Explaining Variables: Leadership Climate

Probes on a questionnaire must be worded to elicit from the respondents clear, precise, specific details concerning narrow, probably historical, situations. Presentation of the findings of the questionnaire must be broad summaries designed to be as general and future-action-oriented as possible. Since the purpose for investigating the narrow past is to provide information on which to base decisions in the broad future, the chasm between the particular and the general must be bridged.



In a recent survey we asked employees of major corporations to rate the management leadership climate they experience. The items on the questionnaire were clear and precise. They are summarized in the column labelled ITEM in the Figure. The most frequently acknowledged trait was that the manager had a well managed department, the most rarely that there were prompt decisions. We see a hierarchy of management competencies from the relatively easy to the relatively hard. But these are just a checklist. To think about them, one at a time, is too exhausting and perplexing. We can keep only 4 or 5 details in our short-term memories. There are too many details here. The first step in communication, therefore, is to summarize the construct into a few clear stages. After considerable thought and discussion, this was achieved in the column labelled FOCUS. Managers advance from Efficient, to Concerned (Climate), to Activist, to Decisive. This does not pass judgement on whether the decisions are good, just that the manager has a firm enough grasp of the situation to make prompt decisions.

We now have a theory of management. But how does it relate to the corporations? The bar chart shows the distribution of companies in rescaled logits. At the bottom, around 20, even departmental efficiency has not been achieved. At the top, around 80, managers have surpassed the range of performance probed by the questionnaire. Again, the bar-chart provides too much detail. The fairly uniform spread of corporations must also be summarized. After more thought, we achieved this in the column labelled DESCRIPTION. 5 stages are identified. For companies near the bottom, labelled (JUST) SURVIVING, even routine management tasks are almost too much to handle. At the top, labelled (POTENTIALLY) WINNING, are managers eager to take on new challenges and become world leaders in business.

A mass of complex survey data has been summarized into a mere 9 words. These words tell managers their own performance level and what to focus on next (the construct). The words also tell top executives the status of their corporations and which area to strengthen next. The power and validity of this construct, its interpretation and its use, become obvious as soon as one applies it to one's own corporate situation.

Jack Stanek & Winifred Lopez
International Survey Research, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Stanek J., Lopez W. (1996) Explaining Variables. Rasch Measurement Transactions 10:3 p. 518-519.


Explaining variables. Stanek J., Lopez W. … Rasch Measurement Transactions, 1996, 10:3 p. 518-519.



Rasch Publications
Rasch Measurement Transactions (free, online) Rasch Measurement research papers (free, online) Probabilistic Models for Some Intelligence and Attainment Tests, Georg Rasch Applying the Rasch Model 3rd. Ed., Bond & Fox Best Test Design, Wright & Stone
Rating Scale Analysis, Wright & Masters Introduction to Rasch Measurement, E. Smith & R. Smith Introduction to Many-Facet Rasch Measurement, Thomas Eckes Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, George Engelhard, Jr. Statistical Analyses for Language Testers, Rita Green
Rasch Models: Foundations, Recent Developments, and Applications, Fischer & Molenaar Journal of Applied Measurement Rasch models for measurement, David Andrich Constructing Measures, Mark Wilson Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences, Boone, Stave, Yale
in Spanish: Análisis de Rasch para todos, Agustín Tristán Mediciones, Posicionamientos y Diagnósticos Competitivos, Juan Ramón Oreja Rodríguez

To be emailed about new material on www.rasch.org
please enter your email address here:

I want to Subscribe: & click below
I want to Unsubscribe: & click below

Please set your SPAM filter to accept emails from Rasch.org

www.rasch.org welcomes your comments:

Your email address (if you want us to reply):

 

ForumRasch Measurement Forum to discuss any Rasch-related topic

Go to Top of Page
Go to index of all Rasch Measurement Transactions
AERA members: Join the Rasch Measurement SIG and receive the printed version of RMT
Some back issues of RMT are available as bound volumes
Subscribe to Journal of Applied Measurement

Go to Institute for Objective Measurement Home Page. The Rasch Measurement SIG (AERA) thanks the Institute for Objective Measurement for inviting the publication of Rasch Measurement Transactions on the Institute's website, www.rasch.org.

Coming Rasch-related Events
May 17 - June 21, 2024, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com
June 12 - 14, 2024, Wed.-Fri. 1st Scandinavian Applied Measurement Conference, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden http://www.hkr.se/samc2024
June 21 - July 19, 2024, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Further Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com
Aug. 5 - Aug. 6, 2024, Fri.-Fri. 2024 Inaugural Conference of the Society for the Study of Measurement (Berkeley, CA), Call for Proposals
Aug. 9 - Sept. 6, 2024, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (E. Smith, Facets), www.statistics.com
Oct. 4 - Nov. 8, 2024, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com
Jan. 17 - Feb. 21, 2025, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com
May 16 - June 20, 2025, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com
June 20 - July 18, 2025, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Further Topics (E. Smith, Facets), www.statistics.com
Oct. 3 - Nov. 7, 2025, Fri.-Fri. On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com

 

The URL of this page is www.rasch.org/rmt/rmt103h.htm

Website: www.rasch.org/rmt/contents.htm