Welcome to the May 2, 2007 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Visit our Human Resources Blog and Perfect Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts. 

What's Inside:

1.  What is the difference between DISC and a personality test?

Without exaggeration I am asked that question nearly a dozen times each week.  Many times the inquirer calls or emails requesting information about pre-employment tests. Then during our initial
conversation, I find the client or prospect comparing apples to oranges, peaches to bananas and so on. In other words, there are literally thousands of tests available measuring attitudes, interest, motivation, intelligence, skills, behavior and personality. Many of these appear quite similar on the surface and everyone one of them claims to be predictive. But behind every report there is an important story.

With so many assessment options available, what’s a manager to do?

This week’s column will focus on a few qualifying questions every manager and HR professional should be asking assessment providers.

You might be thinking – here he goes again: more about that validity gibberish. So let’s get that out of the way. This column is not about validity and reliability. Those criteria are a given in the world of psychometrics. Let me leave this discussion of validity and reliability with these brief definitions:

Validity refers to the accuracy of a measure. A measure is valid if it actually measures what it says it measures. For instance a thermometer is valid for measuring temperature, not wind velocity, even if someone claims otherwise. In employee testing, a pre-employment attitude test measures a candidate’s attitude toward work. It does not measure motivation or personality or intelligence.
If you want to test for personality job fit, then you must use a test validated for personality job fit.

Reliability refers to the consistency or stability of a measure. If the concept being measured is assumed to be consistent, such as a personality trait, then the measure should yield similar results if the same person responds to it a number of times.

If a test provider can’t offer evidence of validity and reliability, that should be the end of story.

Now let’s move on to a subject rarely discussed but one that should be.

Personality tests fall into two distinct types – ipsative and normative. It is essential that an organization understands the differences between these test types because both types can pass the validity and reliability litmus test. Not knowing whether the construct of the assessment is ipsative or normative can be risky business for a manager who wants to ensure predictability for future job performance and defensibility if ever challenged.

DISC assessments are considered ipsative tests. Like the hundreds of other assessments based on the four style behavioral model, DISC reports the relative strengths of the person being tested. For
instance, D represents “direct” or “dominance” and S represents “steady.” If a DISC assessment reports the individual is “high D” and “low S,” this merely means this individual is more energized by
asserting him/herself in dealing with problems than maintaining a steady pace. What it does not reliably predict is how two people with similar DISC patterns will perform a job or interact with others.   Just because an individual describes himself as direct, does not mean he will be effective at asserting himself. It is also not an accurate predictor of how assertive he might be compared to other “high D”
employees.

The reason for this ambiguity is that ipsative literally means "of the self” and therefore have extremely high face validity – when a test-taker reads his report, he agrees it is very accurate at describing his approach to people and tasks. Ipsative tests therefore indicate how one individual prefers to respond to problems, people, work pace and procedures. It however offers little correlation at comparative strength of directness or steadiness between one person and another.

Ipsative tests are very effective when used for developmental, coaching, team building and interpersonal conflict resolution. On the other hand, ipsative types of test should not normally be used in recruitment and selection as the exclusive assessment and rarely to predict performance or job fit.

Normative tests, unlike ipsative tests, measure quantifiable personality characteristics on individual scales. An individual’s “score” measures a specific characteristic against confirmed patterns of normality, usually represented as a bell curve. Normative testing allows people to be compared to particular groups and populations. In business, normative testing allows individuals to be compared to other employees who have met with success or failure in a job. The hope for managers using normative tests is that they can predict candidates who will have the best chances of success if hired or promoted and to avoid placing the wrong employee in the wrong position. Normative tests are therefore best suited as a recruitment and selection instrument but are also useful in developmental, coaching and training.

Normative testing generally has a higher validity than ipsative.   Depending on the instrument used the predictive or criterion validity can be 70 percent or higher depending on the assessment and the job..

Success Performance Solutions offers both ipsative and normative testing. DISC and Business Values and Motivators are considered ipsative while Prevue (TotalView), ASSESS, and Clues are normative.

