Development of Assertiveness of Future Managers as a Сondition for

Success in Management

Halyna M. Meshko

, Oleksandr Meshko

, Nataliia Habrusieva

, Alina Leskiw

and Halyna О. Meshko

Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University, Maksyma Kryvonosa Street 2, Ternopil,

46027, Ukraine

Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University, Ruska Street 56, Ternopil, 46001, Ukraine

Bronisław Markiewicz State Higher School of Technology and Economics in Jarosław, Czarnieckiego Street 16,

Jarosław, 37-500, Poland

Keywords: Assertiveness, Development of Assertiveness, Model of Assertive Behavior, Future Managers, Institution of

Higher Education.

Abstract: The research is devoted to the problem of purposeful formation of assertiveness of future managers at the

stage of professional training. The article analyzes the state of development of this problem in psychological

and pedagogical sciences. The essence of the concept of "assertiveness", approaches to its study and the

formation of assertiveness of future managers in higher education is found out. The research used a method

aimed at diagnosing qualitative indicators of assertiveness - "Test-questionnaire of components of

assertiveness", developed by O. Sannikova, O. Sannikov, N. Podoliak. The results of the study are presented,

which showed the average level of assertiveness of future managers and served as a basis for finding ways to

develop it. Possibilities for the development of assertiveness of future managers at the stage of master's

training in higher education are identified and analyzed. The experience of psychological training aimed at

developing assertiveness of future managers, which involves activating the mechanisms of personal self-

regulation, helps to develop constructive ways to overcome professional difficulties, harmonize self-esteem

and self-concept of students, becoming active professional and subjective behavior and responsible behavior

activities. The activity of the training group is focused on the formation of such a way of action in which the

student is able to consistently defend his interests, openly declare his intentions, taking into account the

interests of others. Prospects for further scientific research are identified, which consists of the implementation

and experimental testing of the training program for the formation of assertiveness of future managers in the

system of their training.

1 INTRODUCTION

The modern manager must be assertive, be able to

confidently and with dignity defend his position,

interests or rights, not to degrade the rights and

dignity of others, take into account their interests.

Formed assertive behavior allows you to avoid many

problems in management and have good relationships

with colleagues at work, Assertiveness is the ability

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3168-3954

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4463-7073

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1229-4766

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8480-2796

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8857-4735

to respond optimally to criticism and the ability to say

decisively to yourself and others "no", the ability to

self-regulate your own behavior and be responsible

for it (Solter, 2019). The assertive model of behavior

helps to establish one's own psychological

boundaries, while maintaining one's identity and

autonomy. This behavior combines the inner strength

of the leader and courtesy and tact to colleagues. An

assertive leader can say no when something doesn't

300

Meshko, H., Meshko, O., Habrusieva, N., Leskiw, A. and Meshko, H.

Development of Assertiveness of Future Managers as a Condition for Success in Management.

DOI: 10.5220/0011354200003350

In Proceedings of the 5th International Scientiﬁc Congress Society of Ambient Intelligence (ISC SAI 2022) - Sustainable Development and Global Climate Change, pages 300-309

ISBN: 978-989-758-600-2

suit him, or he just doesn't like it. Assertiveness helps

the manager maintain his "I", personal space and

healthy psychological boundaries between "I" and

colleagues. Assertive behavior involves the ability to

feel when personal boundaries are violated, as well as

the ability to let people know about it, but not

aggressively. Assertive behavior allows you to

express yourself clearly and act confidently, avoiding

manipulation, cruelty and aggression (Kosygina,

2019). Assertiveness is a necessary condition for safe

behavior of the manager's personality (Hay-David,

Herron, Gilling & Brennan, 2020).

Assertiveness implies the ability to emotional

stability, reflection, independence in making

managerial decisions. Thanks to the development of

assertive behavior skills, positive experience is

accumulated in overcoming professional difficulties,

making responsible decisions and confident actions in

the real conditions of management and situations of

professional interaction. Professionals with a high

level of assertiveness are better protected from

emotional problems, less anxious, less likely to suffer

from fears than professionals with a low level of

assertiveness. Assertiveness is an important condition

for preventing burnout (Meshko, 2018), maintaining

mental health (Sęk, 1988; Pourjali & Zarnaghash,

2010) and actualizin the leadership potential of

professionals (Meshko, Meshko, Drobyk, &

Mikheienko, 2020; Radchuk, & Kozak, 2020;

Bespalov, 2019; Townend, 2007; Ames, 2009).

In addition, managers with assertive behavior

have more adequate self-esteem, can better cope with

stress, they are more successful in professional

activities (Poprawa, 2001). There is also a significant

positive relationship between the level of

assertiveness and dignity, self-esteem (Herasina,

2010). People can develop self-esteem and inner

strength by mastering the techniques of assertive

behavior (Sheinov, 2014, p. 121). Assertiveness

contributes to success in professional activities, if a

person is erudite, rational, intelligent, thoughtful,

developed in various fields (Moiseenko, 2017).

