Posts tagged "MBTi"

Psychometrics

5 Steps to Understanding Psychometrics

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“Only those who respect the personality of others can be of real use to them.” Albert Schweitzer

Psychometrics is a field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. It is a complex science through which we are able to quantify preferences in an objective and precise manner. This tool has a wide range of applications ranging from team building to benchmarking the personality of a candidate against  particular organizational cultures and environments. It also has a host of benefits which can be realized at both  personal and organizational levels. Outlined below are five steps to make your understanding of the instrument simpler.

1. Fundamentals: At the core of psychometrics lies complex research which revolves around a few main concepts. Reliability, which measures the consistency of the instrument Validity, which measure the characteristics, which it claims to measure. Standardization, which sets up protocols for conducting the test. To learn more about the fundamental of psychometrics please click here.

2. Types of test: Psychometric tests fall into three main categories. The first category measures personality & values of the candidate, this encompasses behavior, drivers and feelings, to name a few. The second category measures aptitude & ability which provides a gauge for the cognitive ability of the candidate. The last category is used for development & guidance used in team building, counseling and personal development. To learn more about different types of test please click here.

3. Personal benefits: Psychometric tests can be great stepping stones to accelerate the process of learning more about yourself. They can be particularly useful in identifying areas of  strengths, personal drivers and your own personal work based preferences. When used correctly under the guidance of a trained consultant you will be able to realize the benefits of this tool more effectively. To learn more about how you could benefit from psychometrics please click here.

4. Organizational benefits: Psychometrics is being integrated increasingly into organizations worldwide. With the increasing level of competition, reliance on productivity and ever growing demands of shareholders, organizations have integrated psychometrics to place individuals accurately, build stronger teams, specifically aiming to reduce the rate of attrition, which is a major issue in the corporate world today. To learn more about how your organization can benefit from psychometrics please click here.

5. Ethics: Psychometrics involves a collection of personal and private information. This information must be used in a manner which builds trust with those taking part in these assessments. A high level of confidentiality needs to be maintained, equal opportunities should given to all and the data from the assessments must be used and shared with the consent of the candidate. To learn more about ethical conduct in the world of psychometrics please click here.

Psychometrics provides a powerful medium to harness individual energy and that of the organization . When highly reliable and valid assessments are used under the supervision of trained consultants, maximum benefit will be derived. The results and reports provided at the end of assessment, can only do as much as you want to do with them. They provide starting steps which need to be taken further to realize any substantial gains. If anyone has questions regarding this subject, I will be more than happy to answer them for you.

* Our organization conducts private and public workshops on “Integrating Psychometrics At Your Organization.” Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about this program at enquire(at)innovogs(dot)com

 

Psychometrics

Ethics and Testing

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“Ethics is not definable, is not implementable, because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling.” Valdemar W Setzer

Ethics and integrity formulate basic tenets for achieving a balanced, successful and happy life. Without them, we find ourselves on shaky grounds in life, akin to being without a moral compass to direct us. These principles also apply to the realm of testing, particularly to psychometric testing. This is due primarily to the fact that testing of candidates personality types and cognitive abilities involves sensitive information , in the wrong hands or if used with ill intent it can have extremely damaging implications. I have listed a few guidelines on ethical conduct and psychometrics below.

1. Confidentiality: When a candidate completes his/her test ,the reports of the test must be strictly viewed by authorized personnel only. These reports must not be shared with any third party without the consent of the candidate. Strict measures must be taken to control access to these reports and documents. Once a level of trust has been broken with a candidate salvaging the trust factor of this relationship is a difficult task and one which will severely impact the reputation of your organization.

2. Equal opportunity: At InnovoGS, it is our policy to work positively to reduce inequality with all current employees & potential employees, by ensuring that they are treated equitably, fairly, without discrimination and with dignity and respect, regardless of their age, gender, race, sexuality, disability, religion or belief. This helps in creating a level of trust and comfort with candidates, and eliminates any biases which could impact the assessments. 

3. Data usage: Large amounts of valuable data is collected when psychometric assessments are carried out. If you have a requirement to use this data for research purposes, you need to ensure that you take permission from the candidates on whether their data can be included anonymously as part of the research. It is absolutely essential that you take a transparent position when using psychometrics generated data to ensure the candidate that your intentions are clear.

Psychometrics is a very powerful tool which can be used both positively and negatively. It is the responsibility of the provider to ensure that they have integrated high levels of ethics and integrity into the evaluation process. Unfortunately psychometrics has multiple stigmas attached to it due to the fact that some providers have not been very transparent in their analysis, an aspect that continuously raises a level of suspicion. If you are looking into using psychometrics at your organization or planning on starting a business in this field, please ensure that ethics and integrity are tightly embedded into your corporate culture.

