I noticed I scored in the top quartile of most of the surveys and the results are pretty consistent to how I view myself. Despite scoring well in a lot of the areas, I found there are some areas of concern I will need to address going forward. Specifically, my low score in the Core Self-Evaluation Survey (CSES) was an area I feel is my greatest need for improvement.
How much of this rang true for you?
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical before taking the survey. However, the majority of the results seem to align with my own assessment of myself. I have learned my strengths and weaknesses through experience and this survey highlighted each of those areas.
What did you see that you were expecting in the results?
I have always felt I lack a bit of creativity and the ability to think outside the box. I am pretty straightforward when it comes to answering a question. I am not one to use “fluff” words to try and make myself sound more intelligent. I expected to score low in the creating style of the cognitive style indicator assessment and that held true. The mean of the creating style comparison data was 4.01 and I scored considerably lower with a 3.14. According to Whetten & Cameron (2011), “Individuals who score high on the creating style tend to prefer experimentation, nonrational thinking, and creativity” and “rules and procedures are viewed mostly as obstacles and constraints, so they are often disorganized” (p. 75). That describes the complete opposite of me. Ambiguity sometimes feels like my enemy. I feel comfortable with having structure and following a set of established rules.
What were the surprises?
I knew I would score well in the knowing style and planning style of the cognitive style indicator test. However, I did not expect to score as high as I did. The knowing style mean was 3.89 in the comparison data and I scored 4.75. The planning style mean was 3.78 and I scored 4.75. The results indicate I emphasize facts, details, and data in regards to the knowledge style. The results of the planning style reveal I am “inclined to structure, preparation, and planning” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 74). Another surprise was my low score on the core self-evaluation scale. I ended up in the lower end of the second quartile with a score of 3.42. This honestly concerns me a bit because I may be missing out on the benefits of a higher score since “higher salary levels, less career plateauing, and more organizational commitment have also been found to be associated with higher self-evaluation scores” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 81). Another area of concern was my locus of control because it revealed I exhibit a very high level of external locus of control. My score of 11 was in the upper end of the top quartile and much higher than the additional comparison data. Based on the readings of the chapter and research, an external locus has many negative connotations associated with it. This is definitely an area I need to research further to try and make a shift closer to an internal locus of control.
How will you make use of this information?
The purpose of the surveys was to take a snapshot of my level of self-awareness and show me my strong and weak areas. I will take a look at the weak areas and investigate how I can make improvements. Improving upon the Core Self-Evaluation Survey and creating style within the cognitive style will only improve my success in my career and life in general. This is all about being self-aware and trying to find ways to make improvements to be a better leader, manager, and person.
Reference:
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing
Management Skills (8th ed.)
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall.
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