Define Behaviour
Why everyone infers who you are from your behaviour
Why is important
Why it affects performance – yours and others
What can you do and what can you not do
Understand your company culture
Ask the right questions
Get the right answers
Give the right feedback
Provide the right support
Measure the right things
Calls to get off the fence
Common view of those staying on the fence
Metaphors about fences dividing, blocking the view, containing, restricting
Why staying on the fence is harder
What staying on the fence is better
The good and bad about knocking fences down
Another metaphor about removing bits at time to get used to the view
Why I’m staying on the fence
Transparency “polices” us more?
Not naturally generous
Joy of giving simple things …. can it lead to bigger things?
Subtlety of difference between the joy of giving and the joy of being seen to be giving
Privacy of action
All in all ???
We were lucky enough to attend a splendid discussion group on the issue of Return on Expectation at a recent conference at the University of Middlesex earlier this month. The lead protagnostic was an ardent
Yes it can increase sales… if you know how to to use the various Social Media platforms that are available to you. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Blogs, Posts and on and on and on.
We have a new marketing platform available to us that many have rushed into because some very clever Social Media experts have convinced us we should. So we have created accounts for everything and guess what have no idea why we have done it or more importantly how they work for us or against us. The experts are correct we do need to look at
The British Psychological Society defines psychometric testing as:
“Any procedure on the basis of which inferences are made concerning a person’s capacity, propensity or liability to act, react, experience, or to structure or order thought or behaviour in particular ways.”
In basic terms, psychometrics are simply a way of measuring psychological traits including personality, attitudes and beliefs and assessing an individual’s aptitude for performing different tasks.
Psychometric testing is often used in recruitment selection to help in assessing a candidate’s suitability for the role and they can also be very useful to aid in developing training and professional development action plans for existing staff.
Psychometric tests can be classified into several different categories. The three main categories are:
Aptitude tests
Aptitude tests are used to measure an individual’s performance and abilities. They are usually categorised into several further test types including:
Personality tests
Popular psychometric personality tests include the Myers Briggs personality profile and the Keirsey temperament sorter. Personality tests do not have right or wrong answers but allow people to be classified into different personality types such as extrovert versus introvert or leader versus follower.
Personality tests can be very helpful for employers trying to judge if an individual will fit in well with their organisation and for organising staff into teams depending on their work style and temperament.
Interests tests
Interests tests categorise individuals depending on their personal preferences. They can be helpful for identifying suitable careers and for planning career progression. They can also be used in conjunction with personality tests for determining individual fit within a team or organisation.
A brief history of psychometric testing
The field of psychometrics was founded in the 19th century from two main schools of thought.
Sir Francis Galton is often referred to as the father of psychometrics and was inspired by Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species”. He theorised that personality traits are passed on to different generations and discussed in his book “Hereditary Genius” how certain psychological characteristics may make some people more genetically “fit” than others. In his research he devised a number of psychological tests and his work was extended by James McKeen Cattell, forming the basis of modern psychometrics.
At the same time, German J.E. Herbart was investigating scientific methods of exploring human consciousness and developed mathematical models of the mind. E.H. Weber and G.T. Fechner built on his early work in experimental psychology and inspired Wilhelm Wundt to found the science of psychology and psychological testing of today.
In the 20th century, many different psychologists explored psychometric testing and theory as a way to measure and define personality types, intelligence, attitudes and beliefs.
These days, it is common for employers to use psychometric testing to judge job applicants on their psychological profile as well as just their academic and professional achievement. Psychometrics can also be used as a basis for personal and professional development.
To find out more about how psychometric testing is used in the business world today, please continue on to read our next article.
Psychometrics can be used within organisations to help better understand and assess individuals and plan professional development. Psychometric testing is increasingly used in recruitment, performance measurement, goal setting and staff development.
Business success is not only down to the knowledge and skills of individuals, but also their beliefs and attitudes. Smart managers acknowledge that their staff are more than just employees and that personality has a large part to play when it comes to building a great team and performing well. Psychometrics provide the tools for measuring psychological traits in order to build a more successful team.
Psychometric testing for recruitment
Aptitude tests and personality profiling are being increasingly used in recruitment, either to narrow down a large pool of job applicants or to select the best applicants based on team fit and personality traits.
The standard interview is the most common way of assessing a candidate’s suitability for a job, and this is still a main part of the process for most organisations. However interviews are a fairly unnatural process, which can make it difficult to make objective judgements about an individual. Some people excel in interview technique and come across very well, whereas others clam up and the interviewers never get to see their true personality and abilities.
Psychometric testing can be very helpful, when used in conjunction with interviews and other selection criteria, to develop an objective, measurable profile of each candidate, which then allows each applicant to be compared fairly.
Psychometrics for team building
There are several ways in which psychometric testing can be helpful for managers in selecting their team members and assigning projects.
Aptitude testing is a way of determining each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. This can then be used either as a way of building a balanced team with a wide skill set, or to put together a specialist team who all have a high aptitude in one particular area. For example, a high verbal reasoning score may identify staff members who would do well on sales or marketing tasks, whereas a high numerical reasoning score would indicate a head for figures and accounting.
Personality tests can also be used to assign roles within a team by selecting individuals based on personality types and leadership styles.
Psychometrics and career development
Psychometric interest and personality tests are frequently used to help individuals to find a career path that is both suited to their strengths and personality and something they will enjoy. Even schools commonly use psychometric testing as part of a careers advice programme.
Within an organisation, psychometric testing can help employees to discover their strengths and weaknesses and point them in the direction of a suitable career path. Some individuals will go on to make great managers, while others will do better in a specialist technical role or working with the public. Psychometric profiling can help make this path more clearly for both employee and manager.
Not everyone agrees in the value of psychometric testing and some people have raised concerns over the growing trend in using psychometrics as part of the recruitment process. Read on for a discussion into the validity of psychometrics and precautions that must be taken in their use.
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