Social anxiousness constructs as predictors of managerial performance.

摘要

The present study investigated the validity of three social anxiousness constructs--interaction anxiousness, audience anxiousness, and fear of negative evaluation--as predictors of managerial performance (as measured by performance ratings on the Profilor 360-degree feedback instrument). These relationships were compared and contrasted to those between cognitive ability (Wesman PCT), managerial potential (managerial potential scale), and managerial performance. The study was conducted in two parts. The objective of the first study was to develop the measures for the social anxiousness constructs using items from the California Personality Inventory (CPI). This was accomplished using 232 undergraduate students who were administered, in counterbalanced order, both the CPI and a separate questionnaire containing Leary's (1983) social anxiousness, interaction anxiousness, and brief fear of negative evaluation scales. The second study explored the relationships of interest among the predictors and the various dimensions of managerial performance. The research participants for Study 2 were 566 mid- to upper-level managers who were participants in a developmental assessment program conducted by a large psychological consulting company from whose archives the data were obtained. The predictor constructs were measured using the scales developed in Study 1, the managerial potential scale, and the Wesman personnel classification test. The criteria were measured using the Profilor 360-degree feedback instrument. The LISREL results indicate that all of the models tested fit well, according to the goodness of fit indices, and all but one of the predicted paths tested were significant. Cognitive ability significantly predicted thinking and knowledge skills. Managerial potential significantly predicted leadership skills. Fear of negative evaluation significantly predicted interaction anxiousness and audience anxiousness which, in turn, significantly predicted interpersonal and communications skills. Fear of negative evaluation also significantly predicted thinking and knowledge skills. Additionally, there were significant covariances between fear of negative evaluation and managerial potential and between interaction anxiousness and audience anxiousness.