Understanding Group and Leader (UGL) trainers' personality characteristics and affective profiles.
BACKGROUND
The Understanding Group and Leader (UGL), provided by the Swedish National Defense College and mentored by UGL-trainers, is one of the most popular management programs among civilians in Sweden. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence regarding the training. We used the affective profile model (i.e., the combination of positive, PA, and negative affect, NA) to mapp important markers of empowerment, self-awareness, adaptive coping skills, and maturity among the UGL-trainers. The aims were: (1) to compare profiles between UGL-trainers and managers/supervisors and (2) to investigate differences in personal characteristics.


METHODS
UGL-trainers (N = 153) and the comparison group (104 Swedish Chiefs of Police) completed an online survey on optimism, self-esteem, locus of control, and affect. The four profiles are: self-fulfilling (high PA, low NA), high affective (high PA, high NA), low affective (high PA, low NA), and self-destructive (low PA, high NA).


RESULTS
The self-fulfilling profile was more common among UGL-trainers (25.70%) than among Chiefs of Police (19.20%). UGL-trainers, compared to Chiefs of Police, were more likely to express a self-fulling than a low affective profile (OR = 2.22, p < 0.05) and a high affective than a low affective profile (OR = 1.43, p < 0.001). UGL-trainers with a self-fulfilling profile, compared to those with a self-destructive profile, scored higher in optimism, higher in self-esteem, and lower in external locus of control.


CONCLUSIONS
The probability of self-fulfillment rather than low affectivity was higher among UGL-trainers. Self-fulfillment was associated to markers of self-awareness and adaptive coping skills. However, the most common profile was the low affective, which is associated to low performance during stress, low degree of personal development, low degree of purpose in life, and low resilience. Hence, it might be important for UGL-trainers to have a continuous training in awareness after certification.
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden ; Network for Empowerment and Well-Being Gothenburg, Sweden.
Max
M
Rapp Ricciardi
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
Jeanette
J
Akerman
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
Peter
P
Eerikäinen
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden ; Network for Empowerment and Well-Being Gothenburg, Sweden.
Annika
A
Ambjörnsson
Network for Empowerment and Well-Being Gothenburg, Sweden ; Office of the National Police Commissioner, National Police Board Stockholm, Sweden.
Ann-Christine
AC
Andersson Arntén
Network for Empowerment and Well-Being Gothenburg, Sweden.
Marko
M
Mihailovic
Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden ; Network for Empowerment and Well-Being Gothenburg, Sweden.
Trevor
T
Archer
Network for Empowerment and Well-Being Gothenburg, Sweden ; Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden.
Danilo
D
Garcia
UGL; affective profiles; coaching; leadership; locus of control; optimism; self-esteem