent to which you think that you have a duty to provide leadership when
the opportunity presents itself. Research shows that people who have these thoughts
and beliefs are more likely to be successful leaders. Items 8 through 10 are related to
this element.

Action Steps

If you have a history of leadership, and you have found those experiences to be fun and
rewarding, then you likely have higher scores on this self-assessment. You can be
confident that you are building a good foundation for future leadership responsibilities.

If your score on this assessment is lower than you hoped or expected, it may be that
you have not had the opportunity to test whether you would be a good leader or not. If
you have the desire to assume managerial and leadership responsibilities in the future,
you should seek out opportunities for leadership right now. Your university or college
probably has a number of possibilities for this. There are student organizations, varsity
and intramural athletic teams, student life positions, and many more. Outside of higher
education, you might have a job in which you can pursue leadership positions, even in
small ways. Or you might belong to a social organization in which you can seek out
leadership positions. In short, the best way to see if you have the motivation to lead is
to actually lead and see how it goes.

As this course proceeds, you will learn many things that are associated with quality
management and leadership. Research shows that people can learn to be good leaders
if they have the motivation and opportunity. Take the things that you read about in the
text, and that you learn about and discuss in class, and put them into practice wherever
and whenever you can.

Survey Caveat

Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while it is helpful for self-
understanding, should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is
impossible to fully capture the unique person that you are in a short self-assessment.
Second, many people find that their preferences for leadership change over time, or
that they come to understand what their actual leadership capabilities are only later in
life. Third, leadership takes on a wide variety of forms. For example, being a leader in a
social service agency has different elements than being a leader in a law enforcement
department. In short, if you scored lower on this assessment than you hoped, and you
are disappointed by that result, that disappointment in and of itself might be evidence
that you are motivated to lead. How you perform in leadership situations, and how
much you like leading, will be a better indicator of leadership than this, or any other,
survey.

Self-Assessment 1.2: To What Extent

Do You Possess an Entrepreneurial
Spirit?
This self-assessment is designed to indicate the extent to which you possess an
orientation to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are persons who want to start, control,
and own a business enterprise. Well-known and highly successful entrepreneurs include
Bill Gates (Microsoft), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook). But there
are many, many varieties of entrepreneurs, ranging from the person who owns your
local pizza shop or franchise, the person who runs her own lawn and landscaping
business, to the phenomenally successful entrepreneurs who started today’s largest
corporations.
For each of the statements listed in this self-assessment, select the response that best
characterizes the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement, with 1
representing “Strongly Disagree” and 5 representing “Strongly Agree.” After completing
the self-assessment, read the feedback that explains how to understand your score and
interpret your results.
You must respond to all statements in order to receive full credit for this self-
assessment activity.
Strongly Disagree  
Disagree  
Neither Agree nor Di...  
Agree  
Strongly Agree  
* 1. I try to be innovative and creative. 
* 2. I try to take on problems that nobody has
looked at yet. 
* 3. I spend some time every day on new ideas. 
* 4. I am not disturbed by how set-backs affect my
future tasks. 
* 5. I think more about future opportunities than
past deeds. 
* 6. I depend on my instinct and intuition while
making decisions. 
* 7. I prefer to take risks that may affect my
future. 
* 8. It is important to analyze my own weaknesses
in business dealings. 
* 9. I prefer to learn from my mistakes and do it
right next time. 
* 10. I want to build a business with a good
reputation. 
* 11. I prefer to take advantage of as many
employment opportunities as I can. 
* 12. I can predict the implications of a particular
situation. 
Feedback: 

Feedback is calculated by sum

Feedback score: 

Score : 51 pts.

Range-based feedback: 
45 - 60 pts.
Feedback: You have high entrepreneurial orientation.

Interpreting the Result

Research indicates that entrepreneurs seem to have a particular set of characteristics

that cause them to want to take the risk to start their own business. The research used
to develop this survey identified five characteristics as being most important. The most
influential characteristic seems to be resourcefulness, which is the tendency to have
ideas and the desire to act on those ideas. The first three survey items are indicators of
this characteristic. The second most important characteristic is having a future
orientation. Items 4, 5 and 12 are indicators of this characteristic. Taken together, these
two characteristics seem most important in determining whether you have a strong
orientation to be an entrepreneur.