Therefore, the formation of assertiveness of future

managers is an objective requirement of the modern

labor market and an important task of modern

education to train a competitive specialist. This issue

is extremely relevant at the stage of professional

training in higher education.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

The study of the problem of assertiveness of the

individual begins in the 50's and 60's of XX century.

The concept of assertiveness of the individual was

developed by American psychologist A. Salter. In

domestic psychology, the term assertiveness began to

be widely used after the publication in 1995 of the

book by W. Capponi and T. Novak "How to do things

your way, or assertiveness in life" (1995). A review

of scientific sources on the problem of assertiveness

of the individual shows the existence of different

approaches to the interpretation of assertiveness and

understanding of its importance for life and

professional activity:

1) in the Psychological Encyclopedia

assertiveness is interpreted as the ability of a person

to behave confidently and with dignity, to persistently

defend his rights or point of view, without

disregarding the rights of others (2006);

2) assertiveness is defined as the quality of a

mature personality, which characterizes a person's

ability to change his behavior in joint activities,

communication and cognition in a positive direction

and is expressed in a sense of inner strength, personal

self-expression, emotional stability, responsibility for

their behavior and decisions, positive attitude towards

oneself and others (Kosygina, 2019);

3) the concept of assertiveness echoes the

phenomenon of confidence. Confident behavior

presupposes a subjective attitude towards oneself,

social readiness and the ability to adequately realize

one's own aspirations. Assertiveness is semantically

close to the concept of internal stability of the

individual, as well as to the concept of

nonconformism (Guk, 2012).

4) assertive behavior is seen as the optimal, most

constructive way of interpersonal interaction as

opposed to the two most common destructive ways -

manipulation and aggression (Solter, 2019) Assertive

behavior is the "golden mean" between aggressive

and passive behaviors (Thompson & Berenbaum,

2011; Kwiatkowski, 2000).

5) the problem of assertive behavior is closely

related to the responsibility of the individual. The

main components of assertiveness, according to S.

Stout, is the ability to take responsibility for their

behavior and the presence of respect and self-esteem

(Basova, 2013).

6) assertiveness is attributed to the interpersonal

aspect of the structure of emotional intelligence.

(Kosygina, 2019; Stein, 2020) Among the three main

components of emotional intelligence (empathy,

communicative tolerance, assertiveness),

assertiveness helps to optimize communication to the

greatest extent (Bern, 1992; Güven, 2010). Therefore,

assertiveness is one of the defining features of a low

level of conflict. Assertive behavior prevents

Development of Assertiveness of Future Managers as a Condition for Success in Management

301

conflicts, and in a conflict situation helps to find a

constructive solution. Assertiveness of the individual

is the key to harmonious relationships with other

people.

7) assertiveness is defined as adequacy (Solter,

2019). Assertive behavior is characterized by clarity,

directness, genuine sincerity (Shpalinsky, 2008)

Assertive skills include the ability to behave

constructively, without causing trouble to colleagues,

the ability to tactfully and politely insist on their own,

the ability to accept and give feedback, and be

convincing in the context of achieving the goals.

8) assertiveness is defined as an integral property

of the individual, which is manifested in the

orientation of man to internal rather than external

control and characterizes the development of its

subjectivity. In fact, assertiveness to some extent,

scientists (Radchuk, 2016) consider the antithesis of

the so-called "learned helplessness", which defines a

person as an object of activity with a focus on external

control and develops in a disciplinary-adaptive

learning system.

Such diversity and ambiguity of interpretations

are due to the complexity and interdisciplinarity of

the studied phenomenon. The analysis of the

scientific literature showed the existence of research

aimed at studying external manifestations.

Scholars consider assertiveness both as an

independent property of the individual and as a

complex, integrated property that encompasses a

number of qualities. The first direction is represented

by research that defines assertiveness as a skill, as a

way of behaving. The second area covers research

that interprets assertiveness as an integral property of

the individual, which contains a set of properties. The

list of these qualities differs slightly in different

scientific sources. Among the main characteristics of

assertiveness, scientists distinguish: the ability to

insist on their own, to respond optimally to criticism;

ability to say a resounding "no" to oneself and others

when necessary; the ability of a person to confidently

and with dignity defend their rights and not violate

the rights of others; the ability of the individual to

establish effective interaction, openly express their

feelings, desires, thoughts; the way a person behaves

in situations of justified risk, when it is necessary to

succeed; the ability to resist external influences and

achieve their goals, independently plan their own

lives, carry out their plans (Podoliak, 2013).

The content of the concept of "assertiveness" is

revealed through such personality traits as:

constructiveness, purposefulness, self-confidence,

responsibility, determination, independence, self-

efficacy, subjectivity, persistence, initiative,

demanding, ability to empathize, reflect, etc.

(Moiseenko, 2017, p.174).

In the context of our study, the approach of S.

Stein and G. Buk is important, according to which

assertiveness consists of three main components: the

ability to adequately express feelings, the ability to

openly express beliefs and opinions, the ability to

defend their rights (Driga, 2013; Stein & Buk, 2010).

