Assessments: not so obvious
By Jennifer Liston-Smith
It’s not what people tell you, but what they cannot tell you that matters in assessment, revealedAdrian Furnham.
“We need to go beyond the obvious to explore the underlying concepts,” said Professor Furnham, focusing on the provocative topic of assessment in coaching.
Furnham, who is better known for his book on executive derailment, Elephant in the Boardroom, included an accessible outline of theories and models as well as some challenges.
He emphasised that coaching psychologists have scope to draw on a range of tools and techniques, including observation, self-report, test and questionnaire performance, personal history and behavioural evidence. He underlined the need to remain objective and analytical in making an appraisal, while building an excellent relationship in the coaching process.
Furnham courts reactions with his anecdotes and strong views on executive psychopathy – which can be revealed through the Hogan Personality Inventory, Hogan Development Survey and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory – and he pulls no punches when emphasising the potency of using ability tests in coaching. “It is helpful to clients who lack ‘the horsepower’, to be offered data of this kind.”
Furnham favours the HEXACO Personality Inventory, a well-validated measure of integrity/honesty. “This is the main factor most employees consistently expect in leaders and managers,” he said.
Combining a measure of integrity/honesty with ability tests, and his recommended “wise use” of 360-degree feedback could make for a game-changing, if tough, coaching agenda.
The use of assessments among executive coaches has become a standard practice, according to the seventh annual Sherpa Executive Coaching Survey (see also News in Brief), writes Liz Hall. A couple of years back, 8 per cent of coaches did not use an assessment at all. This year, almost everyone reported using it. For executive coaches, ‘360’ assessments lead the pack, hovering at a 26 per cent market share. Next in popularity are several with a share of around 15 per cent each: DISC, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Emotional Intelligence and Strengths Finder.
The latter is used far more often by younger coaches with lower billing rates and more junior clients: “This seems to indicate that working on strengths is becoming common practice for younger coaches and clients, working on weaknesses more common for senior leaders and executives,” says the report.
- Additional reporting by Kieran Duignan
ICF: clients doubled
Most coaches (67%) in the UK are female, according to the International Coach Federation (ICF)’s2nd Global Coaching Study.
Since the first study in 2007, the average number of active clients per coach has doubled to 10. The study also revealed that many coaches believe the public’s confusion about the benefits of coaching is its biggest hurdle, and that professional organisations are best-placed for greater regulation of coaching.
See www.coachfederation.org/coachingstudy2012/