TABLE 3 - Southeastern Oklahoma State University



Please Do Not Read Further Until you have taken the 18-item scale on this page

If a statement is true or mostly true as it applies to you, write a “T” in the space next to each item. If a statement is false or not usually true as it applies to you, write an “F” in the space next to each item.

1. ____ I find it hard to imitate the behavior of other people.

2. ____ At parties and social gatherings, I do not attempt to do or say things that

others will like.

3. ____ I can only argue for ideas that I already believe.

4. ____ I can make impromptu speeches even on topics about which I have almost

no information.

5. ____ I guess I put on a show to impress or entertain others.

6. ____ I would probably make a good actor.

7. ____ In a group of people I am rarely the center of attention.

8. ____ In different situations and with different people, I often act like very different

persons.

9. ____ I am not particularly good at making other people like me.

10. ____ I'm not always the person I appear to be.

11. ____ I would not change my opinions (or the way I do things) in order to please

someone or win his or her favor.

12. ____ I have considered being an entertainer.

13. ____ I have never been good at games like charades or improvisational acting.

14. ____ I have trouble changing my behavior to suit different people and different

situations.

15. ____ At a party I let others keep the jokes and stories going.

16. ____ I feel a bit awkward in company and do not show up quite as well as I should.

17. ____ I can look anyone in the eye and tell a lie with a straight face (if for a right

end).

18. ____ I may deceive people by being friendly when I really dislike them.

This page left intentionally blank. Please go to the next page

to see how to “grade” this personality measure.

This is the Self-monitoring Scale and the “answers” are provided.

See instructions below on how to grade your questionnaire.

1. __F__ I find it hard to imitate the behavior of other people.

2. __F__ At parties and social gatherings, I do not attempt to do or say things that others will like.

3. __F__ I can only argue for ideas that I already believe.

4. __T__ I can make impromptu speeches even on topics about which I have almost no information.

5. __T__ I guess I put on a show to impress or entertain others.

6. __T__ I would probably make a good actor.

7. __F__ In a group of people I am rarely the center of attention.

8. __T__ In different situations and with different people, I often act like very different persons.

9. __F__ I am not particularly good at making other people like me.

10. __T__ I'm not always the person I appear to be.

11. __F__ I would not change my opinions (or the way I do things) in order to please someone or win his or her favor.

12. __T__ I have considered being an entertainer.

13. __F__ I have never been good at games like charades or improvisational acting.

14. __F__ I have trouble changing my behavior to suit different people and different situations.

15. __F__ At a party I let others keep the jokes and stories going.

16. __F__ I feel a bit awkward in company and do not show up quite as well as I should.

17. __T__ I can look anyone in the eye and tell a lie with a straight face (if for a right end).

18. __T__ I may deceive people by being friendly when I really dislike them.

To grade your survey give yourself 1 point for each statement that matches the above “answer sheet;” i.e., if you answered “F” for item 1 on your questionnaire then give yourself 1 point, if you answered “T” on item 2 of your questionnaire then give yourself 0 points, then do the same for the remaining 16 items. Add up the points for all 18 items. This is your total score and it should range from 0 to 18. Once you have graded your questionnaire then read the following pages which will help you interpret your score.

Snyder (Public Appearances/Private Realities, 1987) reports that college students with scores of 11 or greater tend to be high self-monitoring individuals, whereas students with scores of 10 or lower tend to be low self-monitoring individuals. A score of 13 or greater places you among the upper 25 % of college students on self-monitoring, whereas a score of 7 or lower places you among the lowest 25%.

According to Snyder, low self-monitoring individuals have a principled concept of the self—they define themselves in terms of their inner values, beliefs, and traits (“I am liberal, free-thinking, honest, reserved …”). In contrast, high-self monitoring individuals have a pragmatic concept of the self—they define themselves in terms of their roles and behaviors in different social settings (“I am treasurer of my sorority, a social organizer at family gatherings, the second violin in the university orchestra…”). Research shows that high-self-monitoring people are indeed more sensitive to situational demands than low-self-monitoring people are, and that their behavior is more variable across situations. High-self-monitoring people seem to be social chameleons who can change their behavior to suit their audience and to fit the norms of the situation. In contrast, low-self-monitoring people are more “true to themselves” (read insensitive) and behave across situations in a manner that is more consistent with their inner traits, attitudes, and beliefs.

Here's an interesting article on self-monitoring: Do Chameleons Get Ahead: The Effects of Self-monitoring on Managerial Careers. It seems that high self-monitoring MBA students received more promotions (both internal and cross-organizational); tend to be more mobile in their careers; and are more likely to occupy central positions in organizations which generally includes enhanced power. Self-monitoring is also discussed on page 72 of your Essentials of OB text.

Self-monitoring may also be related to those successful managers (in the paper on Successful vs. Effective Managers in our DB this week). High self-monitors are more inclined to do more networking and politicking and that may account for their promotions.

One of my favorite authors, Angela Duckworth, also presented the following in which there is some discussion of self-monitoring. Please be familiar with the ostrich problem she discusses below the dotted line.

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|Once you’ve set out to achieve a goal and made a plan specifying when, where, and how to do so, what comes next? |

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|Well, quite obviously, you enact your plan. You do what you said you’d do. |

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|Or you don’t. |

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|In fact, the plans of even the most capable adults and children rarely proceed exactly as expected. This is why there are age-old expressions about how the |

|best-laid plans of mice and men frequently go awry. |

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|Say, for example, I don’t end up going to the gym three weekday mornings every week. What now? Do I give up on my exercise goal entirely? Do I conclude that |

|planning is futile? |

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|Let me suggest that noticing that your plan needs revision is itself a victory. If you know you’re not making progress—either on your planned behavior or the |

|outcome it was intended to bring about—you’re at least keeping your eye on the ball. Kudos! |

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|The intentional and consistent observation of your own behavior is called self-monitoring. |

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|The benefits of self-monitoring are two-fold. |

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|First, self-monitoring directly counters the ostrich problem—the deliberate avoidance of information that might cause you distress. Part of you doesn’t want to |

|know how things are going in case, you know, things aren’t going so well. |

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|Second, self-monitoring facilitates learning. Once I realize I’m not getting to the gym, I can ask myself why. Perhaps I’ll discover that my gym routine is sort |

|of boring and I should try jogging or yoga instead. Or that I need to motivate myself by bundling the chore of going to the gym with something I absolutely love |

|to do—like talk to my best friend on the phone or watch episodes of Top Chef. I’ve learned something about myself, and that information can help me improve my |

|plan. |

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|Don’t assume that a failed plan is a failure. Plans often need more than a little tweaking to get right. |

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|Do record your progress in a journal or app and, ideally, commit to sharing that information with at least one other person. The idea is to keep reality in full |

|view—and your head out of the sand. |

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|With grit and gratitude, Angela |

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