Classwork On Self-Monitoring

1 IMPORTANCE OF SELF-MONITORING
Self-monitoring, or the capacity to observe (or measure) and evaluate one's

behavior, is an important component of executive functioning in human
behavior. Executive functioning is part of cognitive processing and includes a
person's ability to connect past knowledge with present experiences in a way that
allows the individual to plan, organise, strategise, pay attention to details, and
manage time.
Self-monitoring allows humans to measure their behavioural outcomes against a

set of standards. Small children typically do not have the ability to self-monitor. It
develops over time. Consider Jenny, a toddler, who does not have the capacity to
monitor her expressive behaviours. She will let her mom know when she is
unhappy with a snack choice. Her tears and screams of dissatisfaction are what
she knows to do and monitoring her behavior, or the effect it has on others, is not
part of her skill set.
On the other hand, when Jenny's mother, Darla, is presented with a food choice
that she does not like, she may choose to not eat it, ask for something different,
or eat it anyways to be respectful of the person who gave it to her. Typically,
screaming and crying will not be Darla's response because she has the ability to
monitor her behavioural expression. Jenny's ability to both understand, then
internalise others' behavioural expectations is a developmental social milestone
that will occur in middle childhood.
2 EXAMPLES OF SELF-MONITORING FOR MANAGERS
Managers who develop self-monitoring skills tend to be more productive, make better
decisions and communicate effectively with co-workers and supervisors, according to
My Management Guide, a resource for project management best practices. Self-
monitoring or self-management is a tool incorporated by employees looking for career
advancement and should be encouraged. While you want to support the efforts of
employees who successfully monitor their own progress, you also must develop
techniques to manage them without discouraging their initiative.
Ask, rather than tell employees to perform certain tasks or participate in various
projects. You must be confident in your ability to persuade through gentle
suggestions and queries if you want to support your self-managing employees.
James Heskett, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School writes in the
Harvard newsletter, Working Knowledge, that a self-monitoring environment is
not conducive for managers with a need to control and command their
subordinates.
Share information and provide learning opportunities for self-managing staff

members. Engage them in thought-provoking conversations. Self-monitoring
workers usually are open to new ideas and new ways of doing things, especially if
the new concepts will help them be more efficient in their jobs.
Discuss the inner workings of the company and speak openly with employees,
providing them with as much information about the business as you can.
Employees have access to a significant amount of information, and when they see
that company insider information is available to them they are more likely to
respond by sharing their own innovative ideas and feel more empowered as an
integral part of your operations.
3 WHY SELF MONITORING IS IMPORTANT FOR MANAGERS
Within work organisations some individuals emerge as leaders in the eyes of

others even though these individuals hold no formal authority. For example,
wiremen at the Hawthorne Works found in Taylor “a leader of their own, different
from the supervisors given them by the company”
Relevant experimental research shows that high self-monitors, the chameleons of

the social world, are able to adjust their attitudes and behaviours to the demands
of different situations and tend to emerge as informal leaders in temporary
groups. By contrast, low self-monitors—who tend to be true to themselves in
terms of consistency in attitudes and behaviours across different situations—are
less likely to emerge as leaders
This skepticism toward high self-monitoring leadership includes a rejection of the

possibility that high self-monitors might build trust among their colleagues. The
chameleon-like high self-monitors with their changeable attitudes and behaviours
are said to lack the “right stuff” to be seen as leaders. The impression
management skills characteristic of high self-monitors (involving ingratiation and
self-promotion.
4 PRINCIPLES OF SELF- MONITORING
Self-monitoring theory proposes that individuals systematically vary in the extent

to which they are willing and able to monitor and control their expressive
behaviours and public appearances. Individuals known as high self-monitors are
particularly aware of and responsive to social cues. The images that they present
are variable and tailored to situational context. In contrast, low self-monitors
value consistent behavior that reflects what they perceive to be their true selves.
Low self-monitors are typically less reactive to their social circumstances and
possess smaller repertoires of self-presentational skills. Self-monitoring is related
to a diverse set of behavioural domains such as expressive control, attitude-
behavior consistency, responsiveness to different types of persuasion and
advertising, organisational behavior, and interpersonal relationships. In this
chapter, we begin with a brief overview of the self-monitoring construct,
including a discussion of its measure and the development of self-monitoring
orientations. Next, we review major areas of empirical inquiry, focusing on
applications to social worlds and interpersonal contexts. Finally, drawing on
recent theorising and research emphasising the role of affect and status concerns,
we discuss the evolution of the self-monitoring construct and the motivational
underpinnings of self-monitoring orientations.

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1 IMPORTANCE OF SELF-MONITORING

Self-monitoring, or the capacity to observe (or measure) and evaluate one's

Self-monitoring allows humans to measure their behavioural outcomes against a

Share information and provide learning opportunities for self-managing staff

Within work organisations some individuals emerge as leaders in the eyes of

Relevant experimental research shows that high self-monitors, the chameleons of

This skepticism toward high self-monitoring leadership includes a rejection of the

Self-monitoring theory proposes that individuals systematically vary in the extent

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