Suitability determines if a person “will” do the job. Each job must be analyzed to determine what requirements are needed in order for a person to be successful.  Then each person must be assessed to determine if they possess the competencies required to succeed. Generally, suitability consists of the following behavioral competencies.

Behavioral competencies are far more difficult to assess without some form of measurement instrument.  To accurately predict suitability for a position requires a deep understanding of the human psyche and the specific traits (behaviors) required for the position to achieve top-level performance. InnerView is a very sophisticated tool for measuring and working with Emotional Intelligence.

Assessing the Competencies Required for the Job

Determining the requirements of a specific position is as important as assessing the person.  You must accurately assess the job in order to have any degree of real success in identifying and determining if a person will be a top, medium or low performer.

The required traits for a job must be analyzed as carefully as those for the person. There are essential and desirable traits required for specific jobs, as well as specific traits that must be avoided.  Determining essential, desirable and "traits to avoid" is critical to achieving job suitability. 

There are about 130 traits to select from within the InnerView software system to determine the behavioral requirements for a position.  The HI system employs this wide array of traits in order to be able to pinpoint only those traits that actually correlate to success for any given position.  They can vary greatly in management jobs, while others are more applicable for sales, customer service, administration, clerical, production, and semi-skilled jobs, etc.  Below is a sample of how you go about determining whether a trait is "essential," "desirable" or one  "to be avoided" for a specific position.  This is one example of a question from our forty page job analysis questionnaire which allows us to obtain input on a job in specific detail from those who know it best, including those currently performing in it at the top levels.

Analyzes Pitfalls (a typical behavioral trait)

Analyzes pitfalls indicates the degree a person tends to scrutinize potential difficulties related to a plan or strategy.  A high score indicates the person tends to scrutinize potential difficulties and a low score indicates the person does not.  Analyzes pitfalls should only be used in a template for management positions or positions that require strategic decision-making or thinking.

Continuous Validation is Possible Using a Performance Measurement System

Lack of suitability can contribute to every negative employee condition imaginable, even in the best of work environments. It results in turnover, customer dissatisfaction and loss of business opportunities. The impact of a high or low suitable manager is amplified because of the ripple effect of their behavior. Suitability is the foundation for success in most every work-related position.

When suitability is high, production, team-work, communications and alignment generally reach the highest levels of satisfaction. Suitability is a powerful force.  It contributes heavily to the accomplishment of organizational goals and strategies.  It is at the very core of organizational excellence.

Excellence begins with having the right person in the right job.  Everything else flows from there.

How does InnerView Differentiate Itself?

The Structure and Design of The Instrument: The fundamental basis for InnerView's ability to reveal deeply rooted insights into behavior starts with the structure of the questionnaire and the theory upon which each question is based.  First, HI differs in how the data is gathered.  Many personality and individual assessment tests use questionnaires that are easy to “see through” and often are not job related.  Many of their questions tend to invade personal privacy. In addition, some are based on Bi-polar scales that force an either/or type of response.  These are based on the belief that a person is one way or another.  The InnerView is designed to discover balances and imbalances instead of the ‘typecasting’ effect that comes from Bi-polar scales.  

For instance, in Bi-polar tests you have to be either diplomatic or frank in your communication style. HI has proven this to be an erroneous assumption.  Our research has shown that the degree to which a person is both diplomatic and frank determines effective communications.

The HI questionnaire is constructed in such a way that it reveals the degree to which you are able to extend versatility into both the areas of frankness and diplomacy…at the same time. HI has discovered that it is the combination of traits that reveals how effective a communicator, decision-maker, leader, etc., a person is.  (See the discussion on Paradox Theory)

How and Why InnerView Works

The single greatest factor that differentiates HI is that it is based on the Enjoyment/Performance and Paradox Theories.  This comprehensive view of the underlying structure that ‘causes’ human performance provides a way for an individual to consciously improve their performance. The InnerView can accurately predict performance because it is based on the underlying structure that determines an individual’s behavior. Just as the shape of the land determines the flow of water, structure determines behavior.  The underlying structure that determines how an individual is going to perform in a work environment (with a high degree of predictability) is revealed by the application of these two theories. 

The Enjoyment-Performance Theory

First, let’s examine the Enjoyment-Performance Theory.  Simply put, it states that an individual will perform more effectively in a job when they:

1. enjoy the majority of the required tasks and activities,

2. have a personal interest in the work and

3. are in a work environment that matches their personal preferences.

When these conditions exist, a person will tend to:
1. do it more often (and enthusiastically), 2. become better at it (even study it), 3.  generally receive positive feedback  and 4. do it more often.  This cycle positively effects productivity, retention and levels of achievement.
Conversely, when a person dislikes required activities they 1. avoid or put it off, 2. don’t improve, 3. receive negative feedback and 4. performance and lack of enjoyment become linked together in a vicious cycle.

Paradox Theory

We have identified 12 paradoxical paired choices that can be applied to specific traits and personal/organizational effectiveness. For example Frank and Diplomatic are a pair of traits that determine communication effectiveness. A person who is both frank and diplomatic is an effective communicator. Conversely, a person can be counter-productive in their communications when they are strong in one trait and lacking in the other or deficient in both. This is pictured below.

The Impact of Paradoxical Balances and Imbalances
 
By analyzing over 200,000 comparisons, the HI software is able to isolate how a person’s paradoxical choices are going to affect their performance in a variety of positions.  

The paradoxes listed below have the greatest effect on organizational dynamics.  They strongly influence a person's ability to lead, manage, sell, service customers, communicate, strategize, manage and deal with change, solve problems, make decisions, build teams, work together, and accomplish goals. Without this knowledge about people, the ability to utilize human capital is limited.  Equally, with this knowledge a person having any one of these imbalances can learn, grow and develop him/herself with laser sharp precision. Executives, managers, team leaders, coaches, mentors and corporate trainers can increase their effectiveness by delegating, presenting material and tailoring learning approaches to each individual.

Having this kind of information when choosing between candidates for a position can determine the success of individual performance, mission critical projects, executing strategic plans, forming winning teams and determining an organization’s values and culture.  

Copyright 2003 Dan Harrison all InnerView related material

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