psychological assessment in executive coaching

7/29/2019 Psychological Assessment in Executive Coaching

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Psychological assessment inexecutive coaching

Dr Elizabeth Allworth

Allworth Juniper Organisational Psychologists

&

Barbara Griffin

The University of Sydney



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Overview

Types of tests and measures used incoaching

Job-person fit model Testing issues Benefits and limitations of testing



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Case study Steve, your new client, is the marketing director for a

major Australian retail organisation

A recent merger has resulted in a narrowing ofSteves responsibilities

His most recent performance review highlightsleadership and planning as areas for development

Having been in the role for five years, Steve isconsidering what he wants to do next

He is not getting on well with his new CEO whodoesnt seem to listen to him Can psychological assessment help Steve?



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Types of psychological

assessment measures Psychometric tests

Performance measures Job analysis


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Psychometric tests

Standardised measure of: ability/aptitude cognitive ability tests personality

values interests etc. Scores compared with a norm group e.g.

other managers

Used to profile an individuals preferences,work style, capabilities, needs etc.



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Performance measures

Ratings of observable behaviours 360-degree feedback

Multi-rater feedback Supervisor/manager ratings Upward feedback

Used to establish a base-lineperformance level and to monitor/reviewprogress



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Job analysis

Importance of understanding the coacheesjob context in terms of:

Job requirements Cultural environment Current and future change Future opportunities

Assessment of the individual needs to bematched with an assessment of the job



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Tenure

A model for assessment in coaching:Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment (Dawis & Lofquist, 1984)

JOB

Requirementsfor knowledge,

skills & abilities(KSAs)

PERSON

Individualsupplies

of KSAs

Supply of

rewards &reinforcers

Individual

needs, values,goals,

interests etc.

SatisfactoryPerformance

Satisfaction



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Individual KSAs

JOB PERSON

Individualsupplies

of KSAs



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Coachees KSAs

What do they do well? What skills & knowledge do they have?

work or non-work related; transferrable

How do these relate to job requirements? What are the gaps?

Individualsupplies of

KSAs



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Cognitive ability tests

Measures of: General cognitive (intellectual) ability: Specific abilities - numerical, verbal and abstract

problem-solving

Provide an indication of: learning potential

capacity to manage complexity in problem solving,decision making etc. speed of thinking and judgment



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Examples of cognitive ability

tests SHL Management & Graduate Item

Bank (numerical and verbal)

ACER Graduate and ManagerialAssessment

Ravens Standard and AdvancedProgressive Matrices

Wonderlic Personnel Test



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Personality tests

Three types of measures: Broad based measures of personality e.g.

OPQ, CPI, 16PF Measures of Type e.g. MBTI Measures of the Big Five e.g. NEO-PI-R,

NEO-FFI, Hogan Personality Inventory



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Broad-based personality

measuresAssess a range of attributes e.g.

interpersonal confidence, team style,

achievement drive, organisation andplanning, resilience, energy, empathyetc

Results should be interpreted againstthe requirements of the coachees job



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Measures of the Big Five

Five factors that account for most ofpersonality

Conscientiousness

Neuroticism (Emotional Stability)Agreeableness Extroversion Openness to Experience



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The Big Five and job

performance Conscientiousness & Emotional Stability

predictive across most jobs

Extroversion & Agreeableness predictmanagement and sales

Openness to Experience predictstraining outcomes



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Individual needs, values, interests

JOB PERSON

Individualsupplies

of KSAs


Individualneeds, values,

goals,interests etc.


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Motivation/Values What drives the person

dynamic work environment, need for security or achievementetc

How they like to be rewarded money, status, advancement etc

Preferred management style directive vs participative

Preferred work style structured vs flexible Match with the organisational culture or values


Individualneeds, values,

goals, interestsetc.


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Examples of motivation/values

assessments Work Aspect Preference Scale (WAPS)ACER Occupational Motivation

Questionnaire (OMQ)

SHL Motivation Questionnaire (MQ) Gordon Personal and Interpersonal

Values



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Career interests

What do you like doing? work and non-work:

Helping peopleAnalysing problems/diagnosing Managing, promoting services Handling data/writing reports Using your handsArt

Individual

needs, values,

goals, interests

etc.



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Examples of interest

measures Strong Interest Inventory (SII) Self-Directed Search (SDS) Occupational Card Sorts - Centre for

Work Life Counseling

SHL Advanced Occupational andManagement Interest Inventories

Campbell Interest & Skill Survey



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Individualneeds, values,goals, interests

etc.

