Using Personality Assessment for Leadership Selection.

Abstract

Leadership is a critical element of effective military performance. Leadership potential may be a function of personality, but this factor is not a criterion in current screening and selection programs. The present work was undertaken to establish a potential leadership screening profile by reviewing prior studies of the personality correlates of leadership. Leadership career development is a concern for individual military personnel and for military organizations. Individuals want career opportunities for realizing personal objectives such as advancement, financial rewards, and intrinsic satisfactions from work. Organizations want assignment strategies that provide optimal distribution of personnel for operational readiness. Initial entry level selection procedures are designed to ensure that recruits can master the technical components of their Navy occupational specialties. Mental ability is the best available predictor for technical proficiency (Hunter & Hunter, 1984; Schmill, Gooding, Noe, & Kirsch, 1984) and therefore is a focus of entry level selection. As careers progress, seniority typically will be accompanied by increased responsibility for administrative and leadership tasks. These added responsibilities may be performed most effectively by people who possess specific personality characteristics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA308094

Entities

People

  • R. R. Vickers Jr.

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Basic Training
  • Coast Guard
  • Databases
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Genetics
  • Group Dynamics
  • Leadership
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Personnel
  • Minority Groups
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personality
  • Personality Assessment
  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Training

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Naval Personnel Management
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.