The research which compliments this approach

(Podoliak, 2013; Radchuk & Kozak, 2020),

highlights the following qualitative components of

assertive personality: emotional (self-confidence and

lack of anxiety). cognitive (competence and

understanding of oneself and others), and, behavioral

(social behavior skills) and control-regulatory (skills

of self-regulation and self-control).

Principles of assertiveness - are the empirical

rules of conduct in society, communication with

others (Podoliak, 2013). O. Kosyhina singles out the

following principles of assertive behavior: taking

responsibility for one's own behavior; demonstration

of self-esteem and respect for other people; effective

communication (honesty, openness and directness);

demonstration of confidence and positive attitude;

ability to listen and understand carefully; negotiation

and reaching a compromise (Kosygina, 2019) Other

researchers (Capponi & Novak, 1995) identify a

number of principles of assertiveness, which are

based on the belief that no one can successfully

manipulate others if they do not allow it.

Assertive behavior is determined by personality

traits, the influence of which is determined by the

value orientations of the individual. Professional

values give stability to the personality of the manager,

determine the principles of his behavior, serve as

guidelines for his social and professional activity.

Professional values are a criterion for the manager for

assessing the reality, behavior of others and himself.

The formation of professional values ensures a

responsible attitude to professional activities,

promotes integration and clear design in the minds of

future managers axiological model of future

management, the formation of their professional and

subjective position.

Thus, assertiveness is a necessary condition for

the functioning of the individual as a subject of

activity, a condition for achieving life and

professional goals, success in management.

Therefore, an important issue is the search for ways

and means of forming assertiveness of future

managers at the stage of professional training in

higher education.

The purpose of the article is to clarify the

importance of assertive behavior of managers in the

ISC SAI 2022 - V International Scientiﬁc Congress SOCIETY OF AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE

302

success of management and identify opportunities,

ways and methods of forming assertive behavior of

future managers at the stage of training, describe the

role of psychological training as a means of

assertiveness.

The purpose of the study was specified in the

following tasks: 1) to determine the state of

development of the problem of assertiveness of future

managers; 2) to diagnose the level of assertiveness of

future managers; 3) to develop and test a training

program for the development of assertiveness of

future managers at the stage of study in higher

education taking into account the results of

diagnostics.

3 RESEARCH METHODS AND

METHODOLOGY

In our study, we proceeded from the understanding of

assertiveness as an integral property of the individual,

which covers the above components: emotional

(mental stability, self-acceptance, acceptance of

others, spontaneity of emotional reactions, sense of

proportion, lack of anxiety, confidence), cognitive

(orientation in the social situation and the adequacy

of its assessment, the ability to predict the results of

their own behavior, the ability to allow themselves to

have requests and requirements, the ability to

navigate social expectations, awareness of the need to

achieve goals), behavioral (willingness to act without

violating the rights of others, the ability to manage

their lives) control and regulatory (responsibility for

their actions; persistence in defending their rights;

independent action; defending one's opinion, even if

it is associated with some difficulties) (Podoliak,

2013). These are the aspects that need to be developed

in managers at the stage of professional training.

Important for this are: self-knowledge, self-

acceptance, adequate evaluation of yourself and

others; self-analysis and self-control of one's actions

and deeds; the ability to independently regulate their

own behavior and be responsible for it; taking

responsibility for one's own behavior; ability to

adequately express feelings; ability to express

opinions openly; ability to defend their rights; ability

to show confidence and positive attitude, self-esteem

and respect for others; ability to respond optimally to

criticism; ability to make compromise decisions.

The idea of assertiveness involves the formation

of a certain quality of behavior, through which a

person can control spontaneous reactions, shows

reasonable expression of emotions, possess the ability

to speak directly about their desires and requirements,

is able to express their own position, defend their

views in situations where any argument is superfluous

(Guk, 2012).

It is important for our study that assertive behavior

develops on the basis of introspection, is expressed in

the need for self-knowledge, the ability to self-

observation, the ability to self-reflection, analysis of

their actions and deeds, the ability to control

themselves, their thoughts (Guk, 2012).

It is important to diagnose the level of formation

of assertiveness of future managers, to identify

opportunities, ways and methods of forming assertive

behaviour at the stage of study in higher education.

The research used a method aimed at diagnosing

qualitative indicators of assertiveness - "Test-

questionnaire of components of assertiveness",

developed by O. Sannikova, O. Sannikov, &

N. Podoliak (2013).

This technique allows to diagnose 4 qualitative

indicators (scales) of assertiveness - emotional,

cognitive, behavioral and control-regulatory, as well

as the general indicator of assertiveness.

The method provides four answer options, which

are evaluated on the following scale: "yes" - 4 points,

"closer to yes" - 3 points, " closer to no" - 1 point,

"no" - 0 points. The answers to the "opposite"

statements are evaluated in reverse. The results of the

method determine the level of expression of

individual components of the tendency to

assertiveness and the overall degree of its

manifestation.

The maximum score for each parameter is 60

points.

The total assertiveness index (AsGen) is

secondary and is calculated by the formula: AsGen =

(AsE + AsC + AsB + AsCR): 4.

