Research

The LAQ™ addresses the rise of interest in the ‘inner theatre’ of organisational executives—that is, what makes them tick, and is a response to the need for an instrument that captures dimensions that are specifically important for business leaders. Other existing 360° instruments designed to facilitate team-building tend to take into consideration only the surface manifestations of leadership, thus overlooking some of the psychodynamic processes that occur in individuals and groups. The LAQ™ is designed to provide a more complete analysis of the inner theatre of leaders, give team members a greater knowledge of the positive and negative aspects of each person’s leadership style, and contribute to creating well-balanced executive role constellations.

Development

The development and validation of the LAQ™ took two years. An initial set of leadership archetypes were derived from semi-structured interviewing of directors and senior leaders from all around the world. Exploratory interviews were conducted with over 300 executives in a semi-structured fashion for the development of the LAQ™. Supplemental observational data was collected in the form of notes taken while studying the various executives in team settings. The observed patterns of behaviour were then integrated with the findings of developmental and clinical psychologists on the functioning of human personalities. The LAQ™ underwent three iterations before it reached its final form. After each testing of the questionnaire with senior executives, classical psychometrical analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted on the data to ensure its reliability and validity. A validation study was also conducted on the final version of the LAQ™.

Process

The process begins with the selection of the executive/clients who will take the questionnaire(s). In most instances, the program coordinator provides access to the website where participants and their observers complete the questionnaire. When all the questionnaires have been completed, the coordinator prints out a feedback report for each of the participants. The executive/client then works with a facilitator, coach or counsellor to develop an action plan for change.

Online Administration

1. Approximately four weeks in advance, the programme administrator or coordinator sends participants a welcome letter that explains the purpose of the Leadership Archetype Questionnaire. The letter, which should mention the survey deadline, informs them that they will receive an automatically generated email in the next day or two, with a link to the website on which they will find the questionnaire(s).
2. Each participant asks at least 7 and as many as 15 observers from at least two teams of which they are members (for example, colleagues from the same department, and fellow members of an executive team) to complete an “Observer” questionnaire. A third category of observer includes all interested others inside or outside the organisation (for example, clients or people from other departments or subsidiaries).
3. On the survey website, participants register their observers and complete their “Self” questionnaire. Once they are registered, observers automatically receive an e-mail with a personal web-link. Participants are responsible for ensuring that their observers complete the questionnaires by the deadline.
4. After a participant’s self and observers’ questionnaires have all been completed, the system scores the responses. Ordinarily, the coordinator prints out two reports for each participant: one for the facilitator or executive coach, and another for the participant.