We’re sorry, we no longer offer the Management Relations Survey test.

Purpose: The Management Relations Survey (MRS), used as a companion instrument with the Personnel Relations Survey (PRS), measures a manager’s communication co-worker relations practices from a co-worker’s point of view. Used for communication and relationship-building training and development.

Scoring: Self-scored

Uses: The MRS can be used to assess communication styles with supervisors, managers, and co-workers. It is specifically designed to assess current communication practices and teach methods for “opening up” communication lines between co-workers.

Format: A 20-item, paired comparison, paper/pencil, inventory repeated in two parts, for assessing management/co-worker relations from the co-worker’s point of view. The inventory provides a manager with feedback from associates and co-workers, and allows co-workers, in turn, to examine their own practices with the manager. The inventory may be administered in conjunction with the Personnel Relations Survey (PRS) for self/other comparisons of management communication skills and effectiveness.

Brief Description: The MRS provides feedback from those people with whom one works. Designed to be completed by co-workers, the MRS also examines their views of their own practices with the manager. Self-ratings from thePersonnel Relations Survey (PRS) can be tempered and refined, self/other comparisons made, and the rated manager’s effect on others examined. This survey is designed to assess the manner in which you view the relationship between yourself and your manager. It addresses your evaluation of your manager’s behavior toward you and others and assesses your own behavior toward your manager.

Video Support: The Dynamics of the Johari Window – The Johari Window is a very popular and easily understood model of communication. The Johari Window is essentially an information processing model. The model employs a four-part figure to reflect the interaction of two sources of information – self and others. The squared field, representing the “interpersonal space,” is partitioned into four “regions” with each region representing particular information-processing elements that have significance for the quality of relationships. Let us look at one of the regions for a better understanding of their implications as they relate to interpersonal process and communication. (Sold Separately)

Sample Item: For each item indicate which of the two alternatives would be most characteristic of the way your manager or you would handle the situation described. For each item, you will have 5 points to distribute. If one alternative is completely characteristic, and the other is completely uncharacteristic of your manager or you, then you would give the first alternative 5 points and the other 0 points. The points may be distributed in any combination that adds to 5.

1. If I began to avoid my manager and act in an obedient, but withdrawn, manner, my manager would:

a. Call attention to the behavior and suggest I say what was on my mind.
b. Follow my lead and keep our contacts to a “business as usual” basis since that seems to be what I want.

Companion Piece: Personnel Relations Survey (PRS)

Languages: English, Spanish, French, Swedish, Danish, German, Norwegian, Finnish, Portuguese, and Dutch

Norms: In this instrument, norms provide a reference point in the form of percentile scores. So that you can compare your own style of managing interpersonal processes, percentile scores have been compiled based on the scores of 28,507 individuals who have completed the MRS. If, for example, one of your raw scores transforms to a percentile score of 60, this means that you scored higher than 60% and lower than 40% of the people in the normative sample. By the same token, if your percentile score is 30, then 70% of the normative sample scored higher and 30% scored lower than you.

Reliability and Validity: This instrument is a companion to and adaptation of the Personnel Relations Survey (PRS) for which the Alpha coefficients of reliability are .78 and .80 for exposure and feedback, respectively. The instrument discriminates among high, average, and low achieving managers. The construct and concurrent validities have been confirmed through analysis with the MMPI, CPI, Bass’s Famous Sayings Test; the canonical correlations being .69, .87, and .79, respectively. The MRS is deemed suitable for both concept and diagnostic training, team discussion, and research applications.

The Johari Window

The Model of Communication

The Johari Window is a very popular and easily understood model of communication. The Johari Window is essentially an information processing model. The model employs a four-part figure to reflect the interaction of two sources of information – self and others. The squared field, representing the “interpersonal space,” is partitioned into four “regions” with each region representing particular information-processing elements that have significance for the quality of relationships. Let us look at one of the regions for a better understanding of their implications as they relate to interpersonal process and communication.

The Arena

The Arena is the portion of the total interpersonal space devoted to mutual understanding and shared information. This known by the self – known by others facet of the relationship is thought to control interpersonal productivity. The assumption is that productivity and interpersonal effectiveness are directly related to the amount of mutually-held information. Therefore, the larger the arena becomes, the more rewarding, effective, and productive the relationship is apt to be. The arena can be thought of as the place where good communication happens. One can increase the size of this region by increasing the amount of exposure and feedback seeking.

Increasing the Size of the Arena

One can significantly influence the size of the Arena in relating to others by the behavioral processes you choose to use in your relationships. To the extent that you make others aware of relevant information which you have and they do not, you enlarge the Arena in a downward direction reducing the Facade. The process employed toward this end has been called by Luft and Ingham the Exposure process. It entails the open and candid expression of feelings and factual knowledge. Yet it takes two to communicate and the other party must also expose in order for communication to be productive. Therefore, active solicitation by you of the information of others must also be employed. This process is known as Feedback Solicitation. As one solicits feedback, the Arena extends to the right reducing your Blindspot. You can establish truly effective relationships if you will engage in optimum Exposure and Feedback soliciting behaviors. The fact is, you have the primary responsibility for the productivity of, and the interpersonal rewards which can be derived from, your relationships with others.

Partial listing of customers using our communication learning instruments

Harley Davidson – Shell Oil – Verizon – Target – Kroger – Eastman Chemical – The Federal Reserve Bank – SYSCO – LSG Skychief – American Express – Heinz – U.S. Army National Guard…and many others.

Business Educational Institutions:
(AMA) American Management Association – (ASE) American Society of Employees – Kent State – NC State – Penn State – Lake Forest – University of Pittsburg – USDA Graduate School..and many others.