Click here to read more about any of these assessment system.

or call us at 717.291.4640 or 800.803.4303.

2.  Perfect Labor Storm Facts and Trends

Thirty years ago, the U.S. had 30% of the world’s college population.
Today that number is 14%.

For every 100 ninth graders:

68 graduate from high school in four years.
40 enroll directly in college after graduation
27 are still enrolled in college one year after entering
18 earned an associate degree within three years or a bachelor’s degree with six years
82 don’t receive a college degree

Source: National Center on Education and the Economy, “Tough choices or Tough Times,” 2007

Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 is now available. The year 2007 will see an increase in skilled worker shortages and more competition. The result will be higher salaries, more training and career advancement opportunities, and more flexible work cultures.  How prepared is your company to find skilled and dependable workers?  

Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 is the newly updated and revised 2007 edition of best-selling book first published in 2005.  You can now download an advance copy of PLS 2.0. a $10 value with every purchase of the original Perfect Labor Storm, still a great value at $9.95. 

Don't miss day-to-day updates on Perfect Labor Storm.   Save the Perfect Labor Storm blog to your favorites.

3.  New! Upcoming Webinars, Workshops and Training Dates

Hiring Tool Kit 101
Webinar - May 15, 2007 at 11 AM to Noon EDT
Registration: Free (Limited to 10 participants)

ASSESS Expert System Certification
Date: June 12 and 13, 2007
Time: 8:30 - 5:00; 2nd day ends at 12:30PM
Place: Lancaster, PA
Tuition: $1500 per person; $1000 for 2nd person, same company

ASSESS Expert System User Certification has been rescheduled due to the inclement weather experienced in the Northeast from April 15-17. New dates will be June 12 and 13.

For the first time ever, Bigby Havis and Success Performance Solutions have partnered to sponsor a 2-day ASSESS User Certification in Central PA. (Bigby Havis is one of the top U.S. organizational psychology consulting firms with domestic and international clients.)

Participation is limited and over half the seats are already filled.
Don't wait. Call 800-803-4303 for information.

4.  New Free Audio Podcast: What is the difference between screening and selection assessments?

The marketplace is flooded with pre-employment tests. How does an employer choose the right one(s) for their workplace? Ira S Wolfe speaks with Michael Spremulli about the difference between screening
and selection tests, an important factor to consider when reducing employee turnover and improving retention.

Listen and learn

5.  Trust: Building Effective Teams with DISC

Building an effective and cohesive team begins with overcoming the absence of trust. Patrick Lencioni in Five Dysfunctions of offers solutions for each of the dysfunctions and identifies personality and behavioral preference profiles as among "the most effective and lasting tools for building trust on a team." He continues, "these help break down barriers by allowing people to better understand and empathize with one another."

According to Patrick Lencioni, "the most effective and lasting tools for building trust on a team are profiles of team members' behavioral preference and personality styles."

Build Trust, Build Effective Teams with CriteriaOne Behavioral Assessments. Learn more

Order your copy of Five Dysfunctions of a Team

6.  DISCovering the Styles

The perfect reference guide for effectively using DISC in the workplace. The best study guide to help you prepare for DISC certification.

DISCovering The Styles, a new book by Bill Schult, describes how over 2300 years after Aristotle, the behavioral model DISC is still being used by leaders, managers, salespeople, and coaches to create powerful impressions, build high-performing teams and gain endorsement.

Read more about DISCovering the Styles

7.  Industrial and Adminstrative Skills Testing

SkillClues evaluates technical and/or administrative skill proficiency levels - from industrial to healthcare to basic and advanced computer skills, including MS Office, Accounting, Design/Graphics and more.  Reports contain both graphical and verbal interpretation of the applicant’s results, including overall and specific question scoring.

Learn more about Clues for Skills

8.  Quotes from Hire Authorities

"Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you're ready or not, to put it into action."
Napolean Hill

Ira S. Wolfe Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution by permission