Requirements

for knowledge,skills andabilities(KSAs)


KSAs

JOB PERSON

Linking individual KSAs with

job requirements



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Requirement for KSAs

What is done on the job? What are the skills, knowledge and

attributes that are critical to success? Qualifications? Experience?

What are the organisations goals andstrategies? - competencies needed?


skills andabilities(KSAs)



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Models and tools for

assessing jobs Interview; observation; diaries; task lists O*Net (Occupational Information

Network)

TMS Types of Work Profile SHL Work Profiling System



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Individualneeds, values,goals, interests

etc.

Supply ofrewards andreinforcers

Requirements

for knowledge,skills andabilities(KSAs)


KSAs

JOB PERSON

Linking individual needs

with job rewards/reinforcers



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Rewards and reinforcement

Money Promotional opportunities

Social interaction Being able to do what you like doing Opportunities for learning

Opportunities to manage people Security.

Supply ofrewards andreinforcers



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Assessment of

organisational/job reinforcers Self-ratings against same dimensions in

which the individuals needs/reinforcers

were assessed Culture surveys,e.g. Human

Synergistics OCI

Climate surveys e.g. MacquarieUniversity VOICE.


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Job performance

JOB



PERSON

Individualsupplies

of KSAs

Supply of


Individual

needs, values,goals,interests etc.




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Behavioural measures

Ratings of behaviour on-the-job, insimulations e.g. assessment or development

centres Self assessment, upward feedback, managerfeedback, peer or customer feedback, multi-

rater feedback including 360-degree

Provide a baseline against which progresscan be measured



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Examples of behavioural

measures Off-the-shelf TMS Linking Skills Profile MLQ Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire

Human Synergistics Life Styles Inventory (2) andManagement Effectiveness Profile System Customised

designed to measure specific job-relevant ortarget behaviours

enable within-person comparisons over time nonormative data



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Tenure

Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment(Dawis & Lofquist, 1984)

JOB



PERSON

Individualsupplies

of KSAs

Supply of


Individual

needs, values,goals,interests etc.


Satisfaction



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Assessing job satisfaction

Subjective ratings along samedimensions as assessment of individual

needs/reinforcers Staff and climate surveys


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Conclusion

Psychological tests represent the best,

fairest, and most accurate technology

available for making many importantdecisions about individuals

National Academy of Science (1982)



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Limitations of testing

Accessibility requirements forprofessional accreditation

Time requirements Costs of testing Some tests are culturally biased

Validity of tests varies there are goodtests and not so good tests



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Testing traps

Tests that look good are not necessarilygood

Face validity is important for acceptance -but does not ensure validity

A good test used inappropriately is nolonger a good test



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How to select a good test

Based on sound scientific theory Measures relevant job competenciesAdequate and appropriate norms

>200 in normative sample

Norms are relevant to your candidate pool



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Satisfactory reliability Stability of results over time (test-retest

reliability)

Extent items measure the same thing(internal consistency)


> .90 Excellent

.90 - .80 Good

.70 - .80 Adequate

< .70 Limited applicability


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Demonstrated validity The extent to which a test measures what it says it

measures (construct validity)

The extent to which the test items are representative ofthe relevant behaviours or knowledge (content validity) The extent to which performance on the test predicts

performance on the job (criterion validity)


> .35 Very beneficial.21 - .35 Likely to be useful

.11 - .20 Depends on circumstances

< .11 Unlikely to be useful


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Validity for future performance

Cognitive ability tests .51-.53

Structured behavioural interviews .51

Assessment centres .37Personality tests .13-.31

Unstructured interviews .14

Academic achievement .11Age .01



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Appropriate use of tests

Accreditation issues

Tests limited to registered psychologists

Tests for registered users e.g. MBTI, SHL

Training

Assessing factors that may impact on testperformance

Language competence, disability, culture, anxiety

Test bias, adverse impact issues



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Appropriate use of tests

Standardized administration

Provide feedback

Confidentiality issues

Privacy legislation

Clarify who the client is

Future use of test results

Maintain security of test materials


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Benefits of psychometric

assessment in coaching Information: Provide data not easily obtained by other

methods

Self-awareness: Profile individual across a widerange of personal attributes

Comparison:An individuals abilities, preferences,values etc benchmarked against others in a particular

norm group e.g. managers, health workers, general

population Reliability and validity: Increases confidencein the

data used to assist planning of coaching program



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Benefits of behavioural

assessment in coaching Program planning: Establish baseline

performance

Monitor and review progress: Periodicself and other ratings across relevant

behaviours



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Thank you

psychological assessment in executive coaching

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