Hypotheses Criteria

Introduction

The hypotheses of the GRI general framework were developed to address a specific research question about the relationship between the "Use of Assessment techniques" and an “Organization’s Performance".

The theoretical concept of "Use of assessment techniques" was defined during an initial phase by analyzing the use of assessment techniques and the nine variables of use: "Organizational Development," "Leadership," "Coaching," "Recruitment," "Clinical," "Entertainment," "Self and Social Awareness," "Learning," and "Language and Signs." To operationally define the relationship between the use of assessment techniques and organizational performance, we define agreement as the two variables moving in the same direction. Conversely, disagreement happens when one variable progresses in the opposite direction from the other.

Confronting the concepts of "Use of assessment techniques" built from literature (deductively) and from the field (inductively) enabled building preliminary hypotheses that are refutable and can be confirmed and tested. The hypotheses are formulated to create a valid explanation for the connection between the "Use of the assessment technique" by individuals and "Performance". These hypotheses meet the requirements of plausibility, verifiability, precision, generalizability, and communicability, as detailed below.

Plausibility

A hypothesis should be strongly connected to the phenomenon it aims to explain. It should not merely state an obvious truth but allow for a certain level of uncertainty. The relevance of the hypothesis is directly proportional to the knowledge acquired about the subject being studied.

Based on the current state of research and practice, after phase 1 validated the use of personality assessments by leaders, we chose to extend the focus to assessment techniques at large and other users, while keeping the same dependent variable. The extension was possible thanks to a new exploration field, progress of techniques and their use on the market, and new tools and techniques being developed at GRI.

Verifiability

The availability of information is a determining criterion for verifying a hypothesis. The hypothesis depends on the general elements of the problem and on the type of data that can be accessed for verification.

The information available for verification combines recorded field observations and interviews, performance measures from the adaptive profiles, and other information about people and companies available on the Internet. These elements enable the hypotheses to focus on the relationship between the "use of assessment technique" and "performance."

Accuracy

When formulating hypotheses, it is essential to avoid ambiguity or confusion regarding the selection of key concepts or terms and the proposed relationships among them. The key terms of the hypothesis must be precise enough to represent the phenomena under study accurately, and the relationship among these phenomena must be specified to avoid ambiguity. To achieve this, the expression of hypotheses has been minimized.

Generalizability

The hypothesis should have a broader explanatory power that extends beyond specific instances. One way to achieve this is to ensure that it is grounded in a theoretical approach, as is the case with the assumptions employed. It is also essential to begin with a broad field of exploration, as it has been and remains the case. This aspect is presented in a separate article.

Communicability

Hypotheses should be clear and straightforward so that they can be easily understood and verified. For this reason, the aspects related to semiotics and language, which are somewhat more abstract but are key, are addressed at the end.