T R A C O M R E S E A R C H S T U D I E S

Documenting the RelationshipBetween Versatility and Job Performance

MANAGERIALSUCCESS

STUDY

In 2005 The TRACOM Group workedwith an international publishingcompany in a formal study thatprovided further proof of the connectionbetween Versatility and managerialperformance.

Study OverviewThe TRACOM research evaluated therelationship between Versatility andvarious aspects of managerialeffectiveness. The hypothesis wasthat managers higher in Versatilitywould perform better compared withmanagers lower in Versatility. It wasalso believed that Versatility would be ameasurable part of overall jobperformance.

Versatility MeasureTRACOM’s Social Style Profile-Enhanced (SSP-E), an onlineassessment, was used to measureVersatility. An e-mail invitation tocomplete the SSP-E was sent to 215managers of which 127 participated

(59% response rate). This group wasrandomly selected from a variety offunctions and locations throughout theUnited States, and each participantmanaged at least one direct report.Participation in the research project wasvoluntary, and managers did not receiveindividual feedback on their results.None of these managers had everparticipated in a TRACOM Social Styleworkshop, and were therefore notfamiliar with the Versatility concept.

The SSP-E consists of 88 itemsrated on a five-point agreement scale,and measures the two factors thatmake up Social Style (Assertivenessand Responsiveness) and Versatility.Versatility scores range from low tohigh. In ascending order from low tohigh, Versatility positions are labelled“W,” “X,” “Y” and “Z.” The lowest 25th

percentile of scores are “W,” while thehighest 25th percentile are “Z.”

The SSP-E is a multi-raterinstrument whereby “self” scores arecompared to the scores of “others.”

Managers were allowed to choose thereference group who rated them on theSSP-E, and all analyses were based onthese “other” scores.

Managerial Performance MeasureConcurrent with the SSP-E, a jobperformance questionnaire was sent toeach manager’s supervisor and directreports. A total of 691 performancequestionnaires were completed for the127 participant managers. Theperformance questionnaire consisted of 47 items measuring various attributesof managerial effectiveness. Theperformance items were generated fromprevious research on job performanceas well as from experts within theorganization who were familiar with thevarious priorities and job requirementsof managers. Each item was rated on a five-point scale ranging from“much below average” to “much above average.”

Versatility: A Key Element of Managerial Performance

Most people recognize that interpersonal skills matter in the workplace. But are they “nice to have” or do theymake a significant difference in organizational and individual performance? A new research study shows thatinterpersonal skills are directly related to effective job performance.

The study shows that managers with higher Versatility perform better in critical business areas:

27% better at leading teams25% better at coaching others19% more likely to be promoted

Versatility is a significant component of overall success; comparable to intelligence, previous work experience and personality.

WHAT IS VERSATILITY?Closely related to the concept of social or emotional intelligence, a person’s Versatility is his or her ability tointeract effectively and gain support of coworkers. Numerous studies have shown that emotional intelligencetranslates to workplace effectiveness. Other research has shown that emotionally intelligent managers developmore attachment to their organizations, are more committed to their careers, and have greater job satisfaction.

ParticipantsThe majority of the study participantswere “directors” and “mid-levelmanagers,” with only small percentagesof “supervisors” and “first-linemanagers.” Fifty-four percent of thesample were male and 94% were Whitewith 3% African-American and 2%Hispanic. Two individuals did notidentify their ethnicity. On average themanagers were 46-years-old and had 11years of service within the organization.

The design of this study largelyeliminated same-source bias, in thatperformance ratings were gathered fromboth supervisors and direct reports, andmanagers chose their own group ofrespondents to complete the SSP-E.Same-source bias can occur when bothVersatility ratings and job performance ratings are gathered from the sameindividuals. SSP-E rating sources wereanonymous, and managers were

instructed to choose raters who knowthem and their work well enough to havewell-informed opinions.

ResultsData was tested to answer fourprimary questions: 1) Is Versatility related to managerial

effectiveness, 2) Is there a meaningful difference in

performance between managers withlower Versatility and managers withhigher Versatility, and

3) Did compensation differ acrossVersatility scores,

4) Is Versatility a significant componentof managerial success?

1) Higher Versatility Yields IncreasedManagerial EffectivenessVersatility scores were positivelycorrelated with each of the 47performance indicators for both

supervisor and direct report ratings,indicating that managers with higherVersatility received higher ratings acrossthe work performance items.

