Hypotheses Formulation

Introduction

The hypotheses of the general framework are formulated to answer the specific question on the relationship between the “Use of assessment techniques” and “Performance”. The operational content of the theoretical concept "Use of assessment technique" was clarified through an analysis of its uses, which identified nine categories, as illustrated on the right. Four antecedent variables were evidenced: technique, user, publisher/consultant, and environment, which are taken into consideration when formulating the hypothesis.

The first framework, developed in step 1 of the project, focused on use by leaders and managers and on measuring social behavior. This general framework, however, extends the analyses beyond leaders and the measurement of social behavior by employing a factor approach and adaptive profiles. This new framework enables comparisons of use and their effects on performance across other characteristics, including users with various roles, different assessment techniques, different types of results, and different cultural contexts.

The general framework can address the specific question by testing hypotheses from the first framework with new ones and by adjusting the antecedent variables based on context. The same adaptation needs to be applied to the anticipated conclusions.

Formulation Criteria

Six primary uses of a practical nature have been identified in “Organizational Development”, “Leadership,” “Coaching,” “Recruitment,” “Clinical,” and as a “Medium.” Three uses of a theoretical nature have been identified: “Self and Social Awareness,” “Learning,” and “Language.” Of a more abstract nature, these three theoretical uses are present transversally in the six practical ones.

To operationally define the relationship between the “Use of assessment techniques” and “Performance,” we say that there is agreement when, over time, performance increases, while the “Use of assessment techniques” increases too. Conversely, there is disagreement when the performance decreases or does not change, while the “Use of the assessment technique” increases.

The confrontation between the concepts of “Use of assessment technique” constructed inductively and the literature (obtained deductively) forms provisional refutable and confirmable hypotheses to be tested. The hypotheses are formulated in such a way that they make it possible to account validly for the relationship between the “Use of assessment technique” and “Performance”. The formulation of hypotheses was made to satisfy the criteria of plausibility, verifiability, precision, generalization, and communicability.

Practical Use

H1 - Use in Organizational Development

Among the various uses of assessment techniques, those at the organizational level are highly significant, providing accurate information for analyzing teams, departments, and management during substantial changes such as mergers or reorganizations. This information is crucial for making quick, critical decisions about people, impacting their future development, engagement, and performance. Effectively envisioning jobs at all company levels is strategic, and the characteristics of recruits and managers must align with the vision. Research suggests a better understanding of individual variables is necessary for group analysis. GRI uses Position Behavior Indicators (PBI) and Team Behavior Indicators (TBI) to guide recruitment and organizational development.. Given the capacity of assessment techniques to provide more refined and relevant information at both macro and micro levels, their use in organizational development is expected to have a substantial, positive impact on performance. These observations allow us to formulate the following Hypothesis 1:

Hypothesis 1: The correlation between using the assessment technique and organizational performance is more likely if the technique is used in organizational development.

H2 - Use in Leadership

Use in Leadership and management covers employee motivation, engagement, shared vision, communication, people management, goal setting, feedback, periodic review, and team development, all under the leader's responsibility. This use is distinct from HR or coaching, particularly in its effects when leaders use assessment information themselves. Leadership research, such as by Kouzes and Posner, highlights the essential need for people and social skills.. Assessment techniques aid in these skills, including inspiring a shared vision and enabling others to act. The relevance of a leader's style (democratic, autocratic, etc.) depends on the situation, requiring adaptive capacity. Assessment information provides new insights, enhancing a leader's ability to build team members' leadership. Furthermore, a leader’s most complex challenges are adaptive, and they can benefit from the objective data provided by assessment techniques. This fundamental link suggests a positive effect on performance. These observations allow us to formulate the following Hypothesis 2.

Hypothesis 2: The correlation between using the assessment technique and performance is stronger when the technique is applied in leadership and people management.

