My Favorite Management Consultants

My college courses in 1963 and 1964 included graduate seminars covering the work of the Management Consultants who were working with US manufacturers.  I preferred a limited number of behavioral theorists who were attempting to define human nature and normal behavior. My favorites were:

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Carl Rogers on Self-Actualization

Art Miller’s System for Identifying Motivated Abilities

Strong Campbell and Kuder Occupational Preference Tests

Gordon Allport on Traits

Alfred Adler on Abilities

Carl Jung on Personality Styles

Eric Berne on Transactional Analysis

W Edwards Deming on Work Processes

Their observations were the most useful in understanding the truth about human nature and human behavior.

Tests I used later and found helpful included:

Wonderlic Skills Test

Psych Corp Clerical Skills Tests

Associated Personnel Technician Test Battery

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

DISC Personality Styles Tests

Myers Briggs Personality Test

SIMA System for Identifying Motivated Abilities

I used most of these for employee development to determine strengths and weaknesses and give feedback. Employees got full copies of the test results for their own development files.

I used some of these tests to determine job fit and ability for employee selection. I encouraged all employees to aim their careers to do what they enjoyed, were good at and would be successful at. My goal was to give employees enough information to pick their own careers. Many did.

I also used internally developed written tests for Software and Electronics applicants. These involved formula calculations and equations. My engineering interview panels had copies of the applicants’ tests to confirm abilities and fit.  I hired the few that passed with scores above 80%.

While many companies had abandoned testing, I continued and did the required annual test score reviews to ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader