U.S. Department of Labor Recommendations

The U.S. Department of Labor recommends a “whole person” approach wherein companies never rely on any single instrument for developmental or hiring decisions.

Behavior assessments like Predictive Index and others, including DISC, are strictly behavioral assessments and as the name implies– “predictions” of success based solely from a behavioral standpoint.

We’ve seen too many times where someone’s behavior is ideal for a position, but it’s their engagement, motivation, passion or decision-making (as measured by additional profiles) that make the difference in their success.

Talent Match Plus™ and the Bus Concept™ adheres to the US Department of Labor recommendations by incorporating three separate and distinctive assessments* to assist organizations in hiring and promotion decisions:

Behavior Assessment - DISCstyles™ Behavior Report

Assessing Motivation - Human Workforce Motivator Assessment

Decision Making Ability - Hartman Value Profile (HVP)

The HVP is built upon the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated research of Dr. Robert S. Hartman and the science of Axiology**.

*Assessments should not be used as the sole source for decisions regarding hiring, placement, career moves or termination.

**Axiology is the science of human values that enables us to identify the internal valuing systems that influence our perceptions, decisions and actions.

Here is a taste of how we are combining the services of Talent Match Plus and Learning Appeal. The programs focus on change initiative and a problem solving tool kit; proprietary to Talent Match Plus and available to organizations that are initiating change or facing problems. Essentially they address what needs to be considered/included and processes for making change and solving problems with downloadable worksheets.

Because it’s more of a teaching approach than providing information, narration has not been included. However, if an organization requires narration it can be customized to provide it.

Each program will be available for viewing for 30 days.

“Change Initiative”
http://www.talentmatchplus.com/LA/Change_Initiative/player.html

“Problem Solving Tool Kit” using Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats as part of the material.
http://www.talentmatchplus.com/LA/Problem_Solving/player.html

Talent Match Plus has just completed the initial entrepreneurial benchmark in partnership with The Center for Global Entrepreneurship at Thunderbird University in Arizona. Thunderbird is the world’s No. 1-ranked school of international business with more than 60 years of experience in developing leaders with the global mindset, business skills and social responsibility necessary to create real, sustainable value for their organizations, communities and the world.

The benchmark, with the supporting assessment, is designed to establish the personal criteria for what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur with the ability for individuals to measure their personal attributes (strengths vs. blockers) against the benchmark.

Additional benchmarks are planned to more closely align with both the Social and Technical Entrepreneur. It is believed that there will be nuances appearing to add to the overall entrepreneur attributes.
The base science behind this process is Axiology. Axiology is a relatively new science discovered by Dr. Robert S. Hartman, Noble Peace Prize Nominee, while researching concepts relating to value and how people perceive and value all things. Dr. Hartman constructed the original edition of the Hartman Value Profile (HVP) according to the ‘Hierarchy of Values’ which he developed and documented in his writings, “The Structure of Value”. The HVP is an axiological instrument, an inventory that measures a person’s capacity to make value judgments concerning the world and the self.
Contact us if you are interested in exploring this ground breaking study further.

You can reach us by email at jwoodrow@TalentMatchPlus.com.

Axiology is a relatively new science discovered by Dr. Robert S. Hartman while researching concepts relating to value and how people perceive and value all things. Dr. Hartman constructed the original edition of the Hartman Value Profile (HVP) according to the ‘Hierarchy of Values’ which he developed and documented in his writings, “The Structure of Value”. The HVP is an axiological instrument, an inventory that measures a person’s capacity to make value judgments concerning the world and the self. There are two parts to the profile. The first is a list of 18 items pertaining to the world, while the second consists of 18 phrases related to the self.

Axiology measures your ability to value. Your capacity to value is a talent or ability by which you organize your thinking and emotions to make decisions or value judgments. Your value talent is a measure of your ability to:

These three activities are the keys to understanding how we all make decisions.

Your ability to make value judgments is a natural activity of the mind and is similar to musical talent and ability. Each person has certain inborn skills or aptitudes. Some individuals have an ear for musical notes, while others can be taught to recognize the notes. Both types of individuals can develop their natural talent and apply this talent as musicians. In the same way, some individuals have better developed natural talent for making value judgments and can make better decisions. These individuals have a clearer idea of what is important, can see things which others miss, are very creative problem solvers, make decisions which always seem to be on target, and are sensitive to the needs and concerns of others.