H3 - Use in Coaching

Coaching, which has grown since the late 1990s, frequently uses assessment techniques such as the MBTI. This use in coaching was incorporated into the revised framework because of its clear applicability to coaching and mentoring for individual development and team building. Coaches commonly use techniques such as 360-degree feedback and personality typologies, which differ from the trait assessments in recruitment. The GRI factor approach is also successfully used by coaches to build self-efficacy. Coaching is separate from recruitment and distinct from leadership development, with a focus on personal development at work and in life. The main impact of assessment techniques in coaching is the enhancement of self-efficacy, self-, and social awareness.. Studies show moderate positive effects on individual outcomes and efficacy, which, while not the direct focus, may subsequently impact organizational performance. For this reason, the following Hypothesis 3 was constructed:

Hypothesis 3: The correlation between the use of the assessment technique and performance is stronger when the technique is used in coaching.

H4 - Use in Recruitment

The scope of Recruitment includes selection, sourcing, interviewing, skills assessment, succession planning, and promotion, and is managed by HR or, in smaller firms, by management. These functions are often outsourced and increasingly supported by AI. Assessment techniques have a long history in mass recruitment, executive search, and promotions. Research has focused heavily on mass recruitment, ensuring compliance with regulations such as the EEOC and ADA, work-relatedness, reliability, and validity. When these criteria are met, the techniques add incremental value to improving performance. Interviewers can combine objective assessment data with immediate subjective insights. GRI observes that assessment results are used to quickly tailor the job to the candidate or vice-versa, with the quality of information, job relevance, and the candidate's behavioral adaptability being crucial decision elements. These observations lead to the formulation of the following Hypothesis 4.

Hypothesis 4: The correlation between using the assessment technique and performance is stronger when the assessment technique is used in recruitment.

H5 - Use in Clinical Settings

Clinical settings refer to health and well-being services, such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which are increasingly common corporate standards. Assessment techniques originated in clinical practice in the late 1890s and are still used by clinicians for diagnosis, therapy, and counseling. The use of these health services, often aided by new digital tools and AI, has increased since the onset of the pandemic. These clinical services, distinct from coaching, focus on therapy and have proven effective in treating mental health issues, thereby improving work productivity and reducing costs. At GRI, we’ve observed clinicians using non-traditional assessments, such as MBTI or the Enneagram, to gain unique insights for diagnosing individual challenges and counseling work-related issues. The more nuanced information from assessment techniques is expected to help improve mental health, address systemic workplace factors, enhance self-awareness, and, consequently, improve organizational performance. These observations make it possible to construct the following Hypothesis 5:

Hypothesis 5: The correlation between the use of the assessment technique and performance is stronger when the technique is applied in clinical settings.

H6 - Use for Medium Effect

The general framework includes all kinds of assessment techniques, from common to esoteric, competing with other formal, semi-formal, and statistics-based techniques within organizations. Some attract curiosity, become popular, and may be impressive, often giving the impression of truth, regardless of their actual quality. Long before the advent of modern techniques, the medium effect has been used to entertain a positive first impression and help build relationships. In large-group events, assessment techniques are used similarly, with participants answering surveys. The 'medium effect' is distinct from other uses, although, like its impact, it is readily observable. Its connection to performance is indirect, often occurring alongside other uses such as self-awareness. These observations make it possible to construct the following Hypothesis 6:

Hypothesis 6: The correlation between the use of the assessment technique and performance is stronger when the technique has a medium effect.

H7 - Joint use in Organizational Development, Leadership, and Recruitment

The manager's use of assessment techniques in organizational development and leadership extends the conventional use of these techniques in recruitment and coaching. More frequent use of the assessment technique in organizational development and leadership creates additional demand for its use in recruitment. The use of the technique on those three applications jointly increases their positive effects on performance. However, the use in coaching and clinical settings may not be directly connected. The three theoretical uses in self- and social-awareness, learning, and language and signs, are reinforced by those three combined uses as well. These observations make it possible to construct Hypothesis 7:

Hypothesis 7: The correlation between using the assessment technique and performance is even stronger when the technique is applied simultaneously in organizational development, leadership, and recruitment.

