Thinking around
April 17, 2012
Kaiser leads session on using the Hogan personality theory & tools in leadership development at international conference
THEORY-DRIVEN PERSONALITY-BASED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology (San Diego)
Robert B. Kaiser (Chair), Kaiser Leadership Solutions
This session includes four presentations that collectively demonstrate how Robert Hogan’s Socioanalytic theory of
personality can inform the development of managers into better leaders. It features an overview of the theory, empirical
research support, application models for helping managers cultivate strategic self-awareness, and a case study of a largescale project to develop airport managers around the world.
Robert Hogan, Hogan Assessment Systems, Leadership and Personality
Presentation PDFs to come
in week of April 16
Robert B. Kaiser, Kaiser Leadership Solutions, & Joyce Hogan, Hogan Assessment Systems, Personality, Leader
Behavior, and Overdoing It: Empirical Links
Darren Overfield, Kaplan DeVries Inc., From “What” to “Now What?” Personality Assessment in Leadership Development
Rene I. Kusch, Metaberatung GmbH, Peter Moser, Swissport International Ltd., & Maret Kassner, Metaberatung GmbH,
Developing Airport Managers with Personality and Leadership Assessments
Michael J. Benson, Johnson & Johnson, Discussant
Thinking around
February 29, 2012
Kaiser tells OD Network “the rest you need to know about strengths-based development”
Rob Kaiser was invited to address the St. Louis OD Network at their annual conference. Kaiser joined a point-counterpoint
session with Susan Duff of Mercy Hospitals, in which the presenters discussed the pros and cons of the wildly popular
“Strengths-based” approach to development made popular by the Gallup Organization and Marcus Buckingham. Kaiser
explained the faddish nature of the movement and offered a more balanced prescription for building strong leaders.
DOES THE STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT WORK?
TWO POINTS OF VIEW
Robert B. Kaiser, Kaiser Leadership Solutions
Susan Duff, Merci Hospitals
Along with the rise of the Positive Psychology movement, an approach to leadership development that emphasizes
strengths has gained popularity. This method encourages leaders to identify their areas of natural talent and focus on
building them to their fullest potential. Compared to the traditional focus on fixing weaknesses, the strengths-based
approach has great appeal. But does it really work? Join us as we explore this question from two distinct perspectives,
equally informed by solid research and experience.
Downloads: Duff presentation Kaiser presentation
See:
Part1_Strengthsbaseddevt_Duff.pdf
Part2_RestYouNeedToKnow_STLODN_feb2012.pdf
Thinking around
February 25, 2012
Kaiser & Hogan win Elliot Jaques Award for Article of the Year
Rob Kaiser received the Elliott Jaques Memorial Publication Award for article of the year in Consulting Psychology Journal.
The award was for his paper, with Robert Hogan, How to (and How not to) Assess the Integrity of Managers, and was
announced at the Society for Consulting Psychology’s Midwinter Conference in Pasadena, CA.
In the article, Hogan and Kaiser analyze the common practice of measuring managerial integrity with coworker ratings to
survey items that ask how often the manager tells the truth, keeps his or her word, and conducts business ethically. They
showed that nearly every manager gets a high score on these ratings and that the ratings are uncorrelated with leadership
effectiveness. Then they argue that a better way to measure managerial integrity is by asking employees whether they
thought that their manager would lie, cheat, steal, and throw them under the bus if they could get away with it. Scores on
these ratings suggest that employees believe that as many as one-third of managers may have integrity issues. Further,
these ratings are highly correlated to leadership effectiveness and subordinate attitudes.
“The problem with the standard approach is that it relies on observed behavior and unethical behavior is rarely observed;
managers behave badly when no one is looking,” Hogan said. He added, “But the troops know who they can and can’t
trust.” Kaiser clarified, “Asking if you have ever seen a guy make a pass at someone else’s wife is the wrong question; the
right question is whether you would trust him alone with your wife.” According to the data, this approach is much more
effective at identifying leaders with the kinds of character issues that undermine engagement and performance.
Download: Kaiser, R. B. & Hogan, R. (2010). How to (and how not to) assess the integrity of managers. Consulting
Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 62, 216-234.
Thinking around
January 9, 2012
Kaiser & Hogan publish links between personality, leadership, and overdoing it
This study tested theory-based predictions about relationships between an expanded representation of the Five Factor
Model of personality and interpersonal-, task-, and change-oriented leader behaviors. The assumption that strengths can
become weaknesses was also examined by determining the level of personality dimensions that is associated with ratings
of “the right amount” versus “too much” of various leader behaviors. Correlation and regression analyses in a sample of
126 managers and executives rated by 1,512 coworkers supported 79% and 82%, respectively, of the predicted patterns of
personality-behavior linkages, with an average multivariate effect size of R = .51. Distinct personality profiles were
associated with each of the leadership behaviors, and complementary behaviors were predicted by opposing personality
profiles. Additionally, the levels at which personality scores were associated with doing too much of the leadership
behaviors were not as extreme as predicted. The findings indicate patterns of leader behavior associated with a broad
range of personality dimensions and have implications for future research as well as the selection and development of
managers.
Download: Kaiser, R. B., & Hogan, J. (2011). Personality, leader behavior, and overdoing it. Consulting Psychology
Journal: Practice and Research, 63, 219-242.
See also: Summary at Hogan Assessment Systems
Thinking around
December 18, 2011
Kaiser advises Polish leaders on how to evolve from chimpanzees to communists to capitalists
FROM CHIMPANZEES TO COMMUNISTS TO CAPITALISTS: ADVICE TO POLISH LEADERS
In his annual address to the Warsaw University of Technology Business School, Rob Kaiser delivered a unique interviewstyle lecture to the members of the Leadership Academy. Witek Gotowski, of Values Group , asked the questions as
Rob discussed his views on leadership and took Polish business leaders on a 2 million year romp through human
evolutionary history, the days of Communism in post-WW II Poland, and up to these exciting modern times of innovation
and entrepreneurialism now that Poland has embraced a free market. Kaiser connected the modern experience of frenetic
change in the Polish economy with its own history and the fundamental of human experience in offering a way for Polish
executives to understand their current leadership challenge.
Download: Kaiser, R.B. (2011, December). From Chimpanzees to Communists to Capitalists: Advice to Polish Leaders.
Guest lecture delivered to the Warsaw University of Technology Business School Leadership Academy. Warsaw, Poland.
See:
WarsawLeadershipAcademy_IntTranscriptDec2011.docx
[And feel free to put it in a different format)