Participants' reactions to special assignment programs: favorability and predictors.

Participants' Reactions to Special Assignment Programs: Favorability and Predictors

Career experts have long advocated the use of special assignment programs for spurring the career progress of talented individuals. While these programs have existed for many years in the private sector,

within the past two decades they have also emerged in the public domain as well. Although special assignment programs generally receive enthusiastic endorsement from the organizations that employ them, there have been few empirical attempts to examine their effects. This article examines participants' reactions to a special assignment program that had operated in the executive branch of the federal government for twenty years. A survey was sent to all 275 individuals who had participated in the special assignment program during any point in its twenty year existence. A total of 131 participants (48%) completed the survey. Results indicated that participants generally react favorably to their experiences and suggested ways to further increase the favorability of such reactions. The article suggests that program administrators, applicants, and sponsoring agencies be aware of the factors that contribute to the success of special assignment programs.

Career experts have long advocated the use of special assignment programs for spurring the career progress of talented individuals.(1) Although these programs have existed for many years in private sector organizations such as Bell System and IBM, within the past two decades they have also emerged in the public domain with programs such as the Congressional Fellows and White House Fellows operating at the federal and the New Jersey Governor's Fellows Program at the state level.

Special assignment programs in the public sector are generally concerned with identifying gifted, young professionals and providing them with a short term assignment, usually lasting one year, outside their primary area of expertise. The assignment involves working with a high level government official in order that participants may return to their home sectors with stronger leadership skills and a broader societal perspective. The high visibility of the assignment also is expected to facilitate participants' subsequent career success.

Although special assignment programs generally receive enthusiastic endorsement from the organizations that employ them, there have been few empirical attempts to examine their effects. Nevertheless, research on these programs is badly needed in order to answer a number of questions that are critical to their success.

First, it is relevant to ask whether participants find their special assignments to be a good investment of time and energy in terms of the collegial relationships, opportunities for growth and development and future career options experienced. Such information is needed by participants who are often torn between remaining in their current jobs where their careers are progressing well versus taking a special assignment that will remove them from the mainstream for approximately one year.

Secondly, it is important to find out what kinds of assignment characteristics tend to yield favorable participant reactions and greater career success. Knowledge about the most effective assignment characteristics would be extremely helpful to program administrators who design special assignment programs as well as to participants who often have some degree of choice in the assignment they receive. We surmised that at least three characteristics are critical in this respect: 1) the degree of challenging and motivating work experienced; 2) the responsibility and visibility likely to be experienced when participants report directly to an agency head, rather than to a lower level administrator; and 3) the amount of performance feedback received from the assignment supervisor, since feedback is known to lower the anxiety associated with new settings and to increase the rate of learning.(2)

Finally, the question of which particular personal characteristics affect individuals' reactions to special assignments and their subsequent career success is of interest to those who select program participants. In this respect we suspected that three such attributes might be important: 1) participants' sex role, since the recent opening of high level jobs to females might cause women participants to advance higher and react more positively to their special assignments than their male counterparts; 2) participants' age, since older individuals would likely be deeply involved in career and life activities that might be disrupted by such and assignment; and 3) participants' overall life stress, since those undergoing many stressful life events (e.g. marital disruptions, birth of children, major illness, etc.) might find the additional stress of a special assignment more distracting than beneficial.

Fortunately, we were asked to survey participants' reactions to a special program that had operated in the executive branch of the federal government for twenty years. As a result, we were able to address many of the questions noted earlier.

The program that we studied was designed to provide gifted and promising young adults from various work sectors with a one year, leadership experience at the national level. The program's board of directors selects it participants on the basis of exemplary skills, personal characteristics and clearly demonstrated leadership capabilities. Once selected, participants receive assignments far removed from their previous education and work experience in order that they may acquire new knowledge and skills to carry back into their original work sectors. This program is typical of many others operating in the public sector.

Because we were invited to survey those individuals who had already participated in the special assignment program, our research could not be an experimental study that compared participants with a control group. However, its correlational nature did enable us to describe how participants reacted to their assignments and to examine how assignment and personal characteristics were related to individuals' reactions and subsequent career success.

Research Procedure

During Summer 1983 we sent a survey to all 275 individuals who had participated in the special assignment program during any point of its twenty year existence. The survey was mailed out under a cover letter from the president of the program's alumni association that asked for individual's assistance with a survey being conducted for the association by university researchers. A total of 131 participants, 48%, returned the surveys to our university address as requested. The typical respondent was a 41 year old male (82%) whose age at the time he held the assignment was 31. Additional demographic data is provided in Table I. Subsequent analyses indicated that survey respondents did not differ significantly from the total population of participants with respect to relevant demographic variables (e.g. age, education, occupation, place of assignment, etc.). Thus the sample appears to represent the population of interest.

