My favourite instrument

Now I wonder why have I not done a post - in all these years - detailing my PERSONAL favourite career assessment instrument; my most enjoyed test? That is a very interesting question! Perhaps it is because I would have to put my own decision up for scrutiny? Perhaps it is because I have to actually decide on one? Perhaps it is because I don't really know why I like this particular instrument? Hmm. I think this aspect of 'why' needs more reflection!

However, to move onto the 'what', my personal favourite test is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI). Following the brain research of Levy-Agresti and Sperry (1968), in 1976 a manager at General Electric, Ned Herrmann, began development on the brain model to examine preferred thinking styles.

The test is administered using a 120 question test battery (Herrmann International Asia, 2008). I like this test because it shows participant differences, so it can be used to see where a department, organisation or board is well rounded... or not. Having been the board chair of an organisation where HBDI was administered to all staff, I had it administered to board members as well. Collectively, we found the organisation was weaker in one quadrant, and after more exploration, we decided to deliberately recruit a new staff member who was strong in that area.

While Herrmann International Asia (2008) claims that the HBDI has been validated by research, fMRI machines have clearly shown that left/right brain, upper/lower quadrant 'geographical' thinking sites as originally outlined in HBDI's literature are simplistic and are unevidenced. 

However, in my view - like many tests including MBTI - the test still has some utility, as the thinking styles themselves still show patterns and may be valid (Bunderson, 2003). If we can step back and consider it a 'sorting hat' (Rowling, 1997), if we will, and use it for guiding decisions, not for being the be-all and end-all of truth, then it has some value. It certainly gave the organisation I was with good value as a lens to see where we lacked 'wholeness'.  

If you want to know a bit more about how HBDI works for me, watch the video below:

I hope you find that interesting!

Sam

References:

Bogen, J. E., & Gazzaniga, M. S. (1965). Cerebral commissurotomy in man: Minor hemisphere dominance for certain visuospatial functions. Journal of Neurosurgery, 23(4), 394-399. https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.1965.23.4.0394

Bunderson, C. V. (2003). The Validity Of The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument. http://www.hbdi.com/uploads/100021_resources/100331.pdf

Herrmann International Asia (2008). Confidential Personal Profile Information. Author.

Levy-Agresti, J., & Sperry, R. (1968). Differential Perceptual Capacities in Major and Minor Hemispheres. Proceedings of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 61(3), 1151. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.61.4.1435

Nebes, R. D. (1971). Superiority of the minor hemisphere in commissurotomized man for the perception of part-whole relations. Cortex, 7(4), 333-349.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-9452(71)80027-8

Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Ltd.

Young, S. (18 March 2017). AUT Leadership AUT Topic 2c Followership Part 3 HBDI, 2013 [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/w2_l7YZlaNo

read more "My favourite instrument"

Types of Career Inventories

There are many types of career inventories, and for someone new to the field, the differences between them might seem rather esoteric or arcane. So I thought I would do a short post and quickly illustrate the differences.

Most of the following lend themselves to either a qualitative or a quantitative method, but some - such as aptitude tests - are largely, even solely, quantitative. In general, inventories are not considered qualitative assessments. However, some - such as interests and values - can be understood using a card sort, a narrative technique, or via interactive drawing therapy (IDT).

Aptitude: Aptitude tests are not often used in NZ, but they may sometimes be used to identify those who have the highest performance where there are limited places. IQ tests fit this category.

Skills: Skills tests are those such as TOSA (for Word, Excel etc), literacy, numeracy, or digital competence tests

Interest: Interest inventories are those which measure where our interests lie such as Holland codes/RIASEC and CareerQuest

Personality: Personality tests are those that measure the personality we have, such as HBDI, MBTI, DISC, Smalleys, etc.

Decision: Decision assessments are those that help clients to learn more about the way they think about their career choices and explore new ways of thinking about their decisions, such as the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI), or the Career Decision State Survey (CDSS)

Achievement: Our education qualifications, exams, etc. That we meet a certain standard of performance.

Values: Values inventories are those which measure our values, such as Work Values inventory, life values inventory, work and motives inventory.

I hope that helps!

Sam

References:

Osborn, D. S., & Zunker, V. G. (2016). Using Assessment Results for Career Development (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.

