Yes, this is brief guide to assessment techniques! How to assess? How about responsibility and professionalism? And yes, there is no such thing as an incontestable truth in assessing people. Nevertheless, the benefit of a professional assessment is undeniable. But only so, if you - as an assessor - always dispute and adjust your findings thanks to a broad and manifold approach. And only, if you realize and accept, that it takes a lot of time and endeavor. Bertschi Consulting always mentions first: There is no free lunch – especially when you assess people.
First of all, it is obvious, that looking closely at your objective experience and performance can provide a lot of valid information: What were you up to? What did you realize? What are your stories of success and failure? How did they shape your way of life - measurably (give examples)? This important chain of biographical data represents your wealth of "learning pyramids" as we like to call them. Don't look back in anger: a well structured questionnaire and a professional Interview make your job easy. You may call this step “ground zero”, because Bertschi Consulting just puts together your objective current assets. No use to make double work. No idea of premature interpretation. This is YOUR pyramid as it stands. Relevant and objective.
WHAT CAN PSYCHOMETRICS REALLY DO? Quite a lot, you may like it or hate it. Testing is important, quite accurate, but, of course, not sufficient. There are many psychometrical tools that are apt to approach your individual intellectual "platform" on a verbal and nonverbal level (where your educational background will matter - or not).
Your language feeling, precision, vocabulary compared to your ability to combine, conclude, differentiate, interpret or your capacity to manage a demanding and complex decision (critical thinking appraisal) - all these important prerequisites for a managerial job can be looked at (though merely, or primarily, on a theoretical basis) with a acceptable, even a high degree of validity. You work on your own, and there are various scales of results, according to relevant functions, that help to establish a fair and unbiased comparison with the chosen peer group. THIS IS STEP 1.
Outstanding work and leadership: Is it not all about solving problems? Yes, a good, even brilliant intellect will not the adequate answer to all questions. THEREFORE: STEP 2 As a manager, you need a complete set or kit of management skills and a highly developed social competence (if you like: emotional intelligence). This again can be looked at thoroughly, be it with oral tasks or with elements in writing that form an important part of every sophisticated individual assessment.
Very famous are the "in basket" challenges where you have little time to make decisions, to delegate or to initiate something (“kick off”). Another well known method consists of role plays about "critical incidents" where you have to make your point in an unmistakable manner or to hand over a negative message to your partner in a very delicate situation. Very often, you will have to establish a comprehensive concept: analysis, consequences, decision, strategy, measures, missions, timetable, controlling. It is obvious that these activities of yours indicate in many respects where your strengths and weaknesses, your chances and risks are located.
So far, it was - though far from being trivial - possible to gain relevant information about your various assets in a rather objective, at least comparable manner (if the assessor applies the current methods in a professional and consistent way). But what actually rules our way of life, our partnerships and professional endeavors ...are our very deep and fundamental desires, drives, wishes, visions. Here is the point where an assessor can really do fine, provided he disposes of modern tools and techniques such as TEAM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (TMS)or HERMANN BRAIN DOMINANCE INSTRUMENT (H.B.D.I.).
Fortunately, in the past years, numerous concepts (on an extended IT platform) have been developed and validated. Many of them stem from the ideas of the Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung. Sophisticated questionnaires enable sincerely interested individuals to position themselves through self-declaration among big numbers and peer groups of colleagues. This information helps a lot to understand "innate" conflicts, rational vs. irrational decisions. They become useful signposts if you want to make up your mind as to where your journey - in the long run - should go. The expert, though, is still needed …for a full and elaborated analysis of your data. These new tools add a somewhat non-conformist, but indispensable element to the rather conventional testing side of assessments. They will only work if there is an excellent, open, trustful relation between assessor and client - a deeply human climate.
Let us put the first and foremost task of any MD & AC toolset at the end: You desperately need to know whom you are looking for! What are the important, the indispensable requirement in your company to stick to the road of success? Very often, you need help to do so (a view from outside, combined with many interviews). Once, you have gathered and agreed upon the crucial elements (hopefully having made a good choice), you can base the development of your tools upon this “Manager Profile” or “Management Profile”. Here is an example: