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CS3.1.1
Profiling, Benchmarking and Selecting Effective Project
Managers through the use of Psychometric Testing
GERARD FERRARATUESDAY 9 OCTOBER, 2007Project Management - Setting the StandardAustralian Institute of Project Management National Conference 2007Hobart Tasmania October 7 – 10, 2007
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Selecting Effective Project Mangers
Through The Use Of Psychometric Testing
AIPM Conference 2007
Presenter: Gerard Ferrara, Psychologist
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Presentation Outline
• Background to PM testing study
• Psychometric tests
• Profiling PMs
• Benchmarking PMs
• Selecting PMs
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Background to psychometric testing PMs
• Approached by a major recruiter of Project Directors and Project Managers who wanted to select and place high quality people in a range of key PM roles across Australia and overseas
• Desire to improve their selection process and use “best practice” methods
• Agreed that some form of objective testing of applicants should be part of the process
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Psychometric tests – current state of play
• Increasingly being used in the selection and development of employees across Australia and the world
• The internet and online testing have resulted in a dramatic increase in the use of testing
• Most testing poorly conducted
• Great deal of misunderstanding, confusion, mystery, suspicion, scepticism and fear associated with psychometric testing
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Research supporting the use of tests in selection
• Meta-analysis of 85 years of research in personnel selection
• Found that the 2 most valuable and valid approaches to predicting future job performance were:
– The use of General Mental Ability (GMA) and integrity / conscientiousness testing (.65)
– The use of GMA testing and a structured interview (.63)
Schmidt and Hunter (1998) Psychological Bulletin, American Psychological Association
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Types of tests
Skills Ability
Temperament / Personality
(behavioural style)
Motivation
(interests / values)
Performance
Typical Behaviour
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Selection of tests used to assess PMs
• Combination of Verbal, Numerical and Abstract Reasoning to measure General Mental Ability (GMA).
• ACER Select and TAR - “Professional” level of difficulty
• Personality test to measure key personality traits associated with managerial performance
• Total testing time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes.
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Work Personality Index
The WPI measures 17 personality traits that research has shown are related to work performance. These are:
• Teamwork
• Democratic
• Dependability
• Persistence
• Analytical Thinking
• Initiative
• Concern for Others
• Attention to Detail
• Ambition
• Leadership
• Self-Control
• Flexibility
• Outgoing
• Rule-Following
• Energy
• Innovation
• Stress Tolerance
Notes: p.4
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
PM Testing Process
1. Initial ability and personality profiling of the ideal PM
2. Benchmarking and validating of ability and personality scores of ideal PM profile
3. Confirmed ability and personality PM profile
4. Testing PM candidates against the PM profile
5. Review results and next steps
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
WPI
Ideal range of scores
Actual scores compared with ideal
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Test results – Ability (ACER Select and TAR)
Verbal reasoning – 57% mean percentile rank
Numerical reasoning – 54% mean percentile rank
Abstract reasoning – 42% mean percentile rank
Average reasoning score – 51% mean percentile rank
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
PM mean reasoning test results, compared to the Australian population
V
NA
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Gerard Ferrara, Senior Consultant [email protected]
Test results – (WPI) Personality
Mean score Mode score
Ambition 7 8
Flexibility 7 6
Rule Following 6 5
Dependability 7 8
Concern for others 5 6
Teamwork 8 9
Self-control 7 9
Stress tolerance 7 8
Analytical thinking 5 5
Sten scores
– out of 10