The Jangle Fallacy: Is “learning agility” next?
The concept of the jangle fallacy¹ has been around for almost 100 years, but it seems like we keep falling victim to it. For those
Executive leadership assessments that are grounded in objectivity and psychometrics, delivered by deeply experienced psychologists, and backed by validation studies.
There are many different approaches to executive leadership assessments. For example, assessment centers, 5-hour psychological interviews, automated psychometric tests, and individual assessments are common. Depending on the methodology, the time investment for the executive can range from several days to as little as 1 hour. And, there’s a wide range of price tags, from about $1000 (online tools only) to $35,000 per assessment! So, you have a lot to consider when selecting an executive assessment partner.
Our Approach to Executive Leadership Assessments
We’ve been conducting executive leadership assessments since 1957, using the individual assessment approach. To learn more about Individual Assessment at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s website Click Here.
We continually evolve the process based on the latest scientific research, new technologies, and best practices. Additionally, we seek feedback from our customers and assessment participants to understand their experiences, priorities, and concerns. This data helps us design highly predictive executive assessments that accelerate leadership development, and are time- and cost-efficient.
The Science Behind Executive Assessments
It is well-established through scientific research that cognitive ability, the “Big 5” personality traits, and leadership style are among the best predictors of an executive’s job performance. And, the most reliable and accurate way to measure these is with psychometrically sound tests with relevant norms. Because the science is clear, psychometric testing is at the core of our executive assessment approach.
The "Big 5"
Decades of research have shown that, regardless of culture or geography, there are 5 personality domains that predict just about any work-related outcome of interest.
Executive Leadership Assessments: Process Overview
Whether you’re using our executive leadership assessments for hiring, development, or succession planning, the process steps are the same. As shown in the below chart, there are some key differentiators between our process and those of other providers. First, we can measure your competencies and core values and create customized deliverables. Second, we provide candidates with verbal feedback on the online assessment results during the interview. This is uncommon in the industry and perceived favorably by executives. In turn, this leaves them with a positive impression of your organization.
Objectivity in Executive Assessments
A third factor that differentiates us from other executive assessment companies is our focus on objectivity. Below are some of the things we do and don’t do to ensure fairness and consistency.
What we DO to Ensure Objectivity
- We weight the psychometric test results heavily, using our proprietary executive norms. The interview provides secondary data that enhances the preciseness of our interpretations of the test data.
- We conduct a structured interview. Every executive is asked the same set of questions. This includes a brief review of their career and questions related to their personality, leadership style, and self-awareness.
- Two psychologists review the psychometric data and interview notes, assign ratings independently, and come to a consensus via the exchange of data-driven arguments.
- Interviews are done with voice only to remove biases that can result from a psychologist’s preferences and the executive’s appearance
What we DON’T DO
- We don’t ask invasive questions about the leader’s upbringing, childhood experiences, or decisions they made decades ago. These things require subjective evaluations, don’t predict well, and make people unnecessarily uncomfortable.
- We don’t evaluate experience or “pedigree.” Why? It’s a poor predictor of executive job performance. Additionally, you don’t need a psychologist to tell you what prior experiences are needed for a position. We don’t ask you to pay us to do things that you can do yourself better.
- We don’t recruit. We are not a search firm. We do assessments, and we do it very well. We have no stake in the game other than giving you the data you need to make an informed decision.
Why Choose Us for Executive Leadership Assessments?
Our clients partner with us for executive assessments for several reasons.
- First, we give them an objective assessment of an executive’s strengths, gaps, and potential for success – not a subjective opinion. This is not to say that we don’t have a professional opinion. We do – and we share it with you, candidly and transparently. It’s based on psychometric data interpreted by psychologists who’ve mastered both the science and the art of executive assessment. Learn more about our Executive Assessment practice leaders here.
- Second, we don’t just talk about validity – we have the data to back it up. Check out some of our results here.
- Third, as a boutique consultancy with the expertise of large firms, we are committed to providing unsurpassed customer attentiveness, responsiveness, and flexibility.
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Learn more about how we leverage scientific research to inform our executive assessment practice: