Handout 15A: Working style inventory

Self-Assessment

Ten situations typical of those faced by Peace Corps Volunteers in the past are described below. Four different ways of handling each situation are then described. Select the way you think you would be most likely to handle each situation and assign the number "4" to that choice. Select your next preferred choices and the least preferred choice. Assign your numerical choices directly on the scoring sheet attached to this Self-Assessment form.

This form is designed to help you assess your own personal preferred style of handling situations which you are likely to face during service as a Volunteer. Later, you will analyze the results yourself.

ASSIGN A "4", "3", "2", OR A "1" IN THE ORDER OF YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE FOR HANDLING EACH SITUATION DESCRIBED. PLACE YOUR RESPONSES DIRECTLY ON THE SCORING SHEET ATTACHED TO THIS SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM.

SITUATION #1

You are entering your assigned village to take over an appropriate technology project. The Volunteer you are replacing has already left. The project is three years old. You have had brief discussions with the village leadership and get the sense that the project is being received with mixed results. You have been asked to address a meeting of village leaders to introduce yourself. How would you prefer to handle the situation? (Respond on the Scoring Sheet.)

Choices

A. Present your approach to the project and ask for questions and advice.

B. Seek the leadership's view of the project and identify problems.

C. Ask the leaders to describe their goals for the project as well as other pressing needs the village is facing.

D. Ask the leadership if you can sit in on this meeting and become better acquainted with village needs before addressing a meeting.

* edited from: The Role of The Volunteer in Development, Peace Corps Core Curriculum Materials, December 1981, OPTC, U.S. Peace Corps, pp. 67-82.

SITUATION #2

You are assigned to a small vegetable cooperative project which has been underway for several years. There is very high interest in the project among the village at large. However, the local leadership has just decided all coop labor must be assigned to re-building the bridge recently flooded out during the rainy season. This is planting time for the vegetable coop. What would you do?

Choices

A. Persuade the leaders to change their priorities, at least to enable the once-a-year planting in the vegetable fields.

B. Help the leadership identify some alternatives to choosing between the vegetable crop and the bridge.

C. Help the local vegetable coop manager develop strategies to try to get the local leaders to reconsider.

D. Join in and facilitate bridge repair in an effort to complete it in time to also plant vegetable plots.

SITUATION #3

You are in the last six months of your tour. It is unclear whether you will be replaced by another Volunteer. The local project committee is urging you to be sure to finish a gravity irrigation project before you leave. You are not sure you can complete it in the time allotted. How will you handle this pressure?

Choices

A. Try as hard as you can to complete the project.

B. Lead a planning meeting with the local project committee and staff and try to develop alternate strategies.

C. Concentrate on developing skills in the local project staff to enable them to complete the project after your departure.

D. Pass the dilemma on to then local project staff leaders and encourage them to solve the problem and tell you what to do.

SITUATION #4

A new counterpart has been assigned to your food production project. The new counterpart does not have the connections with local district officials which the previous counterpart had and seems unable to use connections to get needed inputs. If you do not get the needed inputs soon, serious food shortages could result. What will you do?

Choices

A. Use your previous associations through the past counterpart to ensure the required inputs are received in time.

B. Develop strategy with new counterpart to provide introductions and contacts to enable the project to get inputs in time.

C. Ask new counterpart to develop plan to get inputs and critique plan.

D. Encourage new counterpart to go out and try to figure out how to get needed inputs.

SITUATION #5

You have taken over an agricultural production project of the "green revolution" type with a "most promising farmer" orientation. There are two very progressive farmers using the new technologies and greatly increasing their cultivated land. Most farmers in the area have not adapted the new practices. The village leadership is predicting scarcity to starvation next year if food production is not greatly increased. Where will you focus your time?

Choices

A. On increasing food production by whatever means, including using the progressive farmers as "model" farmers for others.

