Hogan Development Survey Manual

1. CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND

1.1 Introduction

Talented people sometimes fail. Despite competence in skill areas relevant to adequate performance in a job, various factors can limit peoples’ ability to perform consistently at a high level. Then, difficulties at work appear as problematic behaviors in the interpersonal context that defines the workplace. These problematic behaviors arise from any of a number of common dysfunctional dispositions. These dispositions (a) reflect people’s distorted beliefs about themselves, how others will treat them, and the best means to achieve their personal goals, and (b) negatively influence people’s careers and life satisfaction. The Hogan Development Survey (HDS; R. Hogan & Hogan, 1997, 2009) assesses eleven of these dysfunctional personality syndromes. The HDS can be used both as an element of the personnel selection process and as a source of information for assisting employees who want to improve their job performance and work relations. Our measurement goals are to provide valid information to employers and employees for purposes of personnel decision making and for career development. The purpose of this technical manual is to describe the development of the HDS, to present psychometric information, to overview interpretive scale descriptions, and to outline administration and scoring processes.

1.2 The Problem

Maladaptive behavior patterns are apparent at any level of an organization. Considering the importance of talent (from front-line managers to high-level executives) to an organization’s success, leadership is the target of considerable theory, research, and media interest (cf. Bloom & Van Reenen, 2007; Dotlich & Cairo, 2003). Successful leaders are those who communicate a corporate vision to subordinates effectively, organize and motivate productive teams, manage personnel efficiently, and set clear and realistic standards for accomplishment (R. Hogan, Curphy, & Hogan, 1994; R. Hogan & Kaiser, 2005; R. Hogan, 2007; Kaplan & Kaiser, 2003).

Poor leadership, which can seriously impact the productivity and satisfaction of subordinates, is not simply an absence of these skills. Rather, dysfunctional dispositions and the behaviors associated with them can degrade or neutralize whatever skills and competencies a leader may possess. The phenomenon of dysfunctional dispositions is characterized by the coexistence of technical competence and interpersonal inadequacy. At their worst, these leaders may be seen as "destructive" (e.g., Einarsen, Aasland, & Skogstad, 2007; Tepper, 2000; Tierney & Tepper, 2007) or "toxic" (Frost, 2004; Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007) by their subordinates and the organization as a whole. Managerial incompetence also has serious moral implications because bad managers cause great misery for their subordinates (R. Hogan & Kaiser, 2005). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the Centers for Disease Control (itself a division of the National Institutes of Health), published a report in 1999 containing some alarming data (NIOSH, 1999). For example, 40% of American workers report that their jobs are very or extremely stressful, and NIOSH concludes that problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than any other life stressor, including finances and family problems. Next, consider that organizational climate surveys routinely show that about 75 percent of working adults report that the most stressful aspect of their job is their immediate boss (R. Hogan, 2007, p. 106).

Academic research replicates these findings. Ashforth (1994), Tepper (2000), and Skogstad, Einarsen, Torsheim, Aasland, and Hetland (2007) trace the empirical links between bad managers and employee stress—Kelloway, Sivanathan, Francis, and Barling (2005) provide a fine review of this literature. Bad managers are a major health hazard; they impose enormous medical costs on society, and degrade the quality of life of many people.

There are more bad managers employed today than many people realize. R. Hogan (2007) suggests that the base rate for bad managers within organizations may range from 65% to 75%, and one recent survey of managers and executives suggests that as many as 27% of their subordinates, despite being rated high in potential, are at risk for being demoted or fired for performing below the level expected of them. Such surveys are consistent with earlier reviews (e.g., Bentz, 1985; Leslie & VanVelsor, 1996; McCall & Lombardo, 1983). We found twelve published estimates of the base rate of managerial failure which range from 30 to 67 percent, with an average of about 50 percent (R. Hogan, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2009; Table 1). Based on the data, we suggest that two thirds of existing managers are insufferable and that half will eventually fail. Bad leadership is common and highly consequential for the effectiveness of organizations, and many of the phenomena that degrade leadership reflect the dysfunctional dispositions assessed by the HDS.

Although ineffective or destructive leadership can impact the fate of organizations, dysfunctional personality characteristics also can degrade the effectiveness of employees who are not in leadership positions. Consider the machinist who suffers an "emotional meltdown" after receiving feedback, the customer service representative who keeps callers "on hold" longer than necessary, the bookkeeper whose perfectionism results in an inability to meet deadlines, the over-the-road truck driver who adds illegal weight to a load to increase income. In each case, dysfunctional tendencies interfere with career success.

Finally, when describing dysfunctional dispositions, we are not speaking of discrete behaviors that can negatively impact an organization: workplace violence, theft, intentional accounting irregularities, and other "counterproductive work behaviors" (cf., Fox & Spector, 2005; Ones, 2002). Rather, we are describing more pervasive, and sometimes more subtle patterns of behavior which, although less spectacular, can nevertheless create significant ongoing problems for executives, managers, subordinates, and, ultimately, stakeholders in the organization.

1.3 The Theoretical Context: Socioanalytic Theory and Organizational Dynamics

As we have argued elsewhere (R. Hogan, 1983, 2004, 2007; R. Hogan & Shelton, 1998), we believe that socioanalytic theory captures the dynamic relevant to success in any group endeavor. Grounded in both interpersonal (Carson, 1969; Leary, 1957; Wiggins, 1979) and evolutionary (Barrett, Dunbar, & Lycett, 2002; Dawkins, 1976) psychology, socioanalytic theory argues that, as group-living animals, humans evolved strategies for maximizing individual and group survival. All groups are organized in status hierarchies, and interaction within...

Continues...

Excerpted from Hogan Development Survey Manual by Robert Hogan, Ph.D. and Joyce Hogan, Ph.D.. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Hogan Assessment Systems, Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Robert Hogan, Ph.D.
Robert Hogan, president of Hogan Assessment Systems, is an authority on personality assessment, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. He was a psychology professor for more than 30 years at The University of Tulsa and at Johns Hopkins University. Hogan is the author of more than 300 journal articles, chapters and books, including "Personality and the Fate of Organizations," published in 2006. Hogan received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in personality assessment. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Joyce Hogan, Ph.D.
Joyce Hogan, vice president of Hogan Assessment Systems, is responsible for the development of assessment products and directs research projects to validate customized employment testing programs. Hogan served for 22 years on the faculty at The Johns Hopkins University and at The University of Tulsa. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Hogan is an international authority on personnel selection, and serves as a consultant and expert witness regarding employment discrimination for the U.S. Department of Justice.

"Both the new HPI and the new HDS manuals are clearly a career's worth of wisdom. I've never seen test manuals that contain knowledge, understanding, and the data to justify both."

"Measurement should drive theory and theory should then redesign measurement. The more valid the measurement tool, the more able we should be to understand and predict the phenomenon, i.e., build the theory. For too long in psychology, theory drove measurement without much information being used to correct the theory. With some tools in psychology, measurement stood on its own with no attempt at understanding, just categorizing. The Hogan Personality Inventory and the Hogan Development Survey have dramatically enhanced our ability to predict performance in organizations. Through their insights into job and leadership performance, and into the theory of personality, we are far better able to develop the personal and interpersonal competencies of leaders."

James M. Fico, Ph.D.
Consulting Psychologist