The purpose of the present research was to examine the behavioral and individual-differences
characteristics of a key figure in the innovation process—the champion. The
champion, also known as corporate entrepreneur (Kanter, 1982), and intrapreneur
(Pinchot, 1985) is an individual who emerges informally in an organization to introduce
and promote innovation. These individuals have been described as forceful, driven,
energetic, and visionary and have been found to be critical players in the success of
organizational innovation.
The majority of research on the champion has not, however, been conducted with
a focus on this key figure. Rather, the emphasis of much of the previous research has
typically been on the process of innovation, with the champion acknowledged and
discussed, but not featured or described in detail. Given the importance of the champion
in promoting innovation, it would be desirable to conduct research in which this figure
was the focus of attention. The three studies carried out as part of this research project
were designed with this purpose in mind. Methods of individual-differences assessment
were applied to the study of the champion.
The present research began with a study of the champion’s behavior. Techniques
from the act frequency approach (Buss & Craik, 1980) were used to develop a
comprehensive behavioral profile of the champion in order to establish a structural model
of championship. Acts describing championship were generated by panels of middle- and
senior-level managers and these items were factor analyzed separately in two samples,
involving over 600 managers from seven Western Canadian organizations. Ultimately,
10 first- and two second-order factors were identified and named by subject matter
experts. Evidence was found for a heroic and a dark side to championship at the second
order factor level. In Study 2, the focus turned to predictor measurement. Supervisory ratings of
championship on the criterion dimensions identified in Study 1 were obtained for 174
middle- and senior-level managers. These same managers had been participants in a
three-day Assessment Center in which they were administered: (a) cognitive ability tests,
(b) personality inventories, (c) management simulations, and (d) a structured interview.
Correlations computed between the Assessment Center measures, on the one hand, and
the criterion dimensions on the other, led to the conclusion that the dark side of
championship could be predicted, but that, unfortunately, the heroic side could not. On
the basis of the Assessment Center scale correlations with the dark side, the champion
was found to be: dominant, assertive, exhibitionistic, aggressive, independent,
competitive, driven, impulsive, impatient, and likely to break rules and take risks.
The results of Study 3 led to the development of a low-fidelity simulation, based
on the behavioral consistency model (Wernimont & Campbell, 1968). This simulation,
called the Management Practices Simulation (MPS), was administered to the Assessment
Center participants involved in Study 2 and scores on the MPS were correlated with
scores on the criterion dimensions from Study 1. Two higher-order MPS scales were
found to correlate significantly with the two second-order criterion factor scales identified
in Study 1. Moreover, the criterion-related validity of these scales surpassed that
achieved with any component of the Assessment Center.
The results of Studies 1, 2, and 3 indicate that championship is a multi
dimensional construct that, at a higher-order level, can be described with reference to two
orthogonal dimensions, labeled the dark and heroic side. Individuals can be ordered
along a continuum on these dimensions and this scaling reflects meaningful differences in
behavior. Psychological tests can be used to predict ratings of championship, at least
those associated with the dark side. Finally, application of the behavioral consistency
model to the development of a low-fidelity simulation, led to the creation of a new instrument—the Management Practices Simulation—whose scales correlated
significantly and at a slightly higher-level with the criterion than any of the Assessment
Center battery scales.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/8821 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Woolley, Ross M. |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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