Is there a dynamic or behaviors in the organization, teams, or individuals that are not supporting high performance? Are there other behaviors that, if leveraged, could produce quantum leap results? How do we identify these and create opening for the awareness, development, and growth necessary. To these ends, business leaders, human resources, or individual associates often use tools to help identify focal areas for behavioral change. Commonly, assessments are utilized because intervening without specific knowledge of the root cause or an individual/group’s frame of reference very often results in ineffective and non-binding behavioral change.
There are a myriad of business assessment tools such as 360° Feedback, Climate Surveys, Myers-Briggs, DiSC, and many others which can be used to generate specific information and openings for meaningful dialogue and shifts. In recent years, many organizations have administered assessments to gain information, but this knowledge has not been tied to a specifically defined outcomes. While the information is interesting and potentially actionable, the missing link is the translation of the information to real, sustainable behavioral shifts. What’s missing?
To be able to translate assessment data into actionable and sustainable results, a bridge must be built. Recognition of a developmental lever, such as ‘the need for improved communication’, does not directly translate into one’s ability to alter behavior as required. It’s unfortunately not that simple. Behaviors are hard-wired and have been reinforced over years of experience. If knowing that we needed to diet or giving us a great diet plan was enough to get us to diet and stay slim, would there be so many of us struggling with it? Therefore, to augment or shift a set of actions or behaviors, the focus must be on the individual’s beliefs and frameworks as well as on the insights, skills, and practice necessary to create and sustain a behavioral shift. The process by which this is undertaken is coaching or a coaching-based dialogue.
Coaching is an approach or process which focuses on creating an “and” in the individual’s, group’s or leadership’s frame of reference; adding a new behavior to their repertoire. Instead of reacting based on an imprinted, historical framework, the individual or team would act intentionally based on the outcome desired. Coaching provides a new framework in which a situation can be viewed, thus allowing an additional set of behaviors to become relevant. Through coaching conversations and practices (to ground the new insights and behaviors), behavioral shifts can occur and be regenerated.
Serving organizations in the greater Southern California area, Cain-Stanley & Company supports them in the application of business assessments, assessment debrief, and subsequent group or individual coaching in support of the specified outcomes. If desired, we will work with the organization to integrate and leverage the information gained to further develop organizational goals; hence, a win-win at multiple levels is achieved.
Our primary business assessments (if you are looking for a particular assessment, please inquire):
- 360° Assessments
- Korn Ferry Emotional Intelligence 360° Assessment—Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Styles, and Organizational Climate
- OSI Polaris Leadership Competency 360° Assessment
- CSC Interview 360° Assessment
- Excelerate Communication 360° Assessment
- Enneagram Personality Profile
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
- DiSC Profile Personality Assessment
- Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)
Enneagram Personality Profile
The Enneagram describes nine different sets of values and filters through which the world can be seen. It does not “put people in boxes.” Instead, It actually helps people learn to recognize and expand the boxes they are already in, and ultimately to dissolve those boxes. It’s a respectful and dynamic system that provides a path of healthy development for each type, including how to build on strengths and avoid pitfalls. It assists leaders and employees in understanding themselves, clients, customers, others in the organization, and the organization itself through new eyes. Energy is freed for productivity and creativity that was previously lost in frustration and agitation.
Integration of the Enneagram allows teams and organizations to optimize individuals’ strengths, take advantage of synergy, improve teamwork, enhance mutual understanding and respect, improve leadership, enhance communication, and increase customer satisfaction, morale, productivity, and employee retention.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment.Through the MBTI, 16 distinctive personality types can be identified based on the interactions among the preferences.
Excerpted from the MBTI® Manual: A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®
Preferences:
- Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I).
- Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).
- Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).
- Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).
Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have determined your own personality type expressed in 4 letters, e.g., ENTJ, ISFP. All types are equal. A mixture of types is best for a work group or team because many points of view are represented.
https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/
Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)
Because no two individuals have exactly the same expectations and desires, conflict is a natural part of our interactions with others. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) is designed to measure a person’s behavior in conflict situations. “Conflict situations” are those in which the concerns of two people appear to be incompatible. In such situations, we can describe an individual’s behavior along two dimensions: (1) assertiveness, the extent to which the person attempts to satisfy his own concerns, and (2) cooperativeness, the extent to which the person attempts to satisfy the other person’s concerns. Through effective communication, emotional mastery, self-awareness and verbal and nonverbal communication skills, conflict can be navigated more effectively. Managing conflict isn’t always about resolving an issue; it’s about creating healthy environments that enable engagement and productivity.The TKI is a self-scoring assessment that takes about fifteen minutes to complete. Interpretation and feedback materials help you learn about the most appropriate uses for each conflict-handling mode.