Table : Table I Demographic Data

Current Age:

x = 41.03 sd = 4.93

Age At Assignment:

x = 31.45 sd = 3.04

Education:

    Bachelor       5    (4%)
    Masters        49   (37%)
    Ph.D./Prof.    77   (59%)

Year of Assignment:

    1965-1967      19   (14%)
    1968-1971      34   (25%)
    1972-1975      32   (24%)
    1976-1979      26   (20%)
    1980-1983      21   (16%)
    Missing         2   (1%)

Sex:

    Female         24   (18.3%)
    Male           107  (81.7%)

Salary:

Pre Assignment X = $27,750 sd = $16,219

Post Assignment X = $35,430 sd = $23,840

Occupational Prestige Score:

Pre Assignment X = 65.95 sd = 8.45

Post Assignment X = 68.24 sd = 7.54

Three reactions were assessed in the survey, participants' satisfaction with: 1) interpersonal relationships; 2) opportunities for growth; and 3) subsequent career options resulting from program participation. Two indications of subsequent career success were measured also: occupational prestige score and annual salary. Essentially, we examined the differences in prestige and salary between the position held immediately prior to beginning the program assignment and that held at the time the attitude survey was administered.(3)

The six predictor variables discussed earlier were measured in the study: 1) the motivating task characteristics present in the assignment; (4) 2) whether or not the participant's direct supervisor was the agency head; 3) the amount of performance feedback received from the supervisor during the assignment; 4) participants' sex role (male or female); 5) their age at the time of assignment; and 6) the overall stress reported during the assignment and the transition year occurring immediately after it.(5)

We used descriptive statistics and multiple regression to analyze the data.(6)

Findings

Were Participants Satisfied with Their Assignments?

Interpersonal Relationships. Participants tended to be either satisfied with or ambivalent about the interpersonal relationships experienced on the assignment (see Table II). Sixty percent reported being either satisfied or very satisfied, while 31% were undecided and 12%, dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with these relationships. Their open-ended comments on the survey indicated that the dissatisfaction may have been caused by an inability to develop a close relationship with the agency head or to become an important part of integral agency activities. These two factors were cited most frequently as disappointments with the assignment.

Opportunities For Growth. In general, participants were highly satisfied with the opportunities that the assignment provided for personal and professional growth (see Table II). Eighty percent reported being either satisfied or very satisfied, while only 1% were dissatisfied, and the remaining 14% were undecided. The two experiences participants found most valuable were exposure to the decision making processes of high ranking federal officials and a broadening of the experiences and ways of thinking.

Career Opportunities. Participants also reported much satisfaction with the career opportunities experienced upon completion of the assignment. Eighty-two percent were satisfied or very satisfied with their career opportunities while 8% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Ten percent were undecided (see Table II). Thus, it appears that participants were more satisfied with the frequency of opportunities for growth and career options experienced after their assignments than with the interpersonal relationships. Now, we shall explore the role that their assignment and personal characteristics played in this satisfaction. [Tabular Data Omitted]

Which Characteristics Predicted Satisfaction with the Special Assignment?

Participants' satisfaction with the interpersonal relationships experienced during the assignment was repeated to the performance feedback received from their supervisor, the motivating task characteristics of the assignment and their sex. Specifically, those individuals who received or experienced more supervisor feedback, and more motivating task characteristics, expressed greater satisfaction with the interpersonal relationships experienced on the assignment.(7) Thus, it appears that being assigned to a motivating job and receiving lots of feedback from one's supervisor positively affected participants' satisfaction with the interpersonal relationships on their assignments. Female participants tended to be less satisfied with the interpersonal relationships they experienced than did males. The open-ended comments recorded on the surveys indicated that women participants had more difficulty breaking into the established social structure than did men and this undoubtedly decreased their satisfaction.

Participants' satisfaction with their opportunities for growth and challenge on the job was significantly related to only one predictor, the number of motivating job characteristics present on the assignment (see Table III). Thus, the more motivating the job tasks were, the greater participants' satisfaction with the opportunities for growth and challenge. [Tabular Data Omitted]

Contrary to our expectations, females were less satisfied with their career options after completing the assignment than were males. It may be that qualified females received fewer career options than their male counterparts, despite public sensitivity to equal employment opportunities. However, it is possible that females were less satisfied with their career options, because they had higher expectations about the future impact of the special assignment on their careers than did their male counterparts. This conclusion seems better supported by the results of the career success indications which did not show any effects for sex. Results of the analysis of participants' career satisfaction also indicated that individuals experiencing more stressful life events during and immediately following the special assignment tended to express less satisfaction with their career opportunities. This finding supports our contention that stressful life events experienced during and immediately after the assignment may cause participants to react less favorably to their experience.

Which Characteristics Predicted Career Success?

Analysis of the career success variables revealed that age at the time of assignment was negatively related to salary changes. That is, older participants tended to experience less of an increase between the salary earned immediately prior to the assignment and that earned at the time of the survey. Because participants' current age and year of their special assignment were used as control variables in these analyses, this relationship was not caused by either age exerting a ceiling effect on salary or inflationary differences between assignment years. The ability to rule out these alternative explanations strengthens the probability that the impact of special assignments may be less favorable for older program participants. However, older participants apparently were not sensitive to this fact, since they did not report less satisfaction with their subsequent career options.