DigiNole. (2020). Career State Inventory (CSI) as a Measure of Readiness for Career Decision Makinghttps://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu%3A540931

Saunders, D. E. (2014). Using the Career Thoughts Inventory in Practice: Helping Clients Shift from Self-Doubt to Certainty. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 30(4), 101-114.

read more "Types of Career Inventories "

Leader frames of reference

A question on Quora caught my eye recently: "What is [a] symbolic culture?".

It is a good question, and I wondered if the questioner was actually asking about a symbolic 'frame' which is one of four proposed leader frames of reference for effective leadership. The leader frames were developed by Professors Lee Bolman and Terry Deal, with their book on the subject, Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership, first published in 1991. The fifth edition was published in 2017.

What Bolman & Deal propose is that each 'frame' is a lens we use to understand, to gather information, to make decisions, and to use our power over the world around us. They suggest that there are four main frames of reference that we use: a structural frame, a human resource frame, a political frame and a symbolic frame (1991).

The image above is how Richard Daft (2007) summarised Bolman and Deal's model (1991): implying that there is a hierarchy in the level of thought: a step up from the applied to the holistic, if you will. I like this presentation of the frames model, as it ties in well with Herrmann's HBDI model (2000), the behavioural meta-theory of task and relationship factors (Daft, 2007), Morgan's metaphors (1986), and Maslow's (1943) original idea that people move from the concrete (basic) to the cerebral (self-actualisation).

The four frames are:

1. Structural: Like Morgan's metaphors (1986), this is the organisation as a machine; or like HBDI's (2000) logical / analytical sector, total focus on the numbers. Here leaders focus on machine-like decisions based on economics and efficiency. Plans and goal setting are very important, with leaders using position power to 'influence' followers. Followers are 'led' using goals and clear job expectations (like House's Path Goal theory, 1996). All the task-oriented data is used: job descriptions, numbers, policy, standards and profit. Behaviours rewarded are order, logic, efficiency & continuity. Leaders display behavioural, task-oriented leadership, with dashes of contingency theory and transactional leadership. This frame's danger is leadership rigidity - which can support very dominant, autocratic leaders.
2. Human Resources: This is a very relational frame, like HBDI's interpersonal frame (2000), the relational element of the behavioural meta-theory (Daft, 2007), or Morgan's metaphor of organisations as cultures (1986). People are considered to be the most valuable organisational resource, where problems are thought-through considering human factors, and the organisation makes adjustments to meet individual needs. Leaders focus on dyad (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995) relationships and feelings, empowering and supporting followers to achieve, encouraging open communication. This is a developmental frame with leaders involving followers, providing opportunities for individual's personal and professional growth. Leadership styles include servant leadership, stewardship (Kaitiakitanga), values-led leadership, and some shared leadership styles. Where this frame can come unglued is when the strategic organisational outcomes become subsumed by follower's views: where the leader's care prevents important goals from being achieved.
3. Political: Again, coming back to Morgan's metaphors (1986), organisations can be one of the either instruments of domination, or psychic prisons, or political systems; or to consider Martin's power frame of a 'jungle' from her differentiation lens (1992). Political organisations are all about 'the man [...] in the arena' (Roosevelt, 1910), but instead of courage, they are full conflict and tension. It is a fight to obtain scarce resources, with winners climbing over the bodies of the dead and wounded left behind (ouch). Leaders focus on developing alliances, cabals and power-bases to influence decisions and outcomes. Leaders use personal & organisational power to drive-through results. While effective political leaders use negotiating and coalition-building skills to serve the organisation, power and politics are often covert, resulting in hidden agendas and the subsummation of organisational goals. Deception, dishonesty, and the feathering of individual nests are very real risks of this frame.
4. Symbolic: This frame aligns with Morgan's metaphors as the brain, or as a culture (1986). The organisation uses shared meaning, values, and a shared vision. Leaders use vision, culture and values to influence followers. Cultural elements such as rituals, ceremonies, stories, symbols and 'priests' grow the organisational culture (Deal & Kennedy, 1982). These leaders are likely to lead through transformational styles (eg authentic, visionary, values-led, etc), or charisma. Followers are inspired to perform well, and to be committed to the cause. This frame can derail leaders over time by megalomania (particularly charismatic leaders) or with 'messiah' complexes. Symbols can also become dishonest, unethical, or self-serving.

