Using Individual Assessments in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for HR Professionals, Trainers, and Managers

Table of Contents:
Foreword by W. Warner Burke xi Foreword by Adrian Furnham xv 1. Introduction 1 For Whom Did We Write This Book? 1 What Are Our Recommendations? 2 How Is This Book Organized? 3 2. The Practice of Individual Assessment 7 What Is Individual Assessment? 8 What Does an Assessor Need to Know? 8 The Three Levels of Assessor Competencies 9 The Individual Assessment Model 15 Information Technology and Individual Assessment 22 Summary 29 3. Psychological Measurement 31 The Normal Distribution Curve 31 Reliability 33 Validity 37 Norms 40 The Role of the Assessor 42 Classification of Psychological Tests 44 Interviewing 51 Summary 52 4. Collecting and Analyzing Assessment Data 53 Using the Five-Step Model of Individual Assessment 54 Hard and Soft Data 68 Assessment Procedures and Choices 71 Reporting and Follow-Up Choices 82 Summary 83 5. Developing and Integrating Individual Assessment Data 85 Choosing Measures 86 The Database 88 Processing the Database 96 Summary 104 6. Reporting Individual Assessment Results 107 The Focus of a Final Report 108 Content and Style 108 Drawing Conclusions and Making Recommendations 118 A Decision-Making Model 119 A Forty-Question Checklist 121 Computer-Generated Reports 121 Individual Assessment for Development 125 Future-Oriented Job Analysis 134 Summary 135 Appendix A: Recommended Readings 137 Appendix B: Sample Position Description 139 Appendix C: Introduction to Job Analysis 143 Appendix D: First-Line Management/Supervisory Level Competency Model 153 Appendix E: Senior Management/Executive Level Competency Model 159 Appendix F: Sample Individual Assessment Report on Applicant for Administrative Assistant Position 167 Appendix G: Sample Assessment Report—Supervisor/First-Line Manager 171 Appendix H: Sample Individual Assessment Report—Management and Executive Level 179 Appendix I: Selected Tests and Publishers 189 References 199 About the Authors 203 Index 205

About the Author :
Leonard D. Goodstein, Ph.D., a consulting psychologist based in Washington, D.C., specializes in providing consultation in personality assessment, especially in the workplace—as well as executive development, including executive coaching. He is also a Principal with Professional Assessment Services and Solutions (PASS), Psichometrics International, LLC, and Forensic Sciences Medical Group, PC. After receiving his bachelor’s degree with honors from the City College of New York, Dr. Goodstein went on to receive both an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University, both in psychology. A holder of the Diploma in Clinical Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology, Dr. Goodstein is a Distinguished Practitioner of the National Academy of Practice. He is a licensed psychologist in both California and the District of Columbia. Dr. Goodstein is listed in Who’s Who in America and American Men and Women in Science. Since completing a three-year term as executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association, psychology’s national membership association, in 1988 he has been engaged in consulting, research, and writing. Prior to APA, Dr. Goodstein had a distinguished academic career, including professorships at the Universities of Iowa, Cincinnati, and Arizona State, where he served as chair of the Department of Psychology. In addition, he has been a Fulbright Senior Lecturer (Professor) at the Vrije Universiteit in the Netherlands. After leaving academia and prior to joining APA, he was president and later chairman of the board of University Associates, Inc., now Pfeiffer. Erich P. Prien, Ph.D., an industrial/organizational psychologist based in Memphis, Tennessee, specializes in the development, standardization, and application of psychological tests, especially in the workplace. He is also the founder and president of Performance Management Press (PMP), which has been the principal marketing arm for his tests. Following receipt of his bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University, he received an MA from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. from Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve), both in industrial/organizational psychology. Dr. Prien has served as a research psychologist for the Standard Oil Company, as assistant director of the Psychological Research Service at Case Western University, as adviser to the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces, and as a faculty member at Greensboro College, University of Akron, Georgia Technical University, and the University of Memphis. After leaving the University of Memphis in 1987, Dr. Prien has devoted himself to his professional practice, his research, and his sustained interest in writing. Dr. Prien is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and holds the Diploma in Industrial Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. Among his many awards are the Distinguished Professional Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Author of the Year Award from The American Society of Training Directors and the Journal of Performance and Instruction, and he was the Creativity Research Award Winner from the American Society for Personnel Administration twice.

Review :
"Clearly written and well organized" (Personnel Psychology, 10/03/2007)