SBIR-STTR Award

The proposed research effort has several intents. The first is to identify those cognitive and motivational processes that contribute to leader self development (enabling processes) and those processes, such as ego defensive and self-enhancement biases that interfere with effective self-learning (minimizing processes). Another is to identify and develop assessment tools for attributes that promote realistic self-assessment and self-evaluation as a foundation of an effective leader self-development program. The third intent is to design a leader self development support program that emphases enabling processes, bypasses minimizing processes, and targets (a) leader self-development skills, and (b) leader interpersonal skills. In military careers, and increasingly in civilian careers, change and adaptation to new environments, new jobs, and new responsibilities are increasing frequent. Adaptations require the openness and flexibility to develop skills, knowledge, and perspectives to meet new demands successfully. In terms of personnel the fundamental unit is the individual. The abilities of individuals to pro-actively engage in self-development processes and assessment is the basis for organizational adaptation and organizational achievement under dynamic, multi-dimensional environmental change. Understanding the pre-conditions for self-development to take place and the processes by which it can be enhanced and accelerated reliably appears to us to have substantial applications for individual and organization in and out of government which are knowledge based organizations.

Keywords:
LEADERSHIP, SELF ASSESSMENT, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT , ASSESSMENT, DECISION MAKING

The conceptual reviews conducted in Phase I pointed to the need for the construction of (a) self-development support programs that can help Army leaders plan and maximize their own growth, and (b) assessment tools that increase the U.S. Army's understanding of the enabling processes and individual attributes that foster effective leader self-development. The intent of the Phase II effort proposed here is to continue to develop training modules designed to teach leader self-development skills within a training program that also targets leader adaptability skills A unique feature of this training program is its inclusion of assessment tools that are constructed to measure leader self-development skills. The responses given by self-developers to these scales will then serve as the basis for (a) subsequent self-regulation processes constructed into the program, and (b) how the training program is to be structured in different ways for different self-developers. That is, the proposed program will contain a feature that tailors the delivery of instruction and feedback to certain attributes of the individual that may alter how he or she may respond to a prototypic leader training intervention. In essence, the program will be somewhat "customizable" to each self-developer. This feature, combined with training modules that promote growth in and use of self-regulation skills, answers call for more structured self-development programs that guide learning in a format that is tailored to the individual's level of cognitive skill and learning disposition. The research and development proposed will produce tools based on innovative strategies and assessment techniques for leadership training and self-development. If we are successful, this work should expedite and improve leadership self-development and also add value to other leadership training methods. Our research indicates that other military markets should have a strong interest in the tools produced, and we think our approach is readily adaptable to other government and commercial domains.

Keywords:
Self-Development, Leadership, Assessment, Training