SQI System FAQ

Q 1. Does the report tell me how the person sees himself/herself or how others see them?

A. SQI System tells you how the person tends to behave. This includes behavior that the person himself/herself may not be conscious of, but that may be observed by others. It also includes behavior that the person is conscious of, but that others have not observed (for example, a person who manages to curb his/her natural temperament for the duration of an interview). A SQI report is able to describe actual behavior rather than the perceptions of self or others, because the instrument is based on two theories: these are Choice-Performance model (itself derived from Motivated-Behavioral Research) and Optimal Balance Research.

Q 2. Can you base on the test results to accurately predict the specific behaviors of an individual in a variety of situations with different people in the workplace?

A. The system focuses on producing test results that will accurately predict the specific behaviors of an individual in a variety of situations with different people in the workplace based on an in-depth understanding of the personal values / belief system of the person. To solve a problem, it is known that we need to know and treat the roots and not symptoms. Behavior in the workplace is an outward manifestation of our beliefs and emotions. Hence, focusing solely on understanding and measuring the behaviors in the workplace alone without knowing and understanding the person’s values and emotions system can be misleading. The research started with the notion that every person is a self-motivated individual. It is a matter of what motivates the person (whether negatively or positively motivated) and draws the energy out from the person which aligns with the person’s belief system. Therefore, whatever a person perceives as aligned with his / her own belief system; the person will be motivated to initiate a positive respond. This is especially so since the system is looking at people in the workplace and every person have his / her own past experiences that shaped his / her belief system and along side, his / her expectation of self and people around them.

Q 3. Will short-term mood swing affect the accuracy of the test results?

A. The accuracy of the SQI System Report is not affected by short-term mood swings. However, a few traits can be affected by a person’s current life circumstances, normally over a period of several months. Prolonged and particularly difficult passages in life can lower some scores but changes will rarely be dramatic. SQI’s “test-retest coefficient” is very high (.87) in comparison to that of other assessments. When a person completes the questionnaire once and then again five months later, the scores on average will be 85% the same.

Q 4. Does it label people on the basis of the scores and is it overly-reliant on self-report instruments to produce the test results?

A. Care is taken to ensure the profile report does not label the individual being profiled or provide overly diplomatic descriptions about the person. This approach is aligned with the very fundamental goal of using the system, or as a matter of fact, the goal in using any personality testing tools. The goal is about developing a person’s behavioural competence, not tearing people down or putting more negative energy in a person by using labelling words to judge them on the one end or using positive words to the point of keeping them unaware of areas to develop on the other end. SQI’s ability to reveal deeply rooted understanding into workplace behavior is largely based on the structure of the questionnaire and the research upon which each question is based. It avoids using questionnaires that are easy for the profilees to know what answers to give in order to get the job they are applying or to produce profiles that will make them look good. The profilee can attempt to provide answers that are not representative of them, but if this happens you will almost certainly know. The consistency score, which measures the consistency of the profilee’s answers, will alert you to possible attempts of doing so. This score ranges from 0 to 100. A consistency score of zero could either signal an attempt to provide answers that are not representative of them (profilees) or an indication that the profilee is still in the process of discovering what make most sense to him / her. Whilst not infallible, SQI is many times more difficult for profilees to provide answers that are not representative when compared to the non-representative inputs detection systems of similar types of assessments. Based on the Optimal Balance research, SQI questions are designed to discover balances and imbalances instead of the ‘stereotyping’ effect that comes from bi-polar scales. The bi-polar tests rested on the assumptions that you have to be either accommodating or competing in your negotiation style. Your experience would have proven this is not true all the time. Our research has shown that the degree to which a person is both accommodating and competing determines real-life effective negotiations. SQI has validated existing research that it is an optimal combination of traits that reveals how effective a presenter, negotiator, leader, etc., a person is. Most personality tests measure only 10 to 30 traits. They are ‘descriptive in nature’ which are not designed to predict behavior related to job performance. SQI measures more than 100 traits and are cross-referenced in order to identify a person’s strongest emotional and behavioral competencies including information on imbalances that hinder performance of certain jobs / tasks.

Q 5. Even with high accuracy in its diagnosis, can the tool prescribe solutions in areas of personality imbalance?

A. SQI is not just a testing tool, it is a system based on validated research that integrates the existing research to better understand how people are motivated to behave the way they are in different situations with different people and hence how to develop them without having to painfully overcome their resistance to the suggested changes (including deployment) for development. A system that will help you gain deep understanding on how the person will behave, why the person behave in certain ways and how to get their ‘buy-in’ to be developed with the willingness to exert high levels of effort to reach compatible individual and organizational goals. It is a system that helps you to hire people most suitable for a particular job, develop them effectively and thereby retaining them who have the values and performance you will treasure. The system therefore focuses on critical emotional and behavioral competencies including positive emotions management to stay above negative situations (especially in implementation and operations maintaining activities), positive interpersonal communications, creative presentations, joint problem-solving conflicts and negotiations management , sound decision-making, resource organizational skills and innovations management.

