How can we reliably quantify the difference?

Just as some people have different physical characteristics like gender, height, weight, facial features, skin and hair colour etc, so too do they differ in the way they feel about things, react to different situations, what makes them do what they do and how they relate to other people, all of which are far more difficult to measure.

While the physical factors are quite easy to assess, understanding the non physical elements of an individual is far more difficult, as they are quite transparent to the eye and can often be overlooked.

What happens if we do not recognise there is a measurable difference?

We run the risk of treating all people as if they were the same. Too often when attempting to evaluate how a person will fit in to an organisation or a team, the assessor will focus on the physical attributes and rely on their own gut feeling to arrive at a conclusion regarding likely behaviour and potential for development that will influence one of the most critical decisions that can be made in business, the selection of the right people.

When faced with the responsibility to get it right with people, as much risk as possible must be reduced and the possibility of gross error must be eliminated.

What can we expect from a formal assessment process?

With an appreciation that each person is different, we need some reliable and objective methods of gaining the valuable insight that is necessary before we can attempt to understand what it is that makes each person different.

Beilby's tools are highly validated for measuring what they say they measure and are reliable predictors of an individual's abilities and behavioural characteristics.

Without the support of these quality management tools, Managers are forced to rely on a number of unreliable methods of determining the suitability of each individual under consideration. In  most cases these methods can be the subject of considerable bias and are often heavily influenced by previous experiences.

How is the difference measured?

The most successful method of measuring an individual's abilities, aptitudes or temperament is achieved by applying a well constructed questionnaire that has been proven to accurately measure what it sets out to measure.

All tests designed to measure the difference in people are standardised on appropriate norm groups, so that it is possible to indicate not only that a difference exists, but also to what degree one person differs from another.

To allow us to accurately predict behaviour, we use a test called the 15FQ™, Personality Questionnaire which is described in significant detail in the  Employer Resources Centre.

In the chart that follows, you will see there are 15 descriptive words listed down either side of the chart which have a very opposite meaning to each other. As the example illustrated indicates, an individual's personality characteristics can be described as falling somewhere between the two extremes and depending on what degree of difference is recorded, reliable assessment is possible.

For far too long the information gleaned from tests of this kind, required a trained professional in Psychology to interpret them and prepare a report for the untrained manager to understand the difference in people. It is now possible for ALL managers to have first hand access to this information at a fraction of the cost that previously applied. Testing is no longer a costly option and it should be applied as a matter of course, across all senior levels.

What does it cost?

Most Managers who have achieved significant results from using proven assessment tools would say, it is more of a question of what is the cost of not doing it!

Using reliable assessment tools is an investment in getting the people decisions right.

To have an existing or potential employee attend an assessment session at your nearest Beilby office will cost a few hundred dollars depending on the selection of assessment questionnaires that are applied. Compare this to the cost of employing or promoting the wrong person and the difference could be very significant.

When you spend as much as you do on employment costs, induction and training, why not go that little extra and be as sure as you can, that only the best person is appointed or promoted? Industry estimates suggest that the typical cost of making a poor appointment could be as high as $50,000 to $100,000 per individual, when direct and lost opportunity costs are taken into account.

Saving the small cost of assessment could be the most expensive management mistake you could possibly make.

Special licencing agreements are available for the in-house administration and reporting of a range of Ability, Aptitude and Behavioural assessments on a very cost-effective basis. Contact your local Beilby office for full details. For more information on Beilby's complete range of assessment services, visit the Beilby Website, click on the Employers section and select Psychological Services and then Software Based Assessment Services

Example Personality Profile

The following profile, determined by the 15FQ™ Personality Questionnaire, displays the difference across 15 easily understood Traits of Personality and the information provided on each factor explains what the factor measures and what characteristics  are likely to be observed. Depending on where the score falls between the two extremes, a balance between the two extremes of the characteristics described will be more evident. 

Click the the images below, for full details of what each factor Measures.