Change agent characteristics LO8272

Keith Cowan (72212.51@CompuServe.COM)
02 Jul 96 23:12:31 EDT

Replying to LO8105 --

rwfc@odyssee.net (Rick Fullerton) asks about change agents:

>...My reading and literature searches have turned up virtually no material
>that speaks specifically to the question of how the change agents change.
>Most of what I have uncovered deals with capability requirements and
>largely addresses the younger entry level professional. Also, most of the
>articles deal with knowledge and skills, whereas my interest is more
>broad, including six domains (mental/conceptual, physical/health,
>emotional, spiritual, relationships and creative expression).
>
>I would be most appreciative if anyone can provide references or leads
>that relate to this study. Comments and suggestions are also welcome!

In an engagement with a psychological testing organization (for career
placement), I encountered their set of attributes for people who were
actually successful as change agents. Out of 98 attributes, the following
23 attributes were the key differentiators to success:

Intellectual Style - Analytical reasoning, Intuition, Innovation
Motivation - Drive, Risk-taking, Goal-setting
Human Relations - Political acumen, Purpose, Cooperation, Delegation
Vocational Incentives - Complexity,, Leadership, Fraternity
Self-Issues - Actualization, Respect, Development, Realization, Fulfillment
Other - Flexibility, Learning, Rationality, IQ, Low erroneous beliefs

Each of these was rated high if the candidate scored in the top 35% of the
population, and the aggregate of all the above was 69 percentile. Because
it was based on actual experience, these results are more heuristic than
based on any model. They have had good success with their model in both
recruiting and outplacement. FWIW...Keith

-- 

Keith Cowan <72212.51@CompuServe.COM>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>