German Managerial Practice Survey (GMPS)

Abstract

The German Managerial Practice Survey (GMPS) is a validated, concise, German-language instrument designed to measure managerial practices based on Gary Yukl’s (2012) comprehensive leadership taxonomy. The scale consists of 15 items distributed across four meta-categories of leadership: task-orientation, relation-orientation, change-orientation, and external orientation.

The GMPS has demonstrated strong psychometric properties, particularly concerning its internal structure and external relationships. Substantial correlations found between the GMPS scales and related leadership constructs provide robust indicators for its convergent and divergent construct validity, as well as its criterion validity regarding outcomes such as employee satisfaction and psychological safety.

Keywords

Leadership, Managerial Practices, Yukl’s Taxonomy, Task Orientation, Relation Orientation, Change Orientation, External Orientation, Psychometrics, Organizational Development

Authors

Dr. Josef A. Fischer

Purpose

The primary purpose of the GMPS is to quantify the quality of managerial leadership as perceived by subordinates. It is suitable for application in both academic research and practical organizational settings, allowing organizations to assess the general quality of perceived leadership.

The scale is valuable for various applications in personnel and organizational development, including employee surveys, upward appraisal feedback, and 360-degree feedback processes. It is also utilized as a self-assessment tool in leadership development programs, enabling managers to reflect on their behavior across the four critical meta-categories and plan developmental measures. Due to the universal importance of these four orientations in organizational contexts, the GMPS can be employed across different organizational types, industries, and hierarchical levels.

Construct

The GMPS is theoretically founded on the leadership taxonomy developed by Gary Yukl (2008, 2012), which distinguishes four fundamental meta-categories of managerial practices. These categories provide a framework for classifying leadership behavior.

The four core dimensions measured are:

• Task Orientation: Focuses on structuring tasks, clarifying roles, planning work, monitoring progress, and solving operational problems.
• Relation Orientation: Relates to internal team dynamics, including fostering cooperation, providing support, recognizing positive results, considering individual needs, and enabling employee development (e.g., competency and career growth).
• Change Orientation: Measures behaviors associated with promoting innovation, communicating a compelling vision, encouraging critical examination of existing solutions, and facilitating organizational learning and adaptation.
• External Orientation: Describes activities focused outside the immediate team, such as networking, monitoring the external environment for opportunities and risks, and appropriately representing the team to external stakeholders.

Yukl’s model emphasizes that effective leadership is not defined by a single dominant behavior, but rather by flexible leadership—the ability of a manager to adapt and switch between these four behavioral meta-categories depending on situational requirements.

Validity

Evidence supports the convergent, divergent, and criterion validity of the GMPS scales. Construct validity was tested by correlating the GMPS scales with the construct of Identification with the Leader, which theory suggests should correlate positively with effective leadership behaviors.

Criterion validity was established by assessing correlations with Satisfaction with the Leader and Psychological Safety towards the leader. Results from Pearson correlation analysis (N = 328) showed significant positive correlations across all four GMPS scales with these three outcome variables, indicating that the GMPS effectively predicts key criteria of leadership effectiveness. Consistent with theoretical assumptions, the Relation Orientation scale exhibited the strongest correlations with all three leadership outcome variables:

• Identification with the Leader: Task (.29**), Relation (.44**), Change (.21**), External (.16**)
• Satisfaction with the Leader: Task (.34**), Relation (.52**), Change (.25**), External (.14*)
• Psychological Safety: Task (.36**), Relation (.40**), Change (.22**), External (.14*)

Reliability

The internal consistency of the GMPS scales was assessed using both Cronbach’s Alpha (α) and McDonald’s Omega (ω). The reliability estimates are rated as moderate to good:

• Task Orientation: α = .70 / ω = .71
• Relation Orientation: α = .81 / ω = .82
• Change Orientation: α = .74 / ω = .75
• External Orientation: α = .70 / ω = .71

Factor Analysis

The dimensional structure of the GMPS was investigated using two statistical methods. First, an exploratory principal axis factor analysis with oblique Promax rotation (Kappa = 2) was conducted on the 15 items. This analysis extracted four factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, collectively explaining 60% of the total variance. Item communalities ranged between .45 and .81.

Second, the model fit of the four-dimensional structure was confirmed using linear Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) (Williams et al., 2009) with Maximum Likelihood estimation. The fit indices for the four-dimensional model were satisfactory, meeting criteria for a good model fit (Schermelleh-Engel et al., 2003): χ² = 180.35, df = 84, p < .001, CFI = .93, IFI = .93, TLI = .91, RMSEA = .06, and SRMR = .06. Standardized factor loadings ranged from .48 to .84.

Instrument

Test Type: Leadership Behavior Assessment / Managerial Practice Survey

Format: 15-item questionnaire utilizing a 5-point rating scale (0 to 100) based on percentage anchors.

Language Available: German (Deutsch)

Population Group: Employees (Subordinates) rating their direct manager (Supervisor/Project Leader).

Age Group: Adults (Sample ages ranged from 20 to over 60 years old).

Population Details: The validation sample (N = 328) consisted of employees reporting to different managers, recruited from various industries including public and private educational institutions, training centers, and nursing facilities. The sample was 28% male and 72% female. The average span of control (number of direct reports of the rated manager) varied significantly.

Test Methodology: Computer-Supported Anonymous Questionnaires (CSAQ) via online survey (Internetumfrage). The estimated processing time is approximately 4 minutes. Scoring involves calculating a non-weighted additive mean index for each of the four separate scales. All items are positively coded.

Keywords

Führung, Aufgabenorientierung, Beziehungsorientierung, Veränderungsorientierung, Externe Orientierung, Leadership Effectiveness, Psychologische Sicherheit, Personalentwicklung

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Dr. Josef A. Fischer

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale development and data collection occurred during the years 2020 and 2021. The GMPS is noted as “erprobt” (tested/proven). Specific information regarding commercial fees or formal permissions for use beyond initial research is not detailed in the source content, but contact information for the author is provided for inquiries.

Reference’s

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Items of the German Managerial Practice Survey (GMPS)

Instruction: Bitte geben Sie an, in welchem Umfang Ihre direkte Führungskraft die folgenden Verhaltensweisen zeigt:

Response Scale Anchors (0 to 100):

1. (0) überhaupt nicht
2. (25) sehr wenig
3. (50) zum Teil
4. (75) in hohem Maße
5. (100) in sehr hohem Maße

Tabelle 1: Items des GMPS