8 Responses

1. achieving their purpose
   In my experience, there are quite a few personality questionnaires/profiling tools out there. The best i have come across is HBDI
   Herman Brain Institute – not as detailed as some but less subjective! Graduates and management love it!! It’s not so detailed as to put them off – make them conspicuous or question it, yet it helps them to understand their own thinking styles.

   contact me if you need more information:

   adelefirth@hotmail.com or upteam@uk2.net

   well wishes :o)

2. Questionnaires
   i think sticking to some of the tried and tested products can give a better result, as there is more comparison data and often more experience in giving feedback.

   If its for Development then the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is a great tool. For more business specific the SHL OPQ is pretty faultless and give a great range of options on reports. Of course for a good development centre its the blend of activities that is more important than specific ones. If you need a contact who is experienced in this area I know a few very good independent consultants I have had good service from in the past.

   cheers
   Mark

3. Offer of support…
   Do you want to develop or to assess?
   If development is the priority, I would strongly recommend the Strength Deployment Inventory as the best tool for self analysis and application back at work over those others mentioned.
   I have been involved in the design and delivery of several rather innovative programmes – please feel free to contact me should you want to discuss options.

   Regards
   Ben

4. Possibilities for the Centre
   Hi Lisbeth.

   For use on a development centre there is a wealth of possibilities.

   In the past I’ve used a number of different inventories supplied by Management Learning Resources, 01267 281661.

   They supply an instrument similar to MBTI and without the necessity to undergo the costly training to use MBTI itself. As a level A and B trained user I’m quite confident about using this inventory.

   They have other useful ones on leadership, conflict and so on.

   Jossey Bass Pfeiffer publish a wealth of HR inventories in their Annuals – to buy the whole set is quite costly but might be a worthwhile investment for your organisation if you are doing a lot of internal development work.

   I haven’t used it myself but Julie Hay’s Assessment Centre pack published by Gower may contain relevant material.

   Fenman will shortly be publishing my toolkit on Assessment and Development Centres which might be of some use just to compare ideas.

5. Corporate University Blueprint
   Hi – please have a look at http://www.corporateuniversity.org.uk
   they have many applications running for the CU Blueprint and you may find its application as a senior exec strategic learning leadership project of interest.
   best regards
   Richard Dealtry

6. Assessment Tools for development Centres
   As a user and licenced trainer for Stenght Deployment Inventory i cann throughly recommend the process, especially when you can determine the strengths needed by the individual related to job function.
   Good luck

7. Personality Profiles
   The 16PF is one of the best personality profiles for use in development centres as it can be linked to the competencies that are relevant to the organisation giving an indication of which competencies will need development. Also the OMQ which indicates what factors motivate an individual’s performance which help them achieve their full potential.

8. Other options
   Dear Lisbeth,

   Just to add to the other comments, again it depends on what you’re doing. My experience is more in development. Myers Briggs (see OPP) has a lot of material and can provide a lot of self understanding

   Also the Hay Group publish a group of inventories:
   Learning Styles – (based on Kolb’s work)with a good group problem solving exercise called the stuck truck
   Learning Skills profile – a useful diagnostic tool showing strengths and development areas in relation to job demands.

   Both may require a little adaption according to needs. Hay Group do offer a sample package of these items where you can buy a selection of items at a cheaper rate to see what they’re like. Check out their website

   Best of luck,

   Michael