B. Balanced between encouraging the progressives and working directly with more traditional farmers.

C. Organizing traditional farmers and training them in new agricultural practices.

D. Identifying why traditional farmers are not adopting new agricultural practices.

SITUATION #6

The village to which you have been assigned has a beekeeping project going and is highly motivated about it. Your assignment is a general agricultural assignment, but you happen to know quite a bit about beekeeping and see some ways to help improve their already successful project. They have shown no interest in using you in that way. How will you respond?

Choices

A. speak to village and project leaders laying out some of your ideas for improving the project and suggesting a change in your assignment.

B. Make suggestions from time to time, informally, demonstrating your competence in-this area.

C. Share your dilemma with your counterparts, seek their advice and follow it.

D. Move ahead with your assignment as planned, being alert to any future opportunities to be helpful in an informal way with beekeeping.

SITUATION #7

You are beginning the second year of your two-year teaching contract. You have been able to introduce some innovative methods and students and fellow faculty have responded well and begun to adopt them. Some students in particular have "blossomed" under your direction. What are your priorities for the next eight months?

Choices

A. Focus on blossoming students and bring more into the fold.

B. Organize special teacher-training seminars to broaden and deepen innovations already adopted.

C. Seek opportunities to co-teach with counterparts to solidify innovations already adopted.

D. Begin planned withdrawal to lessen the dependency on you for sustaining innovations adopted.

SITUATION #8

You are a health and nutrition specialist for a community clinic with a very vague and general assignment. The needs surrounding you are overwhelming, but you don't know where to begin. The clinic director seems glad to have you but has provided no specific direction. How will you begin?

Choices

A. Assess your strongest field and make a concrete proposition to the director to clarify your role.

B. Ask for a meeting with the director to mutually explore priorities for the clinic and ascertain where you can be most helpful.

C. Ask your counterpart(s) if you can observe them for a month in hope of identifying areas where your skills can complement theirs.

D. Conduct a community needs assessment and develop your role in response to community needs.

SITUATION #9

Your counterparts are becoming increasingly dominating during project community meetings. As their confidence and skill has grown, you have gladly given more responsibility to them; but it seems to you that other committee members are becoming withdrawn from the project. You want to build a strong project team, rather than just strong counterparts. What should you do?

Choices

A. Raise the issue directly with your counterparts and offer to lead the next committee meeting to demonstrate participative leadership skills.

B. Provide help in planning the next meeting and make some specific suggestions to the counterparts about how to modify leadership behavior.

C. Watch for opportunities to provide feedback, ask the counterparts questions about how they think the meetings are going and reinforce participative behavior.

D. Leave the situation alone and count on the community to call the counterparts on dominating behavior, then reinforce the offer to help.

SITUATION #10

Your counterpart is moderately skilled and experienced and moderately interested in your project. He or she does not see the project as advancing his or her own career. The village, however, is vitally interested in the project. How would you handle this situation?

Choices

A. Try to get counterpart reassigned and temporarily take over direction of the project until a new person is assigned.

B. Spend time with counterpart trying to identify ways in which his or her role in the project can both meet project goals and career aspirations.

C. Work with counterpart on career goals and help him or her develop a strategy for pursuing them, including leaving the project, if appropriate.

D. Facilitate a meeting between community leaders and the counterpart to see if they can come up with a mutually satisfactory solution to the problem.

SCORING SHEET

Situation #1	A	B	C	D
Situation #2	A	B	C	D
Situation #3	A	B	C	D
Situation #4	A	B	C	D
Situation #5	A	B	C	D
Situation #6	A	B	C	D
Situation #7	A	B	C	D
Situation #8	A	B	C	D
Situation #9	A	B	C	D
Situation #10	A	B	C	D
TOTALS	____	____	____	____

Instructions:

Enter your responses for each of the 10 situations. Assign a "4" to your first choice, a "3" to your second choice, a "2" to your next choice and a "1" to your last choice in each situation.

When you have responded fully to each set of choices, total the number vertically in each column.

(Adapted from: The Role of The Volunteer In Development, P.C. December 1981, pp. 67-82)