Choosing Assessments
A Google search using “assessment tools for leadership coaching” resulted in over 38 million results. Determining the quality of assessments and when best to use them is a key challenge faced by decision-makers. It is not likely to serve an organization well by relying on the top few results from a Google search. With the myriad choices available for on-line assessments, it’s all too easy to select and use instruments that are inappropriate at best and damaging at worst.
Most organizations that engage leadership coaches have an HR function. It’s fairly typical for HR leaders or business partners to provide input related to the use of assessments. It is very likely that individuals and organizations bring to the process their own historical biases around assessments. In order to mitigate this, a suggested approach is to first develop an assessment strategy. In many cases, organizations lack an assessment strategy and as such, it is understandable that decision-makers turn immediately to the selection of particular assessment tools. When this happens, the likelihood of successful use of assessments is much diminished. Having a clear understanding of the function that the assessment will serve is an important criterion in making an informed choice about which assessment(s) to use.
Tools versus Instruments
Most people tend to use the terms “tool” and “instrument” interchangeably. Since there is such a range of assessments, at Table Mountain we have found it helpful to define tools differently from instruments. A key differentiator for us in determining whether an assessment is a “tool” or an “instrument” has to do with the psychometric properties of the assessment. Psychometrics speak to concepts like reliability and validity. Using reliability and validity as criteria, instruments are more psychometrically robust than tools. Instruments have a solid research underpinning and have been developed using best practices in testing and measurement. Tools may not have solid reliability and validity data but may provide an intuitive framework for people to be able to organize their thinking to engage in meaningful dialogue related to a particular topic such as change, influence or appreciation of difference.
Personality Assessment
In leadership coaching that includes psychometric assessment, personality assessments (tools and instruments) are frequently used. Personality assessment tools are self-report surveys, usually designed to measure against a theoretical model of personality. Examples of popular tools such as this include the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DiSC, Insights Discovery and others. They tend to be quite accessible to the end user and enable the coach and coachee to engage in meaningful dialogue focused on a range of topics relevant to personality at work. The limitation of personality tools like these is that their scales tend to lack the granularity that is helpful when dealing with the nuances of personality at work. Compared to research-based instruments, tools tend not to measure the full breadth of personality. From a test construction perspective, tools are typically less statistically reliable and valid. It is illustrative that personality researchers seeking to publish research in peer reviewed journals are required to use validated instruments rather than tools. Typically, personality psychology journals will not accept research based on tools, as they do not have the psychometric properties to provide enough confidence in the data being reported.
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