Precursors of Individual Change: Responses to a Social Learning Theory Based on Organizational Intervention

Abstract

This research investigated the role of 12 personal characteristics as they predisposed 33 first-line supervisors to change their interactions with employees in accordance with a behavioral modeling training program. Questionnaires were administered to groups of trained and control supervisors both before and after a 10-week training period. These instruments measured perceptions of behavioral change as well as a variety of personal characteristics including self-actualization, regard for others and the self, role clarity, role ambiguity, role conflict, stress, control, competence, education level, job tenure, and company tenure. Eight of these twelve characteristics proved significantly predictive of change for trained supervisors while none were predictive for control supervisors. The pattern of predictive characteristics indicated that feelings of well-being may be more conducive to acceptance of organizational training programs than feelings of need. The results are discussed insofar as they shed light on the behavior change hypotheses of social learning theory.