Q 6. Are the results affected by having different cultural backgrounds?

A. Because SQI System is formulated from work related preferences, the results are very similar across cultures. There are only minor differences across cultures even when different languages are used.

Q 7. What is the age limit and reading level required?

A. We recommend administering SQI System to persons who have attained at least the age of 16. Todate we have many younger people with good reading skills have successfully completed the questionnaire.

Q 8. If a company is hiring new staff, at what point in the selection process should SQI System be used?

A. Cost-effectiveness is your best guideline. In most cases, you will want to screen for eligibility first by vetting CV’s or by quick telephone screening to determine that the correct qualifications and previous experience are present. Then, for those candidates who have the correct eligibility, evaluate the cost to your company of an interview. This can be done by multiplying the interviewer/s’ hourly salary by the length of time needed for the interview/s. Compare this cost with the cost of a SQI System report. Put the process that is most cost-effective next. This is usually SQI, unless the job is very junior. If you have many eligible candidates, you can save time, money and effort at this stage by interviewing only those whose SQI profiles show a reasonable level of suitability to the job. An additional advantage of using SQI system before the interview process is that the SQI System report can be used to prompt effective questioning during interview.

Q 9. What is the ideal score we want on a trait?

A. There is no such thing as an ideal score independent of the job. Our consultants will train you to analyze the job using a structured, easy-to-follow methodology. Your analysis will determine the ideal scores for that job. This methodology can be applied to required traits (traits to screen for) as well as to traits to avoid (traits to screen against) for that job.

Q 10. What are the standard reports that can be generated from the SQI System?

A. There are five standard reports that can be generated from the SQI System: 1. Summary Report A 2-pages report to show in point forms and with the individual item intensity score ranging from 1 being the lowest and 6 being the highest as well as the individual item consistency score ranging from 0 to 100. The report shows the person’s most preferred traits, tasks and working environment and contrast the information with the person’s least preferred in the same areas of coverage. 2. Trait Scoring Organization Report This report allows you to see the exact score for each trait in columns ranked from the highest score to the lowest. Training to interpret this report is included in the 2-day interpretation workshop. (See SQI Systen Certification Workshop for further information.) 3. Profile Graphs Report These reports show the individual scores on the main traits using graphical representations. Two days’ training are required to effectively interpret the 4-page Graphs Report. On the Graphs, the higher the number, the more intense is the score on that trait. The traits are arranged in pairs of complementary or contrasting (opposites) traits. The Graphs and Trait Scoring Organization format provide a significantly deeper insight into the person than using only the descriptive reports. 4. Basic Interpretation Report This Report gives a detailed explanation of results of each trait as well as combinations of traits. The descriptions are ordered according to the titles of the 30 frames found in the Graphs Report. The Basic Interpretation Report is the interpretation of the Profile Graphs. Please note that this report does not replace a face-to-face interpretation as words carry different meanings to different people in different context and the profilee has not been given an orientation of the formats used in the report when the person print it out immediately after the completion of the questionnaire. In addition, a face-to-face interpretation helps to clarify understanding related to the past conditioning of the person and the person’s current challenges in the workplace. Hence, reports on how to manage the person, how the person can manage oneself, training recommendations, career options, career compatibility and career developments are not provided until and unless the face-to-face interpretation has been done effectively. Doing so will be pre-mature for effectiveness without an understanding of the person’s paradigms, past conditioning and current work challenges. 5. Typical Roles Suitability Report This report compares how the individual matches the traits required for a typical role found in most profit-making organization. This Report is a summary of the person’s suitability scores for 11 typical roles commonly found in most profit-making organizations. Each role has a detailed template for knowing the specific trait that does not match the role and how the overall suitability score is derived. This template for any specific role within the 11 roles available, can be provided upon request The roles templates can be easily customized to match the culture, constraints, opportunities and other environmental factors and team dynamics in a client’s organization for screening job applicants in the hiring exercise. This is part of the consulting work covered in the 2nd Certification Program. The percentage score in the center column entitled “Suitability Score” indicates the percentage to which the applicant fulfills all the desired traits. The applicants are listed in order from the most suitable candidate to the least suitable candidate. The second column from the right entitled “Remarks (Based on suitability score” is the descriptive rating of the person’s suitability for each typical role. The first column from the left is the 11 typical roles (these are based on standard general templates BEFORE any customization match the culture, constraints, opportunities and other environmental factors and team dynamics in a client’s organization for screening job applicants in the hiring exercise.) The suitability score does not cover technical competencies and experiences that the profilee may have already gained in those roles. The suitability ratings are given according to the following scale: Suitability Score Remarks (Based on suitability score) 82% and above Highly Suitable 66% to 81.9% Suitable with room for development 49% to 65.9% Possible if intensive training and coaching is done with success 0 to 48.9% Your Traits Most Likely Do Not Match The Nature of This Role

Q 11. What do the consistency scores and situational response score represent?

A. The Overall Consistency Score and the Situational Response Score can be found on the cover page of the Profile Report. The overall Consistency Score reflect the person’s degree of overall consistency of answers. Many items on the questionnaire are duplicated without situational and with situational factors that can affect the person’s responses for those items. The highest consistency score is 100 and the lowest is Zero. Any score below 100, does not mean the remaining score represents inconsistency. For example, if a person has an overall consistency score of 40%, it does not mean that the person is 60% inconsistent. “If the color is not black, does not mean that it must be white.” Instead, the 60 % represents the person’s Overall Situational Response Score as the system have situational questions that capture the score. Using this example, it means 40% of the person’s answers remain the same regardless of changes in the situational factors which have been built into the questions. It is a reflection of the stability of a person’s core values and beliefs that are very clear to the person at the point of responding to those questions. 60% of the person’s answers changes in order to match the scenarios and situational factors which have been built into the questions in such a way that make sense to the person guided by his/her beliefs / paradigm. Inconsistency score ranges from -100 to + 100. BUT inconsistency scores are not shown on the report with the end goal in mind to coach and develop a person rather than to judge, contempt and tear a person down with negative numbers and labeling words without reasonable amount of probing to understand the person’s past conditioning that make sense to the person. I like to believe that no one like to put oneself at a disadvantage or get into trouble and when one does, it is only one did not understand or see the danger one is creating for self.. All people’s profiles have some inconsistency for the fact that no single person however successful is perfect. In my view, the main characteristic of human beings operating in the real world is no perfection. An Overall Consistency score of less than 15 indicates some confusion in filling out the questionnaire or the person is still in a transition of searching for the right balance and paradigms from his/her own perspective. However, the profile is still reliable. If the Overall Consistency score is 0, the profile should not be considered reliable. (Note: Not applicable for the consistency scores for the individual items which have a few different formulas to incorporate other scores not reveal to the profilee with an intention to affirm and develop the person). In that case, the person may have attempted to answer according to what he/she thinks would be desired by the organization. An Overall Consistency score of 0 can also mean that the person did not take or have the time to answer carefully or it can mean that the person has a low literacy level. If the questionnaire is answered at random, there is less than a 2 per cent chance that the Overall Consistency score will be 0. The average Overall Consistency score for a random answer is 6. On the other hand, if the Overall Consistency score is 100%, the profilee may either have super memory and calculations ability to ‘manage’ his/her answers under the time constraints of 40 minutes according to what he/she thinks would be desired by the organization. An Overall Consistency score of more than 75 indicates the person is less responsive to the different scenarios and situational factors which have been built into the questions. This can be a big disadvantage to the person in the sense that the person may have difficulty adapting to changes. Some level of frustrations and stress under the deadline created by the duration to complete the questionnaire on-line is expected. This is deliberate as it is a simulation exercise built into the questions answering activity to capture the degree of change in the person’s responses when the person is under stress with some frustrations.

Q 12. How is the questionnaire being administered to generate the profile report?

A. The questionnaire is administered on-line via our web based technology. There are 29 groups of statements in the questionnaire. In each group, there are six (6) statements. Each statement is to be ranked by clicking a box in the blank space located on the right column of the statement. Each statement is required to have a different ranking number – that is the same number cannot be used twice in each group of 6 statements. To save the profilee time and to assist the profilee to do it right the first time, there is an alert feature on-line. Anytime, there is a "Double-Ranking"- the answer with the '"Double-Ranking" will be displaced or disappear, to allow the profilee to re-enter his/her answers. The profilee should not click "REFRESH" or "BACK RETURN" bar as it will reset the process. In that case, the profilee has to re-log in and start the process afresh. Most people take between 30 to 35 minutes to complete the questionnaire which is within the maximum time limit of 40 minutes given. Once finished, the profilee can print out his/her own comprehensive report immediately (28 Pages in total). This is a feature that satisfies people using the system as the ‘rewards’ of the effort is given instantly. In addition, people will not have the wrong impression that the inputs are ‘manipulated’ before giving them the report. Those who administer the questionnaire should avoid terms such as “test” or “psychometric test”. Instead, just explain that the questionnaire provides a better understanding of the person’s work preferences. Tell him/her that there are no right or wrong answers. The basic interpretations are already included in plain English in the report which can be understood easily by the profilee.