The Role of Values in Assessment Centres

1. The role of Values in Assessment Centres ASCG conference, South Africa, March 2002 by Charmaine Swanevelder Managing Consultant, SHL Cape Town

2. Thus far, to gain unconditional commitment to company objectives... Behaviour and performance Skills and knowledge Motivation and personality Intellectual capabilities If we succeed in these things, results will follow (‘Geld’)

3. Individual exercise: Note on a piece of paper the 5 things that are most important to you in your ideal job (keep until later)

4. Values?. . . • Impact upon people’s decisions and governs their behaviour • In employment arena can help improve person-organisation fit • Important implications for team-building

5. Identity Values Competencies Behaviour Context Person or Group Representation of identity, values, competencies and behaviour Who am I? (Personality, gender, nationality, etc.) Why am I behaving as I do? (Motivation and values) When do I behave as I do? (Corporate culture, etc.)

6. Defining values • Core to human existence. • Actual values endorsed depends on own external circumstances (Maslow, 1943), yet are considered closely connected to the identity or individuality of an individual.

7. Many people know the price of things, few the value -Oscar Wilde Theories on values • Values provide stability in a rapidly changing world. Stability comes from the values we hold in common (Brian Hall) • Potential capability increases when the values that underpin the corporate vision are shared by all the stakeholders in the organisation (Tom Carter) • Organisations that are successful over long periods of time are values-based organisations(Values Technology Inc.)

8. Theories on values (Rokeach, 1979) • number of human values are small • the same the world over • capable of different structural arrangements • are the resultants of societal demands and psychological needs • they are learned and determined by culture, society, society’s institutions, and personal experience • they are determents in turn of attitudes, judgements, choices, attributions, and action • they are capable of undergoing change as a result of changes in society, situation, self-conception, and self-awareness • that changes in values represent central rather than peripheral changes, thus having important consequences for other cognition’s and social behaviour’

9. Theories on values (Gordon, 1963) • In personality assessment, an individual may be described by what he characteristically does in particular situations, that is in what terms of traits that typify his behaviour. • In addition, he may be described in term of his basic motivational patterns, or the values that he holds. • In understanding the individual, both types of measurement are important

10. The SHL Value Theory Formation Peer groups Society Upbringing Past Values Societal norms Selection Personal norms motivation Compe-tencies Present Situation Execution Behaviour Internal External

11. About Values. . . • Beliefs about the importance of goals • People differ in their relative ordering of importance of basic values • In employment, values affect perceived worth of organisational goals, person-organisation fit – and hence job satisfaction and retention

12. Motivation “Effort” Personality “Preference” Values “Importance”

13. How to access values in assessment centre technology? Values@Work Questionnaire

14. Development • Research began in 1998 – lead by Wouter Schoonman (SHL Netherlands) • Literature review • Some 12 major models found • Adopted Schwartz (1992) model of 10 basic values • Adapted these to work-oriented content

15. Schwartz model of basic values Openness to Change Self-Transcendence Universalism Self-Direction Stimulation Benevolence Hedonism Conformity Tradition Achievement Security Power Self-Enhancement Conservation

16. The SHL Values Model

17. The SHL Values Model

18. The SHL Values Model

19. The SHL Values Model

21. Values @ Work Instrument • 12 scales • 6 items per scale • alpha coefficients .75 - .93

22. Personality (OPQ32) Corporate Culture (CCQ Lite) Motivation (MQ) Values@Work ‘Preferred Style’ ‘determined by culture, society, society’s institutions, and personal experience’ (Rokeach) ‘Effort’/Gordon’s basic motivational patterns

23. Values@work OPQ32 BIG 5 Personality Factors

24. Values and the Big 5 • Hypotheses based on research of Roccas et al (1999) using NEO FFI. • Extraversion -> Enjoyment • Openness -> Adventure • Agreeableness -> Affiliation • Conscientiousness -> Certainty • Bilsky & Schwartz (1994) predict no relationships with Neuroticism

25. Observed and predicted correlations: Big 5: Fit = 76.9%

26. BIG 5 Construct OPQ32 scale NEO correlation Neuroticism Relaxed Worrying Tough Minded 0.80 Extraversion Outgoing Modest Emotionally Controlled 0.51 Openness to Experience Conceptual Conventional Variety Seeking 0.42 Agreeableness Caring Democratic Trusting 0.60 Conscientious Detail Conscious Conscientious Vigorous 0.74 OPQ32, NEO and the BIG 5 N = 155

27. Case Study 2: Organisation values, mean self-ratings and differences Influence 30 Certainty Achievement 20 Respect Self direction 10 Self n=54 Affiliation Wealth 0 Org n=44 Diff Self-Org Diversity Enjoyment Aesthetics Adventure Harmony

28. Ambition Security Balance Challenge

29. In summary . . . . • Good fit to OPQ, MQ and CCQ predictions • Support for the ordering of the values around the circumplex model • Good fit on Big 5 scales to predicted ordering. • Differences between European and Japanese sample. • Latter show difference in Harmony and Affiliation correlations with Big 5 • Good support for job relevance of P-O fit measures

30. Applications of Values@Work

31. Levels of Individual Assessment Information on job context (CCQ)? Individual Assessment Tools JOB PERFORMANCE & OBJECTIVES (Targets & Results) Performance Appraisal Management by Objectives National Qualifications Framework Licensing Examinations Assessment Centre Simulations Competency based Questionnaires; 360’s Intelligence Tests Personality Questionnaires Ability Tests; Motivation; Values COMPETENCE (Knowledge & Experience) COMPETENCIES (Skills & Abilities) POTENTIALITIES (Intelligence, Personality, Traits, Aptitudes) (Designed by Prof Hennie Kriek, SHL)