Value talent, like musical talent or sports talent, can be learned and improved. The first step in developing your value talent is to identify your level of development, and to identify the specific types of talent you have. A value analysis is designed to let you come into contact with your ability to think and make value judgments about yourself and the world around you. This analysis will give you an opportunity to experience the biases that focus your thinking, the natural skills that your mind uses on a day to day basis to make decisions, the strengths that belong to you, the areas of development that can improve your ability to be you, and the combination of talent that defines your uniqueness.

To complete the HVP, a person is asked to rank the items in the first part from best to worst, and then to rank the phrases in the second part from those you most agree with to those you least agree with. The results reflect an individual’s own preferences, which are measured against the objective scale given by formal axiology. The measurement is very precise, yet allows for nearly infinite variety.

The results of the HVP are derived from logical, mathematical norms, and are not based on the values of any specific population or group. Consequently, it is not a “test” to be passed or failed and the results have no bias with respect to sex, age, race, creed, or any other socio-cultural classification. Honesty is the best criterion for obtaining accurate results.

The Hartman Value Profile is especially useful for the following purposes:

For discovering the strengths and weaknesses of their associates and potential employees;
For identifying areas where additional training may be needed;
For building work teams and groups;
For measuring group morale and spirit;
For determining suitability for promotions and job reallocations;
For retaining existing employees; and
In accident prevention.

The cost of employee turnover is staggering. Research* indicates that more than half of all employees have a current desire to change jobs. Of those, three quarters are looking to change in the next year. Employee replacement costs often reach three times salary plus lost department productivity and lost skills and knowledge of the individual leaving. Of course many of those who have a desire to leave do not. But consider the consequences for those who stay. They are likely coming to work each day to collect a paycheck rather than coming to work each day to make a difference, for which they receive a paycheck.

It is not a mystery that employees who enjoy their work environment (culture) feel they are contributing to the whole, feel they are valued for their contribution and will not fall into the majority who are not satisfied with their work environment and are looking for greener pastures.

Traditional means of recognizing employee value are base compensation, bonuses, reward plaques, and other types of recognition that show value for the job being done. It is important to understand that all of these recognition systems are an integral part of organizations where the majority of the work force are unsatisfied. So what is it that is missing from the traditional approach to employee satisfaction? It is intrinsically valuing your people for their individual uniqueness, the value they bring to the organization and their job.

Nobel Prize nominee, Dr. Robert S. Hartman conducted research on how people think, a measurement of how we value. When individuals are intrinsically valued and intrinsically validated for their uniqueness, their unique contribution, and they feel it, they will release up to a 40% latent reserve of productivity and cooperation previously untapped by conventional means. Intrinsic valuing is the ability to see the uniqueness in an individual and intrinsic validation is the successful delivery of your observation to the individual. It is critical that the intrinsic valuing is real and in turn the person doing the valuing be real. Individuals will inherently know whether it is sincere or an attempt at a traditional compliment. And it’s not about saying “you are doing a good job”. It’s important, but it’s about the job and not the uniqueness of the person. This is probably the most difficult part of intrinsic validation, separating “the job” from “the person”.

* Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching and Keeping the Best People by Bradford Smart

Some of the most frequently mentioned issues around why employees leave are:*

• Poor management—uncaring and unprofessional managers; overworked staff; no respect, not listening, putting people in wrong jobs; speed over quality; poor manager selection processes.
• Poor communications—problems communicating top-down and between departments; after mergers; between facilities.
• Lack of recognition—that says it all.
• Poor senior leadership—not listening, asking, or investing in employees; unresponsiveness and isolation; mixed messages.
• Lack of training—nonexistent or superficial training; nothing for new hires, managers, or to move up.

According to a Gallop survey 74% of employees are disengaged at work. Disengaged employees will search for an organization that will engage them.

One of the key actions that companies can take to drive higher levels of engagement, and in turn retention, is to improve leadership skills of front-line managers. In fact, more than half of best-in-class organizations provide training and tools to managers to help them better engage their employees. Two programs — on-boarding (conducted when employees start working) and development plans (agreed to by manager and employee) — are critical to building high levels of engagement. On-boarding ensures that employees are aligned with the organizational mission and priorities from their earliest days, and development plans ensure that employees and managers remain in alignment when it comes to their role in achieving organizational success.