The values of each of the parameters, the

dominance of a component (emotional, cognitive,

behavioral, regulatory) in the individual structure of

assertiveness reflect its qualitative uniqueness and are

reflected in the choice of individual strategies and

behaviors in different situations. (Podoliak, 2013).

We conducted the survey using Google Forms.

The results were analyzed using Excel and IBM SPSS

Statistics.

4 RESEARCH RESULTS

The study using the method of "Psychodiagnostic

test-questionnaire assertiveness" involved 101

students of the Faculty of Economics and

Management of Ternopil National Technical

Development of Assertiveness of Future Managers as a Condition for Success in Management

303

University named after Ivan Pulyuy (Ukraine) and the

Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology (specialty 073

Management) Ternopil National Pedagogical

University (Ukraine).

We analyzed the answers of each individual

respondent to the questionnaire. Then, based on the

obtained calculations, data were derived on four main

and one secondary test scales (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Indicators of assertiveness of future managers on

the main scales.

*AsCR - control and regulatory component, respondents

make up 69% of the maximum possible number of points;

* AsC - cognitive component; respondents make up 64% of

the maximum possible number of points;

* AsE - emotional component, respondents make up 62%

of the maximum possible number of points;

* AsB - behavioral component, respondents make up 60%

of the maximum possible number of points.

The results of the study show that among the four

components of assertiveness, the control indicator has

the largest indicator (41.44), the smallest - the

behavioral component (36.24).

We calculated the total assertiveness index

(AsGen) according to the above formula.

In our case, it is (41.44 + 38.46 + 37.38 + 36.24):

4 = 38.38 (64% of the maximum possible number of

points).

This result can be attributed to the average level

of overall assertiveness. (High - from 75 to 100

percent and low - from 0 to 25 percent).

As a result of the study, we were able to trace the

gender aspects of assertiveness in male and female

students (Figure 2).

It is worth noting a slightly higher overall rate of

assertiveness on the cognitive scale (difference = 2.48

points), slightly higher on the emotional scale

(difference = 1.61 points) in students of future

managers. While the overall indicator on the

behavioral scale is slightly higher in female students

(difference = 1.92 points). The identified differences

should be taken into account in the corrective work

on the development of assertiveness of future

managers.

Figure 2: Gender features of assertiveness of future

managers.

The results of the survey made it possible to

identify some unexpected data on the reduction of the

overall rate of assertiveness of students getting higher

education, starting from the second year of bachelor's

degree (Figure 3).

Figure 3: AsGen indicator of future managers according to

the year of study.

The lowest rate of assertiveness was found in

applicants for the second (master's) level of higher

education - 36.92 (61% of the maximum possible

number of points) compared to 39.01 (65% of the

maximum possible number of points) in second-year

undergraduate students. This is due, in our opinion,

the peculiarities of cross-entry to the master's degree

in 073 Management, new learning conditions and the

difficulty of "entering" a new profession. All this

highlights the problem of purposeful formation of

assertiveness at the stage of study in higher education

and special attention to this problem in terms of

master's studies.

ISC SAI 2022 - V International Scientiﬁc Congress SOCIETY OF AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE

304

5 DISCUSSION

To develop assertiveness, the future manager needs to

understand the peculiarities of his character,

temperament, understand himself and the causes of

insecurity, work on increasing the level of self-

confidence, learn to behave confidently and non-

aggressively, using this or that technique.

There are various techniques for developing

assertive behavior. For example, researcher I.

Ladanov described a technique that consists of five

steps: 1) to determine with the help of a special test,

which attitude is inherent in man: passive, aggressive

or assertive; 2) self-observation, brief notes and

analysis of the situation; 3) concentration (imagine a

situation, experience it completely, determine its

usefulness); 4) models of statements (try to formulate

statements in some specific way in three ways:

passively, aggressively, assertively); 5) nonverbal

(remember and analyze their behavior when

expressing their thoughts passively, aggressively,

assertively) (Ladanov, 1997). There are

developments related to the importance of ClickTalk

game learning to develop assertiveness and improve

team play (Eng, 2017).

There are a number of studies in the scientific

literature that present assertiveness training for

students (Ramadhan, Keliat & Wardani, 2019;

Fuspita, Susanti & Putri, 2018; Avşar & Alkaya,

2017; Vatankhah, Daryabari, Ghadami & Naderifar,

2013) students-future physicians and nurses

(Warland, McKellar & Diaz, 2014; Lin et al., 2004),

etc. It has been established that increasing the level of

assertiveness of students contributes to the formation

of problem-solving skills (Güven, 2010).

Specially designed programs of socio-

psychological training, which are based mainly on the

traditions of humanistic psychology and contribute to

the formation of such characterological traits as

honesty, firmness of intent, perseverance,

friendliness, etc. are used to develop human

assertiveness (Psychological Encyclopedia, 2006,

p.32) S. Medvedeva offers assertiveness training for

future practical psychologists, based on certain social

situations, training which takes place in a role-playing

game or in real conditions (Medvedeva, 2009). The

immediate goal of assertiveness training is to train

confident behavior (Psychotherapeutic

Encyclopedia, 2000).

