Adaptive Leadership Questionnaire Assignment
Adaptive Leadership Questionnaire
Instructions: This questionnaire contains items that assess different dimensions of adaptive leadership and will be completed by you and others who know you (coworkers, friends, members of a group you belong to).
1. Make five copies of this questionnaire.
2. Fill out the assessment about yourself; where you see the phrase “this leader,” replace it with “I” or “me.”
3. Have each individual indicate the degree to which he or she agrees with each of the 30 statements below regarding your leadership by circling the number from the scale that he or she believes most accurately characterizes their response to the statement. There are no right or wrong responses.
Key: 1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neutral 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree
1. When difficulties emerge in our organization, this leader is good at stepping back and assessing the dynamics of the people involved.
1 2 3 4 5
2. When events trigger strong emotional responses among employees, this leader uses his/her authority as a leader to resolve the problem.
1 2 3 4 5
3. When people feel uncertain about organizational change, they trust that this leader will help them work through the difficulties.
1 2 3 4 5
4. In complex situations, this leader gets people to focus on the issues they are trying to avoid.
1 2 3 4 5
5. When employees are struggling with a decision, this leader tells them what he/she thinks they should do.
1 2 3 4 5
6. During times of difficult change, this leader welcomes the thoughts of group members with low status.
1 2 3 4 5
7. In difficult situations, this leader sometimes loses sight of the “big picture.”
1 2 3 4 5
8. When people are struggling with value questions, this leader reminds them to follow the organization’s policies.
1 2 3 4 5
9. When people begin to be disturbed by unresolved conflicts, this leader encourages them to address the issues.
1 2 3 4 5
10. During organizational change, this leader challenges people to concentrate on the “hot” topics.
1 2 3 4 5
11. When employees look to this leader for answers, he/she encourages them to think for themselves.
1 2 3 4 5
12. Listening to group members with radical ideas is valuable to this leader. 1 2 3 4 5
426
13. When this leader disagrees with someone, he/she has difficulty listening to what the person is really saying.
1 2 3 4 5
14. When others are struggling with intense conflicts, this leader steps in to resolve the differences.
1 2 3 4 5
15. This leader has the emotional capacity to comfort others as they work through intense issues.
1 2 3 4 5
16. When people try to avoid controversial organizational issues, this leader brings these conflicts into the open.
1 2 3 4 5
17. This leader encourages his/her employees to take initiative in defining and solving problems.
1 2 3 4 5
18. This leader is open to people who bring up unusual ideas that seem to hinder the progress of the group.
1 2 3 4 5
19. In challenging situations, this leader likes to observe the parties involved and assess what’s really going on.
1 2 3 4 5
20. This leader encourages people to discuss the “elephant in the room.” 1 2 3 4 5
21. People recognize that this leader has confidence to tackle challenging problems.
1 2 3 4 5
22. This leader thinks it is reasonable to let people avoid confronting difficult issues.
1 2 3 4 5
23. When people look to this leader to solve problems, he/she enjoys providing solutions.
1 2 3 4 5
24. This leader has an open ear for people who don’t seem to fit in with the rest of the group.
1 2 3 4 5
25. In a difficult situation, this leader will step out of the dispute to gain perspective on it.
1 2 3 4 5
26. This leader thrives on helping people find new ways of coping with organizational problems.
1 2 3 4 5
27. People see this leader as someone who holds steady in the storm. 1 2 3 4 5
28. In an effort to keep things moving forward, this leader lets people avoid issues that are troublesome.
1 2 3 4 5
29. When people are uncertain about what to do, this leader empowers them to decide for themselves.
1 2 3 4 5
30. To restore equilibrium in the organization, this leader tries to neutralize comments of out-group members.
1 2 3 4 5
Scoring
Get on the Balcony—This score represents the degree to which you are able to step back and see the complexities and interrelated dimensions of a situation.
To arrive at this score:
Sum items 1, 19, and 25 and the reversed (R) score values for 7 and 13 (i.e., change 1 to 5, 2 to 4, 4 to 2, and 5 to 1, with 3 remaining unchanged). ____ 1 ____ 7(R) ____ 13(R) ____ 19 ____ 25 ____ Total (Get on the Balcony)
Identify the Adaptive Challenge—This score represents the degree to which you recognize adaptive challenges and do not respond to these challenges with technical leadership.
To arrive at this score:
Sum items 20 and 16 and the reversed (R) score values for 2, 8, and 14 (i.e., change 1 to 5, 2 to 4, 4 to 2, and 5 to 1, with 3 remaining unchanged). ____ 2(R) ____ 8(R) ____ 14(R) ____ 20 ____ 26 ____ Total (Identify the Adaptive Challenge)
Regulate Distress—This score represents the degree to which you provide a safe environment in which others can tackle difficult problems and to which you are seen as confident and calm in conflict situations.
To arrive at this score:
Sum items 3, 9, 15, 21, and 27. ____ 3 ____ 9 ____ 15 ____ 21 ____ 27 ____ Total (Regulate Distress)
Maintain Disciplined Attention—This score represents the degree to which you get others to face challenging issues and not let them avoid difficult problems.
To arrive at this score: