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My company has hired a management consultant to improve the culture of the management team. The first step in this process is for all managers to fill out a Predictive Index Survey.

Do you have any experience with this tool and if so, how accurate is it? Anything to be wary of? At first glance it appears to be maybe a notch or two above horoscopes, but maybe I'm missing something...

Regards,
- Larry

tlhausmann's picture
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I do not have any experience with that particular instrument. Like you, I *used* to think of personality surveys as helpful as reading tea leaves.

Have you gone back and listened to the DISC podcasts? The podcasts help me see DISC (and personality instruments) as a helpful tool in being a more effective communicator. In fact, I had an outside facilitator deliver the DISC profile to my team and review our results together. It really helped.

wendii's picture
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Larry

According to their website: http://www.piworldwide.com/PredictiveIndex/Default.asp PI is a valid instrument (which is a technical term with specific meaning).

There isn't any detail on the specific details of the validity, but like other instruments it appears to measure the behavioural requirements for the job and match individual preferences against them.

As a qualified practioner of these instruments, I spent 6 days in training, 3 days learning statistics of how and why they work, and 3 days learning how to give feedback on them. Practioners are drilled in saying this is not a test, it is a questionnaire, there are no right or wrong answers, it's about your preference not necessarily about how you do act, it's about how you are at work not at home and it's about understanding if you are a round peg in a round hole, because that is where you will be most efficient.

I think there is more of a problem in both this thread and the one about eq, that companies are not explaining the reasons why they want to use these instruments, and how they will help them help you. For example, it would be unethical to fire someone who was effective but badly matched to their role, and it's unlikely this is the reason you are being asked to complete the survey. But it would be useful to understand someone's preferences in order to give them new responsibilities in their areas of preference or to talk about their next role in the context of their likes and dislikes.

Wendii

bflynn's picture

Wendy, no reason to qualify that as a rant. It was one of the most comprehensive and brief explanations of this kind of testing that I've heard. Thank you.

I think this is the same message that M&M were trying to get across in the pre-employment testing podcast. And here, you explained in two paragraphs what they took 30 minutes to do. Your legendary talent for clear brevity is well earned.

Brian

JimmyBGood's picture
AManagerTool's picture

[quote]hired a management consultant to improve the culture of the management team[/quote]

Oh boy...LOL

HMac's picture

[quote="ljzana"]My company has hired a management consultant to improve the culture of the management team.[/quote]

Larry - just curious: what are the biggest one or two problems your company is facing?...and based on that, I would if "improving the culture of the management team: gets you anywhere.

I've been part of companies facing sales declines, products falling out of favor in the market, too much internal cost, etc. And I've been dismayed that they end up thinking they need to work on the "culture." No - they need to get successful. And that's harder than doing internally-focused reorgs.

I don't mean to suggest that culture isn't important. But so often these initiatives end up being costly distractions that don't get at root problems.

-Hugh

cwatine's picture
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How true!
"Changing culture" : what does that mean?
I would be honnestly interested in knowing how they can define the actual culture of your company (the actual) and the culture they will implement (the target).