Page 205 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

188 assessing potential and future performance
FREQUENTLY APPLIED METHODS AND TECHNIQUES
TO PREDICT (HIGH)POTENTIAL
We have already indicated that the measurement of potential in the general sense of
the word simply involves the measurement of personal qualities. For, if a person has
potential, this should, in principle, be regarded in isolation from contextual factors. The
contextual factors are relevant to the question of what an organisation can and will do
with this potential. It are, namely, often the contextual factors that make it easier, or more
difficult, for someone to achieve a certain development or achievement. Subject to diverse
developments on the market, the questions that are now at the forefront of discussions
within many organisations are: Does this individual have any potential, and to what
degree can this person develop certain competencies? This question will subsequently
also have to be translated into a ‘how’ question, namely: How can this person develop
in the manner specified?
What follows in this section is not an exhaustive overview, but an elaboration on
several methods and techniques that are currently often deployed to predict if somebody
possesses potential or not. These are:
Intelligence measurements

Personality measurements

Assessment centre/development centre

Value and motivation measurements.

Because potential is, generally, only measured when an organisation has an interest in
the results of such a measurement (because of a vacancy, or a development plan), when
determining which instruments are to be employed, several questions should already be
answered, namely:

What does the organisation understand by (high) potential?

What criteria should the person meet, exactly? Is there a specific position available,

or is the person concerned embarking on a career path. In other words, what are the
middle and long-term expectations?
What possibilities exist within the organisation for individuals to develop themselves?

What is the situation on the labour market? What demands can the organisation afford

to make?
What is the long-term policy with regard to Human Development and Organisational

Development?
On the basis of the answers given to these questions, the organisation can decide upon
the most suitable measurement instrument or the correct measurement methods. It is, in
any case, evident that there must be clarity with regard to what exactly the objective is
and what is to be measured or assessed.

Intelligence measurements
Intelligence tests may be oriented towards the assessment of a candidate’s abstractive
capabilities, verbal reasoning, numerical and spatial insight, and so forth. These deal
explicitly with the measurement of cognitive ability. Intelligence tests often form a basic
measurement, particularly for the group of more senior employees or (high) potentials.