We believe that for the development of

assertiveness of future managers it is necessary to

provide conditions for self-knowledge, self-

acceptance, positive self-attitude and self-

development of their personality. Such conditions are

created in the process of group training, which

activities are based on the principles of active socio-

psychological learning. Such psychological trainings

are conducted at the Center for Pedagogical

Consulting (2021), which operates at the Department

of Pedagogy and Education Management of Ternopil

National Pedagogical University named after

Volodymyr Hnatiuk.

The activities of the training group are aimed at:

learning about the strengths and weaknesses of the

future manager; adequate assessment of oneself and

other members of the group; formation of the ability

to independently regulate their own behavior and be

responsible for it; formation of self-confidence;

flexibility in communication; formation of such a

course of action in which the undergraduate is able to

consistently defend their interests, openly declare

their intentions, while taking into account the

interests of others.

The following methods of work contribute to the

formation of the model of assertive behavior in the

process of training group activity: execution of

psychomodiles ("What I give to other people and

what I expect from them", "I'm in a difficult

situation"), analysis of professional situations with

elements of dramatization, compiling “Memoirs” for

the future manager ("How to resist manipulation and

aggression in management", "How to get rid of

thinking "red pencil"), group discussions, role-

playing games, psychological games, the use of

parables, etc.

We give the role-playing game "Request - refusal"

as the example. Exercise: participants are divided into

two subgroups. Each subgroup receives a card with a

specific situation. In 5 minutes, participants need to

offer options for assertive behavior in a given

situation. It is necessary to ask without humiliation,

and to refuse, without offending another person.

Situations need to be presented in the form of a role

play. Situation 1. A colleague asks you to replace him

on a business trip to another city, and you currently

have your own plans. Situation 2. The employee asks

the head of the department to increase wages, and the

head refuses. After acting the situations, the members

of the training group analyze what they saw and

discuss what was easier for them to do, ask or refuse

assertively, what prevents them from behaving

assertively.

The following exercises are aimed at the

formation of assertive behavior, knowledge of the

peculiarities of one's own communicative line of

behavior: 1) Exercise "Resolute refusal". The

members of the group take turns talking about what

words and habits in interaction with people they

Development of Assertiveness of Future Managers as a Condition for Success in Management

305

would like to get rid of. 2). Exercise "Mask".

Participants are given sheets of paper. Quiet music is

turned on. Everyone is asked to paint two masks: the

first - "How do people perceive me in

communication" and the second - "What I really am

in interaction." After completing the task, the masks

are presented and what is seen and heard is discussed.

It is important to build self-confidence for the

development of assertiveness. Therefore, every

student of the training group needs to find out what

hinders confidence. It is worth noting that the

achievement of confidence in future managers is

hindered by various "fears": the fear of looking

ridiculous, illiterate, incompetent; fear of losing

control of a situation or event that occurs in life or

professional activities; fear of being alienated; fear of

losing their uniqueness, individuality, etc. A number

of exercises are aimed at their awareness and

elimination, in particular: 1) Exercise “Hotline.”

Instructions: "Imagine you are dialing a hotline. What

would you like to ask the specialist? Ask your

question in turn. The answer can be a collective

discussion or someone's personal statement, but

always in the role of "expert" who answers questions

from the client on the hotline about the problems of

acquiring assertive behavior, increasing the level of

assertiveness; 2) Exercise "Interview". It is necessary

to formulate one question for each member of the

group, the answer to which will help to better know

and understand him. Group members ask questions in

a circle and then share their impressions.

It is important for us that future managers

organize their activities on the basis of conscious,

motivated implementation of the "written" or

"unwritten" Code of Management. In this context, it

is advisable to perform the exercise "Motto". All

participants take turns talking about what T-shirt and

what motto they would buy for themselves, if there

was such an opportunity. This inscription should

reflect their professional credo, and the color should

correspond to the character, personality traits.

It is important in the studied aspect to solve

problem situations with elements of psychodrama.

Communication situations for work are suggested by

the group members themselves from their own

experience. There is a replay of the situation and an

exchange of roles, followed by a discussion of the

situations that were played out. Emphasis is placed on

the fact that the components of assertiveness are

important for resolving problematic and conflict

situations: the ability to listen, the desire to

understand others, confidence, positive attitude.

Exercise "Thinking changes" successfully

complements the analysis of problem situations,

which focuses on the formation of positive thinking.

Each member of the group recalls and describes 1-2

negative life or professional situations. The members

of the group express their vision of how to turn a

potentially negative situation into a positive one,

discuss ways to solve the problem - "If fate has given

you a lemon - make lemonade out of it."

Each session of the training group begins with a

parable, the discussion of which becomes the basis of

a group discussion. One of the classes offered the

following parable: “There was an incredibly fierce,

poisonous Serpent. One day she met a sage and,

struck by his kindness, lost her malice. The sage

advised her to stop offending people, and the Serpent

decided to live sincerely, without harming anyone.