However, before you can design programs that help employees with on-boarding or development training that will engage them, you first need to know what to focus your development on. Knowing specifically how the job aligns with the organizational mission and priorities  and being able to communicate that to employees is critical.

An earlier Aberdeen study, “The 2009 HR Executive’s Agenda,”** found that employee engagement was the top HR strategy being pursued by organizations in 2009. The reason most cited for this focus on engagement is the need to ensure workforce productivity and employee performance during a period of economic uncertainty. But the benefits of engagement go even further.  Leading organizations with effective employee engagement strategies are seeing a 22 percent year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction and loyalty, the study notes. With effective programs in place such as on-boarding and manager training, organizations have the building blocks they need to succeed at employee engagement.

*The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How To Recognize The Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late, by Leigh Branham, 2005, AMACOM publishers.

**Aberdeen study, “The 2009 HR Executive’s Agenda.”

Travel restrictions and a greater shift to e-learning and virtual delivery are anticipated by the majority of learning executives (69.6 percent and 55.8 percent, respectively) involved in the latest survey by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

Overall, the confidence of learning executives is beginning to stabilize, according to the ASTD’s Learning Executive Confidence Index (LXCI).

The highlights of the LXCI for first quarter 2009 include:

• Only 7.1 percent of learning execs indicated that current economic conditions will have no impact on the learning function in the next six months, down from 12.8 percent in Q3 2008 and 11.4 percent in Q4 2008.
• The “Impact on Corporate Performance” index reversed previous downward trends.
• Two indices, “Ability to Meet Learning Needs” and “Status as a Key Strategic Component,” stabilized.
• The “Availability of Resources” index fell 2.8 points, and most learning executives forecasted decreases in their learning expenditures over the next six months, as well as a decline in use of external services to aid the learning function.
• The majority, 58.1 percent, reported that their industry performance will remain the same or improve over the next six months.

This index, launched last August, is designed to assess the outlooks and expectations of learning executives for the next six months.

There are many articles and books written about the qualities and attributes of exemplary leadership. Most focus on how great leaders lead and how they make a difference within organizations.

There has been less attention given to the qualities and attributes of the individuals that are led, the followership.

Leaders cannot be great leaders without the presence of great followers. Followers need qualities and attributes that make leading possible.

Organizations have many more followers than they do leaders. It may be fair to say, therefore, ineffective followers may be more of a handicap to an organization than ineffective leaders.

The combination of great leaders and great followers make for a great organization.

What qualities and attributes make great followers?

Here are eight for starters:

1. They have developed a skill level from which the organization benefits – knowledge and skills pertinent to the organizations mission.
2. They set a higher standard of performance than is necessary to perform their job.
3. They are good at self management. They perform their functions with little intervention from leadership.
4. They think for themselves and work well within team environments.
5. They are critical thinkers whose knowledge and judgment can be trusted.
6. They take ownership of their own mistakes and have a high level of ethical standards.
7. They come to work to make a difference – for which they receive a paycheck rather than simply coming to work to collect a paycheck.
8. Effective followers are committed to the mission and vision of the organization in addition to the care of their own lives.

There are considerable implications of finding the right followers to lead. When the cost of making a wrong selection decision can be three to 18 times annual salary plus lost knowledge, customer confidence, lower follower morale and lost time the selection process is critical.

The very first step to accruing the right followers is to define what the expectations are for the function they will fill.

Besides the basic skills and knowledge needed, considerable thought must be given to the key results and key accountabilities for the job function.

Specifically, the stakeholders (leaders and current followers) need to define the perfect follower for the specific function in the current organizational culture. The definition requires metrics as a tool for evaluating followers.

In order to add metrics you need to define quantifiable aspects for each of the key results and key accountabilities.

For example:

• The stakeholders define the key results and key accountabilities
• A scale can be used to define the importance of each key result and accountability
• The stakeholders obtain consensus on the ranking creating a benchmark
• Each follower is then assessed and compared to the benchmark

The result:

• Great leaders get great followers
• Greater productivity and cooperation
• Higher follower morale
• Higher follower retention
• Greater leadership satisfaction
• Higher “Bottom Line”
• Greater return for the shareholders