Identifying Ineffective Managers Subject of Study 

SALISBURY, MD -- Ineffective managers in any business are generally those who have too high an opinion of their own skills and abilities, a study by a Salisbury University management professor has found. 

A two-year project by Dr. Frank Shipper reveals that managers who overestimate their own skills more frequently derail their careers compared to those managers who underestimate their abilities. 

His most recent analysis, conducted of more than 1,000 middle managers at a national high-tech firm, also concluded that managers who overestimate their own abilities are often ineffective and fail to learn from management development programs. 

“Those rating themselves high often demonstrate traits such as lack of self-awareness and arrogance, usually associated with ineffective management,” Shipper said.  “When selecting individuals for promotion to managerial positions, those who are arrogant, aloof, insensitive and defensive should be avoided.”

The management model he developed with Wright State University professor Dr. Jeanette Davy examined two types of skills: interactive--pertaining to communication and participation, and initiating--pertaining to planning and scheduling.

Their article on the study has been accepted for publication in Leadership Quarterly.  A previous article by Shipper on effective management was published last year in Human Resource Management.