But as soon as people learned that the Snake was safe,

they began throwing stones at it, pulling its tail and

making fun of it. The life of the Serpent turned into

hell. The sage saw what was happening and, after

hearing the Serpent's complaints, said, "My dear, I

asked you to stop inflicting suffering on people, but I

did not say that you should never hiss or frighten

them." There is nothing shameful about hissing at a

bad person or enemy, showing that you can stand up

for yourself and know how to resist evil. You can

learn to resist evil without inflicting evil in return.

After that, the group develops a discussion on the

topic: "How to resist manipulation and aggression in

professional activities?" Future managers voice their

options for answering the question "What does it

mean to get out of the situation with dignity? How to

act assertively? The focus of the group members is on

the fact that there are no people who are always

assertive, there is only assertive behavior that

everyone can show and that can and should be

developed.

The discussion on the topic is interesting in the

researched aspect: "Constructive overcoming of

difficulties in managerial activity". Each member of

the training group imagines himself as a tree, sees its

powerful trunk, branches swaying in the wind, leaves,

roots that have grown into the ground, nutritious

juices that the tree takes from the ground. The tree

easily withstands all troubles and worries, it is strong

and steadfast. A person feels its power and peace by

identifying himself with a tree.

The task of "List of qualities important for

interpersonal interaction" is focused on the formation

of assertive behavior skills. At the first stage of this

task, a discussion is held to identify a collective

opinion about the qualities of personality that are

important for communication and management. Each

member of the group expresses his opinion and

argues it. A consolidated list of qualities important for

ISC SAI 2022 - V International Scientiﬁc Congress SOCIETY OF AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE

306

interpersonal communication is made. In the second

stage, each participant compiles a list of qualities,

indicating the qualities that the group believes are

most important for interpersonal interaction, and

qualities that are important, in his opinion, but not

included in the consolidated list of qualities. Then

everyone evaluates the manifestations of these

qualities in themselves, using a scale from "0" to "5"

points. Discuss the question "What difficulties

(personal) do I feel in communication?". Future

managers learn to adequately assess themselves, learn

the pros and cons of their own communicative

behavior, become more confident. This is also

facilitated by the implementation of the exercise "Ode

to yourself". Each member of the group in turn should

enthusiastically talk about their strengths and positive

traits - what he loves, appreciates, what he accepts,

which gives him a sense of inner confidence and self-

confidence in different situations. It is important not

to underestimate their strengths, to speak directly,

without any "buts", "ifs", etc., not to name their

weaknesses and shortcomings. Concludes the

exercise by discussing the question: “How easy was

it to speak? What were your feelings? ”

Future managers learn to reflect and analyze their

actions and deeds, to understand themselves properly,

to regulate their own behavior and activities, to avoid

aggressive behavior, to express their position and

directly show their emotions without violating the

rights and mental boundaries of others.

As the level of subjective control increases in the

process of psycho-correctional impact on the

individual, we used it to assess the effectiveness of

our training. (Bazhin, 1984) To test the statistical

significance of these changes, we compared the level

of subjective control of future managers. We

calculated the value of the level of subjective control

as the arithmetic mean of the points scored on the

scale of general internality. We took into account the

dynamics of the average group indicators of the level

of subjective control in the participants of the

training. The results of the study show a high increase

in the average group level of subjective control -

0.771 (+0.365) training participants. The study of

self-reports of participants in the study of health,

changes in thinking, ways of interacting with other

people complements the quantitative analysis of the

diagnostic results.

6 CONCLUSIONS

Thus, assertiveness is a necessary condition for

achieving life and professional goals, success in

management. Positive experience is accumulated in

overcoming professional difficulties, making

responsible decisions and confident actions in real

situations of professional interaction and

management thanks to the development of assertive

skills.

Purposeful formation of assertiveness gives the

future manager the opportunity to gain self-

confidence, learn to defend his position without

violating the rights of others, independently regulate

and be responsible for their own behavior, show self-

esteem and respect for others. An important role in

the development of assertiveness of future managers

is played by training practice focused on creating

conditions for self-knowledge, self-acceptance,

positive self-attitude and self-development of the

student's personality. The activity of the training

group is aimed at forming such a way of action in

which the student is able to consistently and non-

aggressively defend their interests, openly declare

their intentions, taking into account the interests of

others.

The formation of assertiveness of future managers

involves activating the mechanisms of personal self-

regulation, contributes to the development of

constructive ways to overcome professional

difficulties, harmonization of self-esteem and self-

concept of students, active professional and

subjective position and responsible behavior in

management.

It should be noted that the formation of assertive

behavior of future managers is influenced by:

professional and pedagogical position of teachers,

their style of activity and communication, favorable

socio-psychological climate and positive

interpersonal relationships in the student group. It is

necessary to develop the assertiveness of future

specialists at the initial period of study in a higher

education institution.

We see prospects for further scientific research in

the implementation and experimental testing of the

training program for the formation of assertiveness of

future managers in the system of their training.

REFERENCES

Ames, D., 2009. Pushing up to a point: Assertiveness and

effectiveness in leadership and interpersonal dynamics.

