The connection between farmers’ aptitude and their managerial ability seems to be only marginal, according to new research by Lincoln University.
A recent national mail survey of farmers seeking answers to aptitude questions found the responses were only marginally related to managerial ability. The surveyed farmers were asked to give an estimate of their own ability which was related to their answers to 35 aptitude questions.
The questions covered memory recall, lessons from experience, creativity, understanding shapes (maps), farm calculations and farm related general knowledge. One question, for example, asked: ‘What is the next number in the lambing percentage series 90, 95, 105, 120…..’. Another question asked: ‘What is out of place (i) ryegrass, (ii) phalaris, (iii) alsike, (iv) coxsfoot, (v) chewings fescue ?’.
Individual question/answer accuracy ranged from 85% to 9%. The easiest and most difficult questions were dropped leaving 23 questions. The answers from these were used to create an aptitude score with an average of 100%. A good proportion ( 58%) of farmers had a score greater than 100%.
The survey was organised by Associate Professor Peter Nuthall of Lincoln University’s Farm Management Group. He noted that when the score of individual farmers was related to the belief they had in their own managerial ability, there was not a good correlation.
“Either the farmers’ self rating was incorrect, or there is a lot more to managerial ability than successfully answering test questions,” says Associate Professor Nuthall.
“It is likely farmers’ personal experience, and their ability to put into effect the lessons learnt, are important aspects to ability that can’t be measured in a written test.”
Correlation analysis showed that obtaining simple information, such as the farmers’ highest level of formal education, and their average grade percentage in their final year of formal schooling, was almost as useful. This data was more highly correlated with success than the test results. But even then the correlation was not particularly high.
Similar analyses were carried out on the farmers’ own estimates of their intelligence, and their average profit and asset value increase over the last five years. Again the aptitude test result was not particularly well correlated with these measures of ability.
However, there was a 20% correlation between the aptitude test and the asset value increase. Similarly, there was a 11% correlation between the farmers’ education level and the asset value increase.
“Even if these figures are not large, the relationships are in the right direction,” says Associate Professor Nuthall.
“There is plenty of room for new ideas and research into predicting and assessing managerial ability. If better tests were available it would be possible to use the results in developing valuable managerial ability training packages.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Ian Collins, Journalist
Lincoln University, Canterbury
Tel: 64 3 325 2811 ext 8549
Email: Ian Collins