Management assessment: Implications for development and training.

Abstract

Abstract : Training needs of first level, middle level, and upper level managers within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were assessed through the analysis of two current agency surveys: the bienniel Job Satisfaction Survey and the new, annual Survey-Feedback-Action Program. Areas of analysis included the identification of areas of strong and weak performance among managers, comparisons of perceptions of management at differences levels within an organization, supervisory skills among managers, differences between ratings of male and female managers, and the relationship between responses to job context and management items. Results of the analyses indicated that the relative weak areas of performance among FAA management were in communication and performance management. Differences in perceptions of management among employees at different organizational levels suggested a need for additional study of potentially dysfunctional communication patterns in large facilities to enhance development of training in communication skills. Integration of these results with the study of mid-level managerial functions and competencies is also necessary for application to training. The job satisfaction surveys served to provide a fist step toward improved systematization of management development and training in the FAA.