In Research in Organizational Behavior (Vol. 29, pp.

111-133), ISSN 0191-3085.

doi:10.1016/j.riob.2009.06.010

Avşar F., Alkaya, S. A., 2017. The effectiveness of

assertiveness training for school-aged children on

bullying and assertiveness level. In Journal of Pediatric

Development of Assertiveness of Future Managers as a Condition for Success in Management

307

Nursing (Vol. 36, pp. 186-190), ISSN 0882-5963.

doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2017.06.020

Basova, A.H, 2013. Formation of empathy. In A young

scientist (Vol.5, pp. 631-633).

Bazhin, E.F., Golinkina, S.A., Etkind, A.M., 1984. A

method of studying the level of subjective control. In

Psychological Journal, 5( 3), pp. 30-35.

Bern, E., 1992. Transactional analysis and psychotherapy.

SPb. Peter, p. 224.

Bespalov, Y., 2019. Assertiveness - the quality of the

Leader, or how to be firm in goals, but flexible in

means. Retrieved from http://nlp.by/about-nlp/nlp-styi-

i-publikacii/215-assertive-kacestvo-lidera.

Capponi, V., Novak, T., 1995. How to do things your own

way, or assertiveness in life. Sant Petesburg, p.192.

Center for Pedagogical Consulting. Faculty of Pedagogy

and Psychology, 2021. Retrieved from

http://fpp.tnpu.edu.ua/pidrozdili/centr-

pedagogichnogo-konsaltingu

Driga, T.H., 2013. Assertiveness as a factor in optimizing

the socio-psychological optimization of student youth

adaptation. Eds. S.D. Maksymenko, & L.M.

Karamushka, In Actual problems of psychology: a

collection of scientific works. Kyiv-Alchevsk: LADO,

39(1), pp. 100-105.

Eng, B.T., 2017. Game-Based Learning to Teach Assertive

Communication ClickTalk for Enhancing Team Play.

Eds. K. Kim, & N. Joukov, In Information Science and

Applications, ICISA 2017. Lecture Notes in Electrical

Engineering (Vol. 424). Springer, Singapore. doi:

10.1007/978-981-10-4154-9_76

Fuspita, H., Susanti H., & Putri, D. E., 2018. The influence

of assertiveness training on depression level of high

school students in Bengkulu, Indonesia. Sn Enfermería

Clínica (Vol. 28, Supp. 1, pp. 300-303), ISSN 1130-

8621. doi:10.1016/S1130-8621(18)30174-8

Guk, O., 2012. Assertiveness as a component of the culture

of democratic governance. In Scientific Bulletin,

"Democratic governance" Iss. 9. Retrieved from

http://www.lvivacademy.com/visnik9/fail/Guk.pdf.

Güven M., 2010. An analysis of the vocational education

undergraduate students’ levels of assertiveness

problem-solving skills. In Procedia - Social and

Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 2, Iss. 2, pp. 2064-2070),

ISSN 1877-0428. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.282

Hay-David, A.G.C., Herron, J.B.T., Gilling, P., & Brennan,

P.A., 2020. Assertive Followership: How to Make a

Team Safer, In British Journal of Oral and

Maxillofacial Surgery, ISSN 0266-4356.

doi:10.1016/j.bjoms.2020.08.085

Herasina, S.V., 2010. Assertive behavior as a prerequisite

for the formation of self-esteem and self-respect of

student youth. In Problems of modern psychology: a

collection of scientific works of KPNU named after I.

Ohienko. Kyiv: Institute of Psychology named after

H.S. Kostyuk, Iss. 10, pp. 139-149.

Karvasarskyy, B.D. (Ed.), 2000. Psychotherapeutic

Encyclopedia. SPb. Peter, p.1024.

Kosygina, O.V., 2019. Development of assertiveness of the

person in the conditions of Pedagogy of partnership. In

Materials of the scientific-practical conference

"Pedagogy of partnership as a basis for the

development of subjects of educational activity in the

conditions of NUS". Zhytomyr, Ukraine. Retrieved

from https://conf.zippo.net.ua/?p=282.

Kwiatkowski, P., 2000, Między przemocą a bezradnością,

czyli o niektórych wychowaw - czych aspektach

asertywności. M. Jabłońska (red.), In Nauczyciel w

zmieniającej się rzeczywistości społecznej. Wrocław:

Wydawnictwo UWr.

Ladanov, I.D., 1997. Psychology of management of market

structures. Moscow, p.288.

Lin, Y.-R., Shiah, I-S., Chang, Y.-C., Lai, T.-J., Wang, K.-

Y., & Chou, K.-R., 2004. Evaluation of an assertiveness

training program on nursing and medical students’

assertiveness, self-esteem, and interpersonal

communication satisfaction. In Nurse Education Today

(Vol. 24, Iss. 8, pp. 656-665), ISSN 0260-6917.

doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2004.09.004

Medvedeva, S.A., 2009. Features of the development of

assertiveness of future practical psychologists.

