UNDERSTAND:
Human Nature |
Conation |
Kolbe Wisdom |
Kolbe A Index |
Action Modes |
Kolbe Strengths |
Three Parts of the Mind |
Research/Validity |
Articles |
Testimonials
| KOLBE InSite Happy Holidays from Kolbe Corp - December 2001 InSite Newsletter |
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| In this issue: Quote of the Month Holiday Greetings from Kathy What is Ipsative? Mentoring Conative Knowledge Tester Certified Client Info Feedback |
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"I always was a rebel. On the other hand, I want to be loved and accepted by all facets of society, and not be this loudmouth, lunatic, poet and musician...but I cannot be what I'm not." John Lennon ^ return to top |
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| Holiday Letter from Kathy Dear Friends, Selecting holiday gifts for our grandchildren is always a special joy. The search is to find just the right ones to suit their unique MOs. Sam, 4, is almost certainly a Fact Finder/Follow Thru whose love of construction trucks and building sets leads to books about then, holders for them, and parts that match. He collects "only two types Grandma, so don't mix them up with other stuff!" Grace, 3, surely has quite a bit of Quick Start. She'll make up games with little people, plastic and stuffed animals, game parts, bright papers, and the gizmos I'll gather for her -- improvising all the way. "Grandma, you pretend to be a butterfly and I'll put stickers all over your wings." Kate, 2, who climbs on everything, is a natural for soft tumbling shapes, a durable push cart, textured balls, and books with "feely" things inside. There'll be no harm done if we cater to what are probably Implementor tendencies. Christopher, 5, seemed to be a Facilitator from the get go. He'll join in what others are doing, and try to keep everyone involved. He's drawn to games and equipment "so we can make a team." Then there's little Jack, 1, whose MO is anyone's guess. He's his own person for sure. One who, right now, is most drawn to the holiday hugs, and songs, and good cheer. May we all give and receive the love that brings Jack such joy, and the special gifts that nurture who we are. Will and I hope your holidays bring happy memories, and that the New Year brings peace on earth. Kathy ^ return to top |
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| What is Ipsative? The Kolbe A™ Index is an "ipsative" instrument, not a "normative" one. So we say, but what does that mean? The term ipsative refers to the Kolbe results and helps explain how they differ from the results of cognitive and some affective instruments (which tend to be normative). Let's go to a definition: "Ipsative" means measured against itself. An ipsative result is observed as a fact, not compared to other results and then put in the context of an average or expected outcome (as is done with "normative" instruments). With an ipsative score each person thus provides his or her own frame of reference. If you're still confused, a Kolbe MO is not placed on a scale of better to worse or higher to lower as would the result of, say, an IQ test. If you'd like to delve into this further, one good source of information and definitions on tests and measurements can be found on: http://wizard.ucr.edu/~kmcneill/tst-meas.htm. ^ return to top |
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| Mentoring Are you looking for a great application for Kolbe within your organization? Are you marketing your services out in the business world and looking for an angle to get your foot in the door? Take a look at how neatly Kolbe dovetails with mentoring programs. Mentoring programs are growing in popularity across corporate America. The expected benefits from such programs are leadership development, expanded training opportunities and, eventually, bottom line results or improved productivity. Major corporations such as Monsanto are reporting not only improved retention of desirable employees, but also great job satisfaction. Here's how the programs usually work. Experienced senior managers (mentors) are paired with new or more junior managers (mentees) who presumably will benefit from learning the ins and outs of the corporate world from people who have been there. Usually the pair would be on the same career path so that coaching can be as specific as possible. Some companies have gone so far as to link employee evaluation and compensation incentives to the level of success generated by the pairing process, with the ultimate proof of success or failure being the attrition rate of mentees. The pairing process is exactly where Kolbe comes into the picture. Normally, pairing takes place based on criteria such as similar education (both are electrical engineers), similar career paths (both are re in the manufacturing division, of, say, microprocessors and on a track to division manager), or other similarities (both are women, for example). Let's say we get all that congruency, but the mentor is a Quick Start/Implementor (MO of 3377) and the mentee is a Fact Finder/Follow Thru (MO of 7733). If the mentor coaches the mentee on problem-solving, can you imagine the frustration this would be bound to generate? "Well, Mary, when I was faced with almost that identical problem, I decided the way to deal with the situation was just to take the risk and go for it." Here's hoping a bottle of Alka Seltzer goes with each piece of advice. We think Kolbe brings great insight to the pairing process. We agree that all other matching points are important, but the instinctive way each partner initiates problem solving can be critical to success. Check out the consulting potential and let us know what you find. And, if there's anyone out there who has already used Kolbe in mentoring application, we'd love to hear from you. ^ return to top |
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| Conative Knowledge Tester Here's a situation to test your knowledge. In a recent consulting assignment, the client wanted to follow up the Kolbe TeamSuccess® seminar with a discussion of certain personnel issues. During the seminar, the Kolbe results caused that caused the most surprise were that of the Vice President of Operations. His MO of 8444 caused a great deal of discussion since the other participants claimed they didn't see the initiating Fact Finder traits attributable to him. In fact, their guess was that he was more of a Facilitator. It seemed that they had internalized a classic image of the Fact Finder as someone who would sit in his office and pore over data received from the operating units, evaluating it and putting into some sort of strategic framework. In fact, the Ops VP collected his information informally by walking around, visiting the stores, touching base with people and asking questions as he went. Furthermore, the Ops VP affirmed his MO and the other participants ended up endorsing the 8444 MO, but not wholeheartedly. Job well done, but there's more. During the debriefing session with the client, the Ops VP came up again. His Kolbe B™ Index showed his expectations for how the job needed to be done were 7662 - not a bad match when compared to his A results. Moreover, the client now pulled up the Kolbe C Index, which defined his requirements for the job as 6663; again not a bad match. There was only one caveat (a big one): the Ops VP wasn't performing well in the job. The client shared his frustration that this direct report didn't show any Fact Finder at all. While it was agreed that his method of collecting data could be unorthodox, the complaint was that the information gathered was not evaluated or assessed as to relevances, nor communicated with any strategic recommendations. No hierarchy of needs or values was created and the Ops VP seemed to be incapable of prioritizing his job tasks and continually missed deadlines. "Can Kolbe help me?" the client wanted to know. The answer is yes. Here's what the Kolbe consultant had to say so check your own answer against it. "I can tell you with total certainty that this is not a conative issue. The Ops VP affirms his Kolbe A result; the Kolbe B expectations and the C requirements are well within tolerance. Either this person is not motivated to do the job or he doesn't have the skills or level of understanding necessary." The client quickly affirmed that, in his opinion, the Ops VP was in over his head and wasn't performing adequately as a result. Applying the Kolbe assessments only validated what the client already knew or suspected. This is a case where, although applying the Kolbe process was not going to improve the employee's performance, Kolbe nonetheless provided a valuable service - and one that was readily recognized by the client. ^ return to top |
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| Certified Client Info We are getting excited about PGS May 2-3, 2002. For those of you who are active and licensed consultants, keep a lookout in your email for you invitation. ^ return to top |
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| Feedback If we are going to do the best job possible for you, we need your feedback. We'd like to know the types of issues you want addressed in this newsletter. Also, we are constantly upgrading our websites in order to make them more user friendly and we can do this best with your input. Many of you are internet savvy with your own sites and we would appreciate being able to benefit from your experience. Let's make 2002 the year of the two-way street for communication. ^ return to top |
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