Assessments Today

How to . . . Introduce the Idea of an Assessment

In any endeavor, it seems to me that setting the stage is critical for success.  It lays the ground work of for clarify expectations. 

A colleague and reader of my ezine put it this way in a recent correspondence regarding how to approach the issue within a client system:

I provide an overview of the types of assessments, a discussion of some of them, some comments about how to determine validity and value, the importance of how to know if an assessment is for you in terms of resonance and common recognition within corporations, etc.

Perfect. The same holds true with the individual.  I always like to ask in a light fashion what that person's feelings are about assessments.  From there I know how and if I want to proceed. In my experience I find one third love them, one third hate them and one third couldn't care less.

I usually continue in a similar vein by asking what assessments they have taken.  Reading the facial expressions quickly, I may follow-up with:  "Are you familiar with the MBTI or DISC; they are the most common assessments out there?"  My intention is to find out more about attitudes AND what they may or may not remember. (How they respond often tells me a lot about their own styles than what the results ever could.)  Next, if they like assessments, I want to know what that data meant to them and how they may have used it personally or professionally. If they don't like them, I want to listen more to find out why. At this stage I have usually decided not to recommend any instrument.  I am sincerely curious and often agree with why they dislike these sorts of tools.  My advice? Never get into defending.  Once in awhile, if I have a good relationship, I may ask if they would "do me a favor" and complete a specific assessment that I think might be interesting. I am clear to explain the purpose, benefits and my rational.  I don't push it.

For those who are more neutral, it is easy to fall into the trap of "selling".  Discuss what the client wants to achieve and the various routes to get there. Remember, an assessment is one route and while we may think it is the most direct, sometimes a more scenic route can be more valuable.

Assess How Well Your Company Learns

Despite my complaints about individual learning styles, along comes some great new material on The Learning Organization.  This is the next step in Peter Senge's seminal workThe Fifth DisciplineThe model, following research and assessment are excellent.  Here is a ten minute video which discuss the material and you can find the full HBR article at the moment for free.

An organization with a strong learning culture faces the unpredictable deftly. However, a concrete method for understanding precisely how an institution learns and for identifying specific steps to help it learn better has remained elusive. A new survey instrument from professors Garvin and Edmondson of Harvard Business School and assistant professor Gino of Carnegie Mellon University allows you to ground your efforts in becoming a learning organization.

The tool’s conceptual foundation is what the authors call the three building blocks of a learning organization. The first, a supportive learning environment, comprises psychological safety, appreciation of differences, openness to new ideas, and time for reflection. The second, concrete learning processes and practices, includes experimentation, information collection and analysis, and education and training. These two complementary elements are fortified by the final building block: leadership that reinforces learning.

What is even more exciting is you can take the full assessment for your organization on line directly.  Developed by Amy Edmondson, David Garvin, & Francesca Gino, this assessment tool, can help companies  pinpoint areas where they need to foster knowledge sharing, idea development, learning from mistakes, and holistic thinking.  You will find a mini version at the above link as well.

 

Why Won't Learning Styles Go Away?

This is my third discussion over the years on the issue of Learning Styles, not to mention how often I have refered to it in the past in my newsletter. 

Below is an article that I wrote in January's ezine:

What is the Big Deal About Learning Styles Assessments?

A few days ago, I read the following request: "Can anyone recommend an instrument that will reveal preferred learning styles that may be useful in an "x" environment?"

It got me thinking of a number of things and I decided to write about one of my thoughts this issue.  Let me put this into context first.  I personally like learning styles and I think as a coach or trainer or consultant it is a good idea to know about these concepts so we can appeal to all types of learners in our work. It is also very worthwhile to know our own preferences so that we are careful not to show a bias towards one or two styles.  I feel this subject is very important and way back in 2002, in another life, I offered a free teleclass on this very topic.  My notes can still be found on the web at:  http://www.wghill.com/assessments/learning.htm  However, I can't guarantee that the links will still work.

When designing any training or learning activity, I like to follow the principles of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle.  This covers all of the critical elements in learning in a way that makes sense for all learners.

I am not convinced that taking a Learning Style assessment is a practical tool in most training or coaching.  Do I need to know that I am conceptual to realize that I like to work with ideas or models?  Does my step son (who has Asperger's Syndrome) need to take a learning styles test for the teacher to know that he responds best to oral instructions versus written.  It seems to me that it is the "teacher" who wants to do these kinds of assessments more than the student.

The most logical argument that is that having this knowledge, one can develop a personal learning system based on their adult learning style. (Assuming that the "perfect" learning model or theory had been identified - there are a number out there.) Nice in theory but I am not so sure as practical in the real world.  This approach, IMHO, is limiting and difficult to match an activity to preference.  For example, I might be very auditory but unless I am driving long distances, audio books or CD's are useless for me.  I tend to be over stimulated by other things.  And when I use to drive over an hour at a time in Canada, I can't tell you how many times I missed my turn off exit on the freeway while listening to an "audio book".

While not fully convinced, I would agree that in order to develop a useful learning plan, that take a Learning Styles Assessment might be beneficial.  There are a number worth checking out - specifically I would recommend HRQ Press.  They have four different ones for you to review.

Copyright 2008 Roberta F. Hill, AssessmentsNow.com Used with permission.