Correlation evaluates the connectionbetween two items and determines if areliable relationship exists. Versatilitywas strongly related to various importantcomponents of managers’ jobs. Forexample, ability to coach others (.44),ability to work well within a team (.47),ability to establish effective relationshipswith direct reports (.51), andeffectiveness as a team leader (.47), justto name a few. As a comparison,consider the statistical correlation ofsome commonly held “facts.” Thecorrelation between taking aspirin dailyand reduced risk of death by heartattack (.02), antihistamine use andreduced runny nose and sneezing (.11),SAT scores and subsequent college GPA(.20), relationship between weight andheight among U.S. adults (.44), andnearness to the equator andtemperature (.60). Thus the correlationsof Versatility with managerialperformance are strong and verymeaningful, indicating that the higher amanager’s Versatility, the better his/herwork performance will be.

2) Versatility—A Measurable Differencein Managerial EffectivenessWith the research proving that Versatilityis positively and significantly related toworkplace effectiveness, the next stepwas to examine if differences inperformance existed between managerswith lower Versatility and managers withhigher Versatility. The researchhypothesis was that managers woulddiffer significantly across jobperformance measures depending ontheir Versatility category.

It was found that high Versatilitymanagers did measurably outperform low Versatility managers on 46 of the 47 performance measures. For example, “effectiveness as a team leader”

PERFORMANCE MEASURE CORRELATION W/VERSATILITY

Ability to establish effective relationships with direct reports .51

Ability to work well within a team .47

Effectiveness as a team leader .47

Ability to be open with others .45

Ability to effectively coach others .44

Ability to establish effective relationship with supervisor .43

Ability to positively impact the commitment of his/her direct reports to the organization .42

Ability to influence or persuade others .41

Ability to effectively communicate with others .40

Ability to effectively manage conflict .40

Overall performance .40

Ability to establish effective relationships with customers/clients .39

Willingness to set challenging and realistic goals .38

Ability to prioritize and focus on what is important .37

Persistence in overcoming obstacles .36

PERFORMANCE MEASURE CORRELATION W/VERSATILITY

Ability to manage change initiatives .34

Willingness to look for new ways to improve the effectiveness of his/her work .34

Willingness to ask for or seek challenging work assignments .33

Ability to adjust to multiple demands and priorities .33

Commitment to the success of the organization .33

Potential to be promoted to the next level .32

Taking responsibility for his/her work .31

Willingness to volunteer for things that are not required .29

Following through on commitments .28

Decisiveness/making timely decisions .28

Understanding of customers’ business and needs .27

Ability to work under pressure .25

Attention to detail .24

Note: all correlations significant at p < .01.

Table 1: Job Performance Correlations with Versatility

PUT THE BENEFITS OF VERSATILITY TRAINING TO WORK FOR YOU!

VERSATILITY IS LINKED TO MANAGERIAL PERFORMANCE.

increased 27 percent betweenmanagers rated as W Versatility andmanagers rated as Z Versatility.

3) Higher Versatility Means Higher PayCompensation data for the managerswas analyzed to identify any Versatility-related differences. It was found thathighly Versatile managers received 29percent more in total compensationthan low Versatile managers. Theaverage annual difference between thegroups was $30,000, showing thatorganizations place higher value onthose managers with higher Versatility.Compensation was not significantlyrelated to job tenure.

4) Versatility — A Predictor of JobPerformanceOur third question was whether

Versatility could be measured as a significantpart of job performance. The research hypothesis was that Versatility canpredict performance. Thecategory of “overall jobperformance” was usedto test this hypothesis.

A statistical techniqueknown as multipleregression analysis wasused to test how wellVersatility predicted overalljob performance. Versatilityaccounted for 15% of thevariance in overall jobperformance. This iscomparable to the influenceof other measures such asintelligence, education orpersonality.

Summary and ImplicationsThis research study using a diversegroup of managers from throughout the U.S. is additional evidence that the TRACOM Versatility measure is apowerful indicator of workplaceeffectiveness. As Versatility increases,so does performance. Further, there aresignificant and noticeable differences inperformance between managers withlower Versatility and those with higherVersatility. Importantly, Social Styleitself is not related to workplaceperformance, indicating that people ofany Style can be effective managers.Thus it’s not a person’s Style thatdetermines success, rather howeffectively each person uses their Style with others.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE % INCREASE FROM W TO Z

Ability to establish effective relationships with direct reports 27%

Effectiveness as a team leader 27%

Ability to effectively coach others 25%

Ability to work well within a team 23%

Ability to effectively manage conflict 22%

Ability to provide constructive performance reviews 22%

Ability to be open with others 22%

Ability to positively impact the commitment of his/her direct reports to the organization 22%