The elements of danger mentioned above for each frame illustrate what happens if we focus too much on any one frame. We are human. We are each likely to have a preference for working in one, two or three frames: few of us are competent in all four (and this too aligns well with HBDI). Leadership requires us to use all four frames to be effective, so we need to develop our skills in those where we are weak, otherwise we may fall into one or more of the dangers above.

We are all constant piece of work in progress!


Sam

References:

• Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (1991). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. San Francisco, USA: Jossey-Bass.
• Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (1988). Modern approaches to understanding and managing organizations. San Francisco, USA: Jossey-Bass.
• Daft, R. L. (2007). The Leadership Experience (4th edition). USA: Thomson South-Western
• Deal, T. E. & Kennedy, A. A. (1982). Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life. USA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.
• Graen, G. B., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219-247. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(95)90036-5
• Herrmann, N. (2000). The Theory Behind the HBDI and Whole Brain Technology. Retrieved from https://heikejordan.de/artikel/TheTheoryBehindHBDI.pdf
• House, R. J. (1996). Path-goal theory of leadership: Lessons, legacy, and a reformulated theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 7(3), 323-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(96)90024-7
• Martin, J. (1992). Cultures in Organizations: Three perspectives. USA: Oxford University Press
• Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-96. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
• Morgan, G. (1986) Images of Organization. USA: Sage Publications, Inc.
• Roosevelt, T. (1910). Citizenship in a Republic. Speech: Sorbonne Universite, Paris, France, April 23, 1910

read more "Leader frames of reference"

Engineers and testing

Typical HBDI profile of an engineering student
(Du Toit & Horak, 2002)

People with technical minds, "such as engineers, scientists, computer programmers and mathematicians" (Baron-Cohen, 2012, p. 74), are essential in today's world of work. While their skills are in higher demand than they ever have been, there is currently a global shortage of people in the STEM fields.

While I know this is a rather sweeping statement, I often find engineers to be somewhat mathematically-focused, while being not so well connected to their emotions or the emotions of others around them. My observation is, however, supported by a number of research studies, including strong HBDI primary 'analytical' (blue) results in test data found in a study of civil engineering students by Du Toit and Horak (2002, as illustrated), and from research by Hunter (2009) on the MBTI ISTJ personality type and computer engineers in New Zealand.

When you meet a lot of engineers, as I do, it is fascinating to watch their reactions to the lives of those around them, and marvel "what were they thinking?!" at times. I have seen people make life-changing decisions without considering the emotional needs of those around them as if those needs were not even a distant dot of consideration on their internal decision criteria horizon.

This lack of emotional connection can make some engineers difficult to interact with. However, HBDI and MBTI testing can make it easier for both the client to understand what to work on to improve their empathetic skills; and for those around them to understand the level of limitation, and how to help the client to become more empathetic over time.

In addition, there is another test which can be done: an Autism test. It has been found that those with technical minds may display autistic behaviours more often than most (Baron-Cohen, 2012). Autism has been described as being a strong desire to systematise in some way, as when a client systematises, they "identify the rules that govern the system so [they] can predict how that system works. This fundamental drive to systemize might explain why people with autism love repetition and resist unexpected changes" (Baron-Cohen, 2012, p. 74) (and for those of you who are wondering, it is now accepted that Asperger's is part of the Autism spectrum, and not a separate syndrome).

Developed by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen in 2001, the Autism-Spectrum Quotient test has around 85% accuracy. It can used as an early indicator as to whether a client is on the autism spectrum, to then pursue a professional diagnosis. The test is on a number of sites, and can be accessed here and here.

Taken together, these three test instruments can help us all to better understand an engineering client's viewpoint, and help those who are high functioning and technically minded to build better relationships, contributing to more rewarding work experiences.


Sam

References:

• Baron-Cohen, S. (2012). Autism and the Technical Mind. Scientific American, 307(5), 72-75. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican1112-72
• Du Toit, J. W., & Horak, E. (2002). A study of the thinking styles and academic performance of civil engineering students. Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering= Joernaal van die Suid-Afrikaanse Instituut van Siviele Ingenieurswese, 44(3), 18-24. Retrieved from http://buildnet.csir.co.za/cdcproc/docs/3rd/horak_e_du_toit_jw.pdf
• Hunter, A. (2009). High-tech rascality: Asperger's Syndrome, hackers, geeks, and personality types in the ICT industry. New Zealand Sociology, 24(2), 39.
• Wired (2001). Take the Autism Test. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2001/12/aqtest/

read more "Engineers and testing"