The third characteristic, assessed by items 6 and 7, is to believe in your own

competence. The fourth characteristic is the ability and willingness to understand your
own strengths and weaknesses (items 8 & 9). The final characteristic is the desire to
build a business that has a good reputation and that provides employment opportunities
for other people (items 10 and 11).

Action Steps

If the result of this assessment suggests that you have an orientation towards
entrepreneurship, there are several things that you can do to prepare yourself. First, if
your college or university offers a course or courses in entrepreneurship, talk to your
academic adviser about fitting one or more courses into your schedule. Second, seek
out conversations with people in your network who are, or who have been,
entrepreneurs. Listen to what they have to say, particularly so that you get a realistic
preview of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Third, seek out internship opportunities
where you can work closely with an entrepreneur. This generally would mean working in
a smaller organization where you can be close to the boss. Be sure to ask for advice,
including asking the entrepreneur to be brutally honest about both the pluses and
minuses of owning your own business.

If your score is in the low or moderate range, this may mean that you do not possess
the characteristics associated with successful entrepreneurship. There is no shame in
this—the evidence indicates that most people, even highly successful people in
business—would not be successful as entrepreneurs. You will likely want to orient your
career preparation and job search towards working in established organizations. Be sure
to take maximal advantage of whatever career services your institution offers as you
think about where your skills and abilities would be best utilized.

Survey Caveat

Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while helpful for self-understanding,
should not be over-interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to
fully capture your uniqueness in a short self-assessment. Second, you may well find
your orientation to entrepreneurship changes over time, or you may come to
understand what your capabilities are only later in life. Third, entrepreneurship takes on
a wide variety of forms. There are many ways to be an entrepreneur. If you think your
low or moderate score on this scale is not reflective of your true entrepreneurial
orientation, do not let this score stop you from investigating an entrepreneurial life.
After all, if you scored lower on this assessment than you hoped, and you are
disappointed by that result, that disappointment in and of itself might be evidence that
you have an orientation to entrepreneurship.

Self-Assessment 2.1: What Is Your
Orientation Toward Theory X/Theory
Y?
One of the most well-known ideas in the history of management theory and thought is
the concept that managers vary in their views about employees in general. A manager
with a Theory X orientation thinks employees in general are irresponsible, resistant to
change, lack ambition, hate work, and would rather be led than to have the opportunity
to lead. As a consequence, managers with a Theory X perspective tend to be micro-
managers because they do not think employees can be trusted.
A manager with a Theory Y perspective thinks employees are capable and desirous of
accepting responsibility, are self-directed in ways that are beneficial to the organization,
possess self-control, and are imaginative and creative. As a consequence, managers
with a Theory Y perspective tend to have a high level of trust in employees to get the
job done without a great deal of close management.
For each of the statements listed in this self-assessment, select the response that best
characterizes the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement, with 1
representing “Strongly Disagree” and 5 representing “Strongly Agree.” After completing
the self-assessment, read the feedback that explains how to understand your score and
interpret your results.
You must respond to all statements in order to receive full credit for this self-
assessment activity.
* 1. Most people will try to do as little work as possible. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 2. For most people, work is as natural as play or recreation. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 3. Most employees must be closely supervised to get them to perform up to
expectations. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 4. Most employees actually prefer to be told exactly what to do rather than having to
figure it out for themselves. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 5. Most employees do not care much about the organization’s goals. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 6. Most employees would prefer increased responsibility to increased job security. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 7. Most people will not use their own initiative or do things that they have not been
specifically assigned to. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 8. Employees generally do not have much to contribute when asked to participate
when making decisions or solving problems. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 9. Most employees will exercise self-control and self-motivation – managers do not
have to do this for them. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 10. Most employees have little ambition. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 11. Most people want responsibility. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 12. Most employees prefer to have someone else set their goals and objectives. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 13. Most people work to eat and pay their bills rather than because they need to solve
problems and be creative. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 14. Most employees prefer supervising themselves rather than close supervision. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 15. Most people are motivated and want to work. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
* 16. Most employees can be trusted. 
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
Total score: 50 pts.

RANGE BASED FEEDBACK: 

37-59 pts.
Feedback: Your view of employees is split evenly between a Theory X and a Theory Y perspective.

Interpreting the Result

It would be a rare manager who was completely Theory X or completely Theory Y. Later in this chapter,
you will learn about a contingency approach to management. This is the view that managers can—and
should—adjust their managerial perspective and behavior to the particular employee and situation that
they are dealing with. So, if an employee has shown themselves to be trustworthy, the manager who
operates from a contingency perspective will place a great deal of trust in that employee, whereas
newer employees or employees who have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted will get more of
their attention.

However, it is also true that employees will often behave in ways consistent with the way people
expect them to behave. This “self-fulfilling prophecy” effect is well known and well established. You
might be able to think of a person who believed in you so much that your performance was even
better than you thought it could be. This might have been a teacher in a class, a coach in a sport, or a
leader of a scouting group. The point here is that managers who have a stronger Theory Y perspective
are more likely to have employees who live up to their optimistic expectations.

Action Steps

If you find that the results on this assessment are not what you expect, you should take the
opportunity to reflect on why this might be. If you are stronger in a Theory X orientation, you can begin
to work on seeing the good in other people even while acknowledging that we all have imperfections.
To use an analogy from research on helping couples who have marital problems, it is clear that if you
expect to see problems in other people, you will find them and it leads to difficult relationships. But it
is also true that you can train yourself to see the good things in other people (including your
employees), and if you work at this, you will find you will be rewarded with better relationships. By the
way, if you are in a romantic relationship, this same advice applies to you. The more that you look for
the good in someone else, the more you will find it.

If you are strong in a Theory Y perspective, you need to be aware that it is also good to have a
watchful eye. President Ronald Reagan is famous for saying that in the context of negotiations about
nuclear weapons and capabilities with the Soviet Union that the United States should “trust, but
verify.” For example, while you should trust your employees, you should also have good controls over
things such as cash management, travel reimbursements, and treating customers well.

Finally, if you are in work situation where your boss or supervisor is overly harsh and controlling, you
should know that many managers are not like this. You might want to look for another employment
opportunity that would be more consistent with the way that you would like to be treated.

Survey Caveat

Remember that your score on this self-assessment, while for self-understanding, should not be over-
interpreted. First, every person is complex and it is impossible to fully capture your uniqueness in a
short self-assessment. Second, you may well find that your orientation to employees may change over
time, or you may come to understand what your perspective actually is only later in life. Third, the
Theory X and Theory Y concepts are very simplified versions of perspectives of employees. So, this
self-assessment is useful to the extent that it helps you to understand both your own view of people,
as well as helping you to understand that managers differ in their view of employees.
Total Score: 50 pts.
Self-Assessment 2.3: Are
You Working for a Learning
Organization?
A learning organization is one that actively creates, acquires, and transfers knowledge
within itself and is able to modify its behavior based on this knowledge. Research shows
there are five elements that need to occur in order for an organization to be
characterized as a highly functioning learning organization.
The following survey was designed to assess the learning environment of your
organization. For each of the statements listed in this self-assessment, select the
response that best characterizes the extent to which you agree or disagree with the
statement, with 1 representing “Strongly Disagree” and 5 representing “Strongly
Agree.” After completing the self-assessment, read the feedback that explains how to
understand your score and interpret your results.
You must respond to all statements in order to receive full credit for this self-
assessment activity.
Strongly Disagree  
Disagree  
Neither Agree nor Di...  
Agree  
Strongly Agree  
* 1. This organization learns from its customers,
suppliers, and or other business associates. 
* 2. This organization has processes to acquire
relevant information from outside our company. 
* 3. In this organization employees from different
areas share experiences and/or knowledge. 
* 4. The organization has processes for
exchanging knowledge between individuals. 
* 5. The employees, as individuals, are prepared to
rethink decisions when presented with new or
relevant information. 
* 6. The employees, as individuals, are interested
in knowing not only what they do, but also why
they do it. 
* 7. In the organization the employees discuss
issues until they arrive at a shared understanding. 
* 8. The organizations employees meet regularly
to resolve issues and concerns. 
* 9. The organizations employees seek to achieve
consensus by dialogue and reasoning. 
* 10. The organization has an effective mechanism
to store information. 
* 11. When the organizations employees need
specific information they know who will have it. 
* 12. The organizations files and databases are
available to provide needed information to do our
work. 
Information Acquisition 
 Score : 4 pts.
2 - 4 pts.
Feedback: Your organization may have low information acquisition.
Information Distribution 
Score : 5 pts.
5 - 7 pts.
Feedback: Your organization may have moderate information distribution.
Information Interpretation 
Score : 6 pts.
5 - 7 pts.
Feedback: Your organization may have moderate information interpretation.
Knowledge Integration 
Score : 6 pts.
3 - 6 pts.
Feedback: Your organization may have low knowledge integration.
Organizational Memory 
Score : 7 pts.
7 - 11 pts.
Feedback: Your organization may have moderate organizational memory.
Feedback score: 
Score : 28 pts.
Range-based Feedback: 
28 - 44 pts.
Feedback: Your organization may be a moderate learning organization.

