Introduction
The advancement of leadership theories and literature on the concept has prompted a thorough analysis of the measurement criteria. Various tools have been designed to fulfill the merit of each governance ideology and standardize the process. Myers Briggs, DISC, Leadership Legacy, and emotional intelligence assessment are some of the most common tests. All these mechanisms apply to different organizational setups. However, like DSC and Myers Briggs, some are considered the most applicable because they have gained common acceptance by most organizations.
DISC
It is arguably the most popular leadership assessment test whose profiling is intuitive and straightforward. It is quick, easy, and can be used on many people, unlike the other methods. It is unique since it measures observable behavior, whereas others focus on a person’s preferences. The advanced versions create a vivid contrast between an individual’s behavior at home and work. The key considerations are dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance.
The analysis data provides the employer with how a team member responds to challenges and the type of solution most likely to be chosen. Its widespread use has provided an opportunity for the development and improvement of the model (Morais et al., 2020). Presently, there are various hosts that one can choose from, which are presented in varying capacities depending on the required task.
Legacy Leadership Assessment
This tool analyzes the impact that an individual has on the group they lead. It measures the depth of one’s transformative skills in any organizational setting. One such magnitude is whether the leadership will inspire the followers to pursue similar lifestyles and perceptions or not. It is not focused on the technical or managerial skillset; instead, it emphasizes influence on a person’s team. However, its accuracy is not reliable since it is not easy to prove whether a given personality type will likely stir people into the type of governance.
Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator
It is a popular tool used that is effective and provides reliable results. It was launched in 962 and is most useful for the team-building process (Hieker & Pringle, 2020). It divides everyone into sixteen personality types which are assigned a combination of letters. They include extroverted (E), introverted (I), sensing (S), intuition, thinking (T), feeling (F), judging (J), and perceiving (P). Out of these different combination sets, one is dominant and is hence the determinant trait. It is imperative to note that the test should be administered by a certified therapist or counselor, or coach for accurate outcomes. The process is fun to do, and results are determined instantly, with even free online sites providing insightful conclusions.
Emotional Intelligence Assessment
There are multiple intelligences that people can learn in various ways, from spatial to linguistic. However, there is an intrinsic capacity to understand things and concepts commonly measured by intelligence quotient (IQ). It represents an individual’s capacity to manage their feelings while considering a situation rationally (Kim & Kim, 2017). Leaders are expected to have mastered this kind of skill to integrate it into their decision-making process. They should understand the mechanisms to control their emotional quotient (EQ) while recognizing those of their followers. As such, an analysis of EQ and one’s ability to handle it provides reliable data, which is just as useful as technical skills.
Conclusion
An assessment of a leadership capacity is only reliable if it is consistent and measures the same thing reproducibly. In such a case, if a similar test is undertaken twice by the same person, the results should be like the first time. Moreover, the conclusions about that particular individual’s knowledge and skills should generate the same score. Generally, most tests are effective in measuring competency and are thus valid. However, some are more popular than others. Most organizations mainly prefer Myers-Briggs because of the analysis of people’s personalities and implied application.
References
Hieker, C., & Pringle, J. (2020). The Future of Leadership Development: Disruption and the Impact of Megatrends. Springer Nature.
Kim, H., & Kim, T. (2017). Emotional intelligence and transformational leadership: A review of empirical studies. Human Resource Development Review, 16(4), 377-393.
Morais, C. H. B., Barini Filho, U., & Martins, M. R. (2020). The Use of Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance (DISC) Personality Test in the Assessment of Accidents Likelihood on Offshore Drilling Operations. In ASME 2020 39th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering. American Society of Mechanical Engineers Digital Collection.