Strength-Based Assessment - 'What?', 'How?', and 'Why?' Howard Grosvenor, UK Professional Services Director, cut-e UK

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Strengths-Based Assessment
What is it?
How can you use it?

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Aims
Demystify what a strengths-based approach is
Help you understand how you might use this approach

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What is the Strengths-based
approach?

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Effective Behaviour = Capability x Motivation
Capability & Motivation

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Things you like
doing
(Motivation)
Things you are
good at
(Capability)
Air Hockey, Skiing
Washing-up, Tax Returns
In the vast majority of cases,
there is overlap
Capability & Motivation

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Capability & Motivation
When you have capability AND
motivation:
“I get so absorbed in it”
When you have motivation but
not capability
“I really enjoy it”
“I want to do it more and more”
When you have capability but
not motivation:
“I could have been a contender”
“I just can’t find the time”

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You like the things you are good at, because you are good
at them, and that makes you feel good!
You are good at the things you like, because you tend to do
them more often than the things you dislike
Very few things occupy the fringes
Capability & Motivation

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The fundamental nature of the ‘thing’ in all cases is no
different; it can be called a strength, a competency, a
behaviour, an attribute, etc. it is simply a label to describe
what the ‘thing’ is, e.g. problem solving, creativity, air
hockey, skiing
A strengths-based approach does not claim to have
discovered something fundamentally qualitatively different
about people
Capability & Motivation

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Effective Behaviour = Capability x Motivation
A Strengths-based approach measures
these things together
A competency-based approach
measures these things
separately
Competency & Strengths
This bit stays the same

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Quiz

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Is it Competency or Strength?

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“… rapidly learn new information and
approaches…”
Is it Competency or Strength?

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“…enables optimal functioning,
development and performance…”
Is it Competency or Strength?

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“…. It is also the key element of the
succession planning process because it
provides a way of developing people for
their future roles.”
Is it Competency or Strength?

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“By identifying your and
matching yourself to the role, you
will…perform better”
Is it Competency or Strength?

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“…fosters increased training, skill
building, job satisfaction and other
measurements and leads to
improved hiring practices.”
Is it Competency or Strength?

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Recap
A strength is the combination of motivation and capability
The strength-based approach implies a difference in how
you use assessments rather than something qualitatively
different in what you assess
Additionally, some strength-based approaches:
Consider the fit of a person’s strengths into the team and the
overall team strengths
Cover a broader range of behaviour than is directly relevant
for the role

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Measuring Strengths

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Measuring Strengths
Observations / Job Simulations
Situational Judgement Questionnaires
Ability Tests
Interviews
Performance Appraisal
…because the nature of what we are measuring is
fundamentally the same as other approaches, we use
similar or identical methods: but how we use these
methods is different because the philosophy is different…

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Job Navigator
Aim – Understand the person and their strengths then
orient them towards a career path that suits their strengths
How? Use a range of assessments that measure Capability
and Motivation. Produce a individual report that identifies
strengths and suggests career paths for further exploration.

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Capability x Motivation

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ROI
Success in training, a significant investment over several
years, rose from 88% to 95% after implementing the
solution
This equates to approximately €4.2m in wage and training
costs

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High Tech Manufacturing Sales
Aim - Transform salesforce towards a solution selling
approach
How? – Enable awareness of strengths, potential strengths
and learned strengths
Assessments
180 Rating
Preferences, Abilities, Motivation
Report – customised Strengths-based Sales Development
Report

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High Tech Manufacturing Sales

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High Tech Manufacturing Sales

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Summary
 The Strengths-based approach has something to offer how
we deploy assessments as part of a blended approach
Advantages:
 Candidate Experience
 Assessor Experience
 Manager Experience
Limitations:
 Blind spots/opportunity to probe
 Sometimes you will measure things you are not even interested in
 You may find it hard to identify what you are looking for

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Endfolie
cut-e UK
1 Quality Court
Chancery Lane,
London, WC2A 1HR
Tel; 020 8133 3361
Email; info.uk@cut-e.com