Interpreting the Result

This self-assessment asked you to think about an organization with which you are
familiar and assess it on these five characteristics.

 Information acquisition (items 1-2) is the extent to which the organization

actively scans both internal and external sources for information that is relevant to its
operations.
 Information distribution (items 3-4) refers to processes by which people and
units within an organization share information with each other. A common problem in
organizations is that information is “silo-ed” and the organization suffers as a result. For
example, sales personnel may know from talking to customers that a product needs to
be upgraded to keep pace with competitors, but this information is not shared with
product developers or managers.
 Information interpretation (items 5-6) is the process of making sense of
incoming information. For example, it is relatively easy to track demographic changes in
a particular geographic region. However, it is harder to decide how these demographic
changes are going to influence the success of an organization’s products and services.
 Information integration (items 7-9) is the extent to which individuals and
teams within the organization get together to pool information and to work out a shared
understanding of the implications of the information for the organization. Thus, the
information from sales personnel and the information about demographics should be
integrated and a common understanding of what it means for the organization needs to
be developed.
 Organizational memory (items 10-12) is the extent to which information and
learning is effectively stored and is available to others when they can make best use of
it. In smaller organizations, organizational memory often resides in employees who
have a long tenure in the organization. In larger organizations, databases and other
systems are the likely repository of organizational memory, although individual
employees are still very important in passing along past practices and experiences.

Action Steps

This survey is designed to help you assess an organization as to the degree to which it
might be called a learning organization. If the sub-scores and the overall score tend to
be low, this means the organization could benefit from pursuing some of the practices
associated with highly functioning learning organizations. The text contains a number of
suggestions for actions an organization might take to help it become more successful at
capturing new knowledge and effectively putting it to good use in an organization. If you
are in a position to either implement these strategies, or to suggest them to upper
management, then you should do so.

If the sub-scores and overall score tend to be high, then this suggests the organization
is doing a good job of being a learning organization. However, improvements are always
a possibility. If you are in a position to suggest or implement changes, you should
always be on the lookout for ways to improve this critical organizational function.

Survey Caveat

Remember that your score on this assessment, while it is helpful for understanding,
should not be over-interpreted. You are not necessarily in the best position to respond
to these items. Certainly, your perspective is legitimate and valuable, but you should
also recognize that other people, some of who have more experience and more
knowledge of the organization, may have different views. Surveys such as this are
almost always best when they represent the compilation of the assessment of many
people, all of whom have their own views of the organization. You might want to check
your perceptions of the organization with other people. The discussions that result may
be very helpful to you in understanding how your organization works.