Retrieved from

https://scienceandeducation.pdpu.edu.ua/doc/2009/1_2

_2009/21.pdf.pdf

Meshko, H., Meshko, O., Drobyk, N., Mikheienko, O.,

2020. Psycho-pedagogical training as a mean of

forming the occupational stress resistance of future

teachers. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 166, p.

10023). EDP Sciences., Retrieved from

https://www.e3s-

conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/abs/2020/26/e3sconf_

icsf2020_10023/e3sconf_icsf2020_10023.html

Meshko, H.M., 2018. Theory and practice of training future

teachers to maintain and promote professional health:

a monograph. TNPU named after V. Hnatyuk.

Ternopil, p.438

Moiseenko, V.V., 2017. Analysis of scientific approaches

to the study of the concept of "assertiveness". In

Scientific Bulletin of Kherson State University.

Psychological Sciences Series, 5(1), pp. 170-174.

Podoliak, N.M., 2013. Factor structure of personality of

assertive and non-assertive persons. In Science and

education: Scientific and practical journal of the

Southern Scientific Center of the Academy of

Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine. Thematic special

issue: "Psychology of personality: theory, experience,

practice" (Vol.7, pp. 255–289).

Poprawa, R., 2001, Assertiveness of human activity. Ed B.

Wojtasik, In Podejmowanie decyzji zawodowych

through youth and adults in the new foreign policy

rhetoric. Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Instytutu

Technologii Eksploatacji, pp. 109–123.

Pourjali, F. and Zarnaghash, M., 2010. Relationships

between assertiveness and the power of saying no with

mental health among undergraduate student. In

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, (Vol. 9, pp.

137-141), ISSN 1877-0428.

doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.126

Radchuk, H.K., 2016. Formation of students' assertiveness

as a factor in preventing burnout in future professionals.

ISC SAI 2022 - V International Scientiﬁc Congress SOCIETY OF AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE

308

In Bulletin of the National Academy of the State Border

Guard Service of Ukraine. Ed. 1. Retrieved from

http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/Vnadpn_2016_1.

Radchuk, H.K., Kozak, O.V., 2020. Development of

assertiveness of the individual in the context of

actualization of leadership potential. In Personal

growth: theory and practice: a collection of scientific

papers on the materials of the IV International

Scientific and Practical Internet Conference.

Zhytomyr, pp. 142-144.

Ramadhan, I., Keliat, B. A., Wardani, I. Y., 2019.

Assertiveness training and family psychoeducational

therapies on adolescents mental resilience in the

prevention of drug use in boarding schools. In

Enfermería Clínica (Vol. 29, Supp. 2, pp. 326-330),

ISSN 1130-8621. doi:10.1016/j.enfcli.2019.04.040

Sannikova, O.P., Sannikov, O.I., Podoliak, N.M., 2013.

Diagnosis of assertiveness: results of approbation of the

TOKAS method. In Science and Education: Scientific

and Practical Journal of the Southern Research Center

of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of

Ukraine. Thematic special issue: "Traditions and

innovations of modern education in Ukraine" (Vol.3 /

СХІІІ, pp. 140-144).

Sęk, H., 1988, The role of assertiveness in the evaluation of

mental health. Terminological and methodological

establishments. Psychological Review, 31 (3), pp. 787–

807.

Sheinov, V.P., 2014. Age and gender factors of

assertiveness. In Systems psychology and sociology, 10,

118–126.

Shpalinsky, V.V., 2008. Psychology of Management.

Publishing house URAO. Moscow, 2

edition, p.184.

Solter, А., 2019. Conditioned-reflex therapy. Watkins

Publishing. London, p. 249.

Stein, S. J, 2000. Emotional Intelligence and Your Success

/ Steven J. Stein, E. Howard. - Stoddart Publishing Co.

Ltd., p. 276

Stein, S., Buk G., 2010. The Benefits of EQ: Emotional

Culture and Your Success. Stoddart Publishing Co.

Liraeted, p. 480.

Stepanov, O.M. (Ed.), 2006. Psychological Encyclopedia.

"Akademvydav". Kyiv, p. 424.

Thompson, R.J., Berenbaum, H., 2011. Adaptive and

Aggressive Assertiveness Scales (AAA-S). In J

Psychopathol Behav (Vol. 33, pp. 323–334).

doi:10.1007/s10862-011-9226-9

Townend, A., 2007. Assertive Leadership. In: Assertiveness

and Diversity, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 197-

203, Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582019_23

Vatankhah, H., Daryabari, D., Ghadami, V., & Naderifar,

N., 2013. The Effectiveness of Communication Skills

Training on Self-concept, Self-esteem and

Assertiveness of Female Students in Guidance School

in Rasht. In Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,

(Vol. 84, pp. 885-889), ISSN 1877-0428.

doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.667

Warland, J., McKellar L., & Diaz M., 2014. Assertiveness

training for undergraduate midwifery students. In Nurse

Education in Practice (Vol. 14, Iss. 6, pp. 752-756),

ISSN 1471-5953. doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2014.09.006

Development of Assertiveness of Future Managers as a Condition for Success in Management

309