Ability to effectively communicate with others 20%

Overall performance 20%

Personal initiative 19%

Willingness to ask for or seek challenging work assignments 19%

Potential to be promoted to the next level 19%

Ability to influence or persuade others 18%

Ability to establish effective relationship with supervisor 18%

Willingness to set challenging and realistic goals 18%

PERFORMANCE MEASURE % INCREASE FROM W TO Z

Ability to prioritize and focus on what is important 18%

Persistence in overcoming obstacles 18%

Ability to establish effective relationships with customers/clients 17%

Willingness to volunteer for things that are not required 17%

Ability to adjust to multiple demands and priorities 17%

Ability to manage change initiatives 16%

Willingness to look for new ways to improve the effectiveness of his/her work 16%

Decisiveness/making timely decisions 16%

Taking responsibility for his/her work 15%

Ability to offer constructive suggestions 15%

Commitment to the success of the organization 15%

Following through on commitments 14%

Ability to learn new information 12%

Understanding of customers’ business & needs 11%

Ability to work under pressure 11%

Attention to detail 9%

Table 2: Percentage Increase In Effectiveness

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MANAGERS WITH HIGH VERSATILITY SIGNIFICANTLY OUTPERFORM LOW VERSATILITY

Table 3: The Case for Versatility Training

22%

25%27%

19%

Putting a TRACOMResearch Study to Work for You Can Really Pay Off.Documenting the RelationshipBetween Versatility and Job Performance

OverviewSocial Style and Versatility have helpedimprove organizational and individualperformance for nearly 50 years. Ourvalidated research model and the provenrelationship between Versatility andperformance are two important reasonsSocial Style is the most recognized andimplemented interpersonal effectivenessmodel in the world.

How a TRACOM Research Project Benefits Your CompanyTRACOM is committed to the ongoingresearch of the connection betweenVersatility and job performance. Weregularly work with organizations to studyVersatility in different industries, functionalroles, geographies and employeepopulations. These studies provide valuabledata and performance metrics and canoften be conducted at no incrementalcharge. Because the study is customizedto the organization and audience, itgenerates insights regarding businessimpact and return on learning initiatives.

Study GuidelinesResearch studies are conducted in arigorous and reliable manner to ensure thevalidity and objectivity of the data. Eachproject should meet the following criteria.

• Each participant completes TRACOM’sSocial Style Profile – Enhanced, which isan online multi-rater survey.

• Identification of additional researchcriterion or “performance measures”relevant to your company and staff. This provides “outcome data” tocompare with each participant’sVersatility scores. These measures shouldreflect your organizational culture andindustry as well as participant job levelsand job types.

• Pre-existing criterion data such as salesfigures, service levels or performanceevaluation scores may be used ifappropriate, timely and unbiased.TRACOM provides a research team to work with you to evaluate the use ofsuch data.

• Data will be reported in summary format.Individual participant results areconfidential and will not be shared withthe partner organization.

• A minimum number of participants arerequired to ensure statistical reliability.

Participate in a TRACOM ResearchProject and Discover How to Effectively

Improve Your CompanyÕs Performance

As organizations continually look foroperational efficiencies and competitive

advantages, it’s important to consider theperformance potential that exists with their

own people. This study adds to the proofthat Versatility does in fact make for better

performing managers. Combined withother studies that document the ability to

improve a person’s – and group’s –Versatility, it makes a compelling case

for organizations to focus on thesevaluable skills as a business imperative

in today’s competitive market.

References

Carneli, A. (2003). The relationship between emotional intelligence and work attitudes, behavior and outcomes: An examination among senior managers. Journal of ManagerialPsychology, 18 (8), 788 – 813.

Meyer, G. J., Finn, S. E., Eyde, L. D., Kay, G. G., Moreland, K. L., Dies, R. R., Eisman, E. J., Kubiszyn, T. W., & Reed, G. M. (2001). Psychological testing and psychologicalassessment: A review of evidence and issues. American Psychologist 56 (2), 128-165.

Van Rooy, D.L. & Viswesvaran, C. (2004). Emotional intelligence: A meta-analytic investigation of predictive validity and nomological net. Journal of Vocational Behavior.

To enhance your company’s performance, contact us to discuss your objectives.

David CollinsVP of Salesdcollins@tracom.com303-470-4900

303-470-4900800-221-2321www.tracomcorp.com