SELECTING THE FIRST-LINE SUPERVISOR

Abstract

The Army Civilian Supervisor Selection Battery, implemented operationally in July 1959, is designed for use in selecting Wage Board firstline supervisors. The battery consists of three measures--the Basic Ability Test, a test of mental capacity, the Supervisory Practices Test, a test of supervisory judgment, and the Supervisor Performance Report, a descriptive phrase test filled out by the supervisor who deserves the candidate in a tryout job. In response to a requirement, the present research study was undertaken to provide for alternate forms of the battery components and to evaluate the effectiveness of both the old and new tests on an Armywide basis. Using a concurrent design, the old and new tests were validated on a sample of 623 Wage Board supervisors against a criterion of average ratings of supervisory skills by supervisors and peers. New standardized score norms were developed for the Supervisor Performance Report for which a new form was not required. On the basis of research findings, it was concluded that neither the Basic Ability Test nor the Supervisory Practices Test has utility for the identification of potentially good supervisors. The Supervisor Performance Report, however, appeared to be a more effective predictor in determining the individuals who should be promoted to supervisory positions. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1961
Accession Number
AD0265459

Entities

People

  • Abraham H. Birnbaum
  • Isaak D. Orleans
  • John Dejung

Organizations

  • Adjutant General's Corps

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Battery Components
  • Cognition
  • Electric Batteries
  • Electrochemical Energy Storage
  • Energy Storage
  • Identification
  • Judgment
  • Management Personnel
  • Mental Processes
  • Supervisors

Readers

  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.