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Abstract

Three major decision-making archetypes exist in an organization: managers who focus mainly on the complexity of current issues, leaders who are responsible for facilitating change, and entrepreneurs who identify and develop opportunities. A measurement tool was designed (the MEL-Index) that allows a firm to assess the managerial, entrepreneurial and leadership capabilities of its key personnel as well as for the company as a whole. The current paper describes the application of the MEL-Index during an extended executive education program with a mid-sized German high-technology company. A one-hour face-to-face interview was conducted with 22 senior executives within two of the company’s business units. All participants provided a self-evaluation of their own MEL capabilities as well as a peer evaluation of their colleagues. In addition, they evaluated their current job, their own business unit and the entire company based on the MEL typologies. The MEL results were used as a diagnostic instrument where each participant received feedback in both written and graphic form. We show the examples of individual as well as the cumulative ratings for each of the business units. The executive education setting allowed for reflection on both individual and group scores. The response to the Tool has been overwhelmingly positive with the result that the remaining business units will complete the executive program, along with the embedded MEL process, over the next two years.

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