Theoretical Use

H8 - Use in Self and Social Awareness

Assessment techniques are used in feedback to foster personal growth by helping participants identify strengths, communication style, and decision-making patterns. Regardless of the varying quality and presentation of techniques, they function as indicators of self-awareness. Sharing this information also enhances social awareness, helping individuals understand others more objectively and linking personal insights to team and company roles. Discussions on self and social awareness are central to social sciences, and this domain is a major part of the growing personal development market. Information from assessments can guide future growth, identify adaptive challenges, improve engagement, and facilitate continuous improvement. This broad application at individual and group levels suggests that using assessment techniques for self and social awareness increases their overall impact on performance. These insights lead to the formulation of the following Hypothesis 8:

Hypothesis 8: The correlation between using the assessment technique and performance is stronger when the technique is used in self- and social-awareness.

H9 - Use in Learning

Learning associated with assessment techniques varies widely: some publishers require no certification, whereas others (e.g., those for coaching or clinical use) require certification. Learning private and common techniques is often effortless; however, for all techniques, learning serves as the foundation for practical use. With adaptive profiles, training is crucial for their effective use in applications such as organizational development and leadership. To be effective, learning must be relevant, use real examples, and follow an impeccable process. While one-on-one coaching often replaces group training, T-group sessions have demonstrated value by using simple assessment techniques. Research on sensitivity training supports the positive effects of leadership training courses, and a well-developed assessment technique can be a fundamental element of leadership training. Crucially, learning a new assessment technique is a process that develops over time through continuous practice and application, reinforcing the skills and increasing their effectiveness and impact on performance. These points lead to the formulation of the following Hypothesis 9:

Hypothesis 9: he practical uses of the assessment technique are all the stronger as its learning process is quasi-autonomous.

H10 - Use in Language

A key characteristic of assessment techniques is the unique language and signs they create. Literature, including the works of Mead and Pierce, emphasizes the importance of signs and symbols for personal connection to a system and the process of inference. The symbolic results of assessments are effective for quickly learning, recalling, and creating new inferences and skills. Assessment results come in various forms: narratives, traits with numbers, or typologies (e.g., MBTI's ESTJ or DISC's D, I, S, C). GRI's approach uses four factors to capture meaningful workplace behaviors. Once learned, this symbolic language enhances knowledge, communication, and decision-making. The conciseness, nuance, precision, memorability, and shareability of the results are critical, as they reduce ambiguity, improve decision-making, and boost the impact of other practical applications on performance. These observations allow for the formulation of the following Hypothesis 10:

Hypothesis 10: The agreement between the use of the assessment technique and performance is more likely when the result as a language and signs is facilitated.

Antecedents of Use

The analysis identified four antecedent variables influencing the use of assessment techniques. They have been regrouped into pairs to test two additional hypotheses: the assessment technique and the publisher/consultant, on the one hand, and the environment and people, on the other.

H11 - Technique and Publisher/Consultant

The publisher’s business model and the quality of the assessment technique are prior and determining elements that influence the use of the latter. There is no measurement without the technique. The business model implemented by the consultant will determine the degree of autonomy in the technique's processing and use within the organization. When the consultant retains control over the technique, leaders and managers cannot use it for frequent applications relevant to their roles that exceed the publisher’s and consultant’s capabilities. Moreover, not all assessment techniques possess the qualities required to perform all imaginable tasks. Specific characteristics and methods are necessary to deploy the technique in some applications, such as job descriptions (work-relatedness) or mergers and acquisitions (comparisons and re-grouping of measures). These observations make it possible to construct the following Hypothesis 11:

Hypothesis 11: The use of the assessment technique in learning is all the more probable when the technique and its business model from the publisher and consultant have appropriate characteristics.

H12 - User and Environment

Between ordinary parallel techniques and advanced statistics-based techniques, the range of available techniques is broad. Some organizations and individuals are more willing to use advanced assessment techniques than others, or are not willing to use any advanced techniques, preferring parallel techniques. Every organization, every person, has their beliefs about human beings, why people do what they do the way they do it. The characteristics of the environment and users before the first uses, as well as during use — because these characteristics evolve – suggest minimal dispositions and a progression of these dispositions for using some assessment techniques. These observations make it possible to construct the following Hypothesis 12:

Hypothesis 12: The use of the assessment technique is more likely when the environment and user have the appropriate characteristics.