 

 

Psychometrics

Psychometrics and Organizations

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“The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined efforts of each individual.” Vince Lombardi

The world is becoming smaller and more competitive by the day. As high quality resources become scarcer, organizations are facing a multitude of performance and productivity related issues. In the last decade or so there has been an ever increasing focus on human resources (HR) function in organizations, primarily because people are finally being seen as an organization’s most valuable asset. Psychometrics provides organizations with comprehensive information regarding understanding this asset. Listed below are some ways psychometrics could benefit organizations.

1. Better placement: Using a wide variety of tests available in the market place, helps to identify positions which are more suited to particular individuals. At work, most of the time we adapt to the environment, culture and the sort of work we do. Sometimes we get lucky and actually enjoy what we do, other times the clock doesn’t move fast enough. Through psychometrics, HR could essentially become more adept in placing individuals with greater accuracy, increasing productivity, efficiency and employee morale.

2. Team building: Tests such as the MBTi provide HR the ability to understand team dynamics with a greater level of insight. These tests provide HR with the ability to gauge interpersonal styles of an individual, how they like to receive information, what factors affect their decision making and how they structure their lives. Using this data helps create teams who are better able to understand each other, work more effectively and most importantly, execute. 

3. Decreased retention: When individuals enjoy the type of work they do, enjoy the people they work with, a natural increase in productivity, efficiency and morale is a natural outcome. I have personally noticed that when individuals or teams reach such a stage, attrition levels fall. This results in massive cost savings for organizations and can actually convert into a strong competitive advantage in the world we live in today.

Listed above are some reasons why your organization should look into psychometrics. It is important to note that the benefits listed above are not solely derived from psychometrics, they can be achieved when senior management makes a commitment to making their HR function more strategic. Training development and coaching are integral parts of the mix, together with psychometrics they help you form a strong bond with your employee and lay the foundation for a strong organization.

 

Personality

Putting it all together

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“If we don’t see a failure as a challenge to modify our approach, but rather as a problem with ourselves, as a personality defect, we will immediately feel overwhelmed.” Anthony Robbins

We have now completed the 4 basic scales to help us gather the answer to the “who are you?” question. The four scales were:

You need to select one preference on each scale which you feel best suits who you are. Doing so will yield one of 16 combinations for example ESTJ or ISFP. So after you select your preferred type go over to E-MBTi and read up a little more about yourself. If the description doesn’t really correlate to who you think are, explore some more options. This should at least get you started on the right path. Ideally you should take an MBTi or JTi assessment. These indicators have had a lot of success in helping individuals find out where they really are on the scale. This again is just an indicator of your personality preference. It is not set in stone that if you are a INFJ then you cannot have some of the characteristics of a ESTP. Using this will help give you some direction as to what sort of companies, teams or groups you want to be part of. It will allow you to create or be part of situations where you will be most productive and efficient.

To check whether you have the correct type there are 4 basic temperaments which are unique to certain personality types. Going through the list below should get you thinking a little more about whether your selection was in the right direction or not.

Traditionalist (Sensing Judging) ESFJ, ESTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ: This group of individuals are the ones who enjoy structure, rules, discipline and conformity. They pay special attention to details, facts and work to further their teams or company’s goals. They are those dependable team mates who always deliver on what they were supposed to and make sure that they do a great job as well. Due to their preference for facts and details they don’t pay too much attention to the bigger picture. This hinders their ability to be good future planners. For them change is very difficult to adopt to.

Experiencing (Sensing Perceiving) ESFP, ESTP, ISTP, ISFP: This group of individuals are the ones who enjoy autonomy and freedom in the work they do. They learn quickly from first hand experiences and are very agile in adapting to change along the way. They are very good at focusing on the present and are pro-active in getting the job done. Being avid risk takers they are not afraid of taking the plunge into the unknown and learning from there. They don’t like too many abstract theories as they like to remain grounded and use their 5 senses to evaluate situations. Keeping options open is critical and commitments tend to be neglected till the very last minute.

Idealist (iNtuitive Feeling) ENFP, INFP, INFJ, ENFJ: This group of individuals are the ones who are most interested in connections with people, understanding the meaning of life and continuously looking for possibilities. They have innate capabilities to understanding people well and connecting with them at their level. They are good motivators and are a source of inspiration to the rest of the group or team. Working together and finding creative solutions to problems is their forte. They however get very involved with the emotional aspect of life and find it difficult to separate it from their day to day life. This in turn invariably effects their decision making capabilities.

Conceptualizers (iNtuitive Thinking) ENTP, INTP, INTJ, ENTJ: This group of individuals are the ones who are most interested in looking for meaning and focusing on its implications and outcomes. Their strong logical decision making capabilities provide them with the ability to become great leaders, strategizers and change agents. They are continuously focused on the bigger picture and are very imaginative. They however sometimes get lost in the bigger picture and have difficulty seeing the actual picture. Being fiercely competitive, harmony within the group is not their top priority. They value power and move towards people or organizations that can provide them with it.

In essence these are 4 basic temperaments to help guide you along the way to understanding yourself a little better. They should always be used as guides to help you define your preferences. To verify your choices you can email enquire@innovogs.com to find out about taking our JTi test online.