None of the characteristics significantly predicted the change in occupational prestige scores from the pre-assignment to survey periods. It seems likely that occupational prestige may have been too general a measure to use in assessing the career success of this highly talented and achievement oriented group.

Conclusions and Implications

A number of conclusions and implications may be drawn from these findings. First, it seems that while participants in the special assignment program were generally quite satisfied with the opportunities for growth on their assignment and with career opportunities once the assignment was completed, satisfaction with career options was lower for females. These results suggest that program administrators might examine the career options experienced by equally qualified female and male participants in order to determine if there is evidence of any discrimination and if so, consider what might be done to decrease it. Moreover, because transition back into the original sector after the special assignment was noted as difficult by participants of both sexes, participants might benefit from program sponsored training on strategies facilitating the transition back into the home sector or career development once there.

Participants expressed mixed feelings about their satisfaction with interpersonal relationships experienced during the assignment. Open-ended comments suggested that many were unable to develop a close working relationship with their supervisor and to become a real part of the social structure of the agency where they were assigned. Such problems seem to have been particularly acute for female participants and may have been a key issue in their dissatisfaction. One way to decrease this frustration might be to select assignment locations based on the supervisor's willingness to serve in a coaching capacity for participants. Furthermore, particular care might be taken to see that those agencies assigned female participants were encouraged to structure work and social events that would facilitate the women's entry into established social networks.

In addition to assignment characteristics, participants personal attributes also were related to their satisfaction. They tended to be less satisfied with subsequent career options when the assignment occurred concurrently with a great deal of general life stress. These findings suggest that applicants might be advised to postpone the assignment a year if selected during a period of significant stress in their personal lives. Perhaps more importantly, program administrators should consider orienting participants concerning the stress occurring during and after the assignment, and about coping techniques found to be effective by other individuals.

Finally, there was some indication that participants' age at the time of assignment may affect how much they benefit from the program. Older participants did not experience as great a salary change after the special assignment as did younger ones. Program administrators should be open to this possibility and try to identify an optimal participant age range. Older individuals could be informed that objective payoffs from the assignment would be less likely in their cases.

In conclusion, this study examined the nature and determinants of participants' reactions to a special assignment program typical of many in the public sector. Results indicated that participants generally react favorably to their experiences and suggested ways to further increase the favorability of such reactions. As special assignment programs become increasingly popular in the public sector, it is important that program administrators, applicants, and sponsoring agencies be aware of the factors that contribute to their success.

Notes

[1.] D.T. Hall. Careers in Organizations. (California: Goodyear, 1976); and M. London & S.A. Stum pf. Managing Careers. (Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1982). Also see Dee Henderson in PAR (1985) on a related issue of mentoring.

[2.] D.R. Ilgen, C.D. Fisher, and M.S. Taylor, "Consequences of Individual Feedback on Behavior in Organizations," Journal of Applied Psychology, 64 (1979): 349-371; and R. Katz, "Time and Work: An Integrated Perspective." in Research in Organizational Behavior, ed. in B. Straw and L. Cummings (Greenwich: JAI Press, 1980)

[3.] Donald J. Treiman, Occupational Prestige in Comparative Perspectives, (New York: Academic Press, 1977).

[4.] J.R. Hackman and G.R. Oldham, "Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey," Journal of Applied Psychology, 60 (1975): 159-70.

[5.] T.H. Holmes and R.H. Rahe, "Social Readjustment Rating Scale." Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11 (1967): 213-218.

(6.) Analyses were conducted by entering the set of demographic variables (sex and age) first, followed by the other predictors entered as a set. Relationships reported are those resulting when predictors first entered the analysis.

(7.) Since these relationships were obtained from a correlational research design, they can be interpreted only as reflecting associations between variables, not as evidence that changes in one variable (e.g., participants' age at time of assignment) causes changes in another (e.g., satisfaction with interpersonal relationships).

References

Hackman, J.R. and Oldham, G.R. "Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey." Journal of Applied Psychology, 60 (1975): 159-70.

Hall, D.T., Careers in Organizations. California: Goodyear, 1976.

Holmes T.H. and Rahe, R.H. "Social Readjustment Rating Scale." Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11 (1967): 213-218.

Ilgen, D.R., Fisher, C.D. and Taylor, M.S., "Consequences of Individual Feedback on Behavior in Organizations," Journal of Applied Psychology, 64 (1979): 349-371.

Katz, R. "Time and Work: An Integrated Perspective." in Research in Organizational Behavior, ed. by B. Straw and L. Cummings, Greenwich: JAI Press, 1980.

London, M. & Stumpf, S.A., Managing Careers. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1982.

Treiman, Donald J., Occupational Prestige in Comparative Perspectives, New York: Academic Press, 1977.

M. Susan Taylor is an Associate Professor in the College of Business and Management at the University of Maryland.

Cristina M. Giannantonio is a Ph.D. student in the College of Business and Management at the University of Maryland.

Judy S. Brown is an Assistant Dean in the College of Business and Management at the University of Maryland.