"The most useful part of the Strengthscope™ accreditation training was that the trainer listened to our concerns, responded professionally and gave us what we needed. Not all suppliers have this approach/skill."
Independent HR Consultant
FAQs
Q. Who designed Strengthscope™?
Q. What is different about Strengthscope™ from a normal personality questionnaire?
Q. How do you define ‘strengths’?
Q. What model is Strengthscope™ based on?
Q. My scores all seem rather low/high - what is this telling me?
Q. Is the sequence of the "Significant 7" relevant?
Q. Why are there 7 significant strengths?
Q. Does a high score against a particular strength mean I can perform well in this area?
Q. Does everyone have a Significant 7 or is the number sometimes different?
Q. What does the 1-10 scale tell me?
Q. Is it possible that I might have a strength that I am not good at?
Q. What can I do about the areas where I don't have a strength?
Q. Is there any relationship between my 'Significant 7' and Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) type?
Q. What differences are there between strengths and competencies?
Q. Are specific strengths more suitable for managers?
Q. Is it possible to overdevelop an area of strength?
Q. Do strengths change over time, i.e. will my strengths be the same in 5 or 10 years time?
Q. What about Strengthscope™'s reliability and validity - is it 'fit for purpose'?
Q. Do I need accreditation training to use Strengthscope™?
Q. What is the process for using Strengthscope™?
Q. What is Strengthscope™?
A. Strengthscope™ is an innovative assessment tool (with an optional 360 feature to provide feedback from up to 8 raters) that provides a comprehensive measurement of individual and team strengths at work. Strengthscope™ is wholly owned by The Strengths Partnership Ltd. Strengthscope™ comprises a series of rating scale items, plus dynamically generated questions to help respondents understand:
- Their work-related strengths or sources of energy and peak performance
- The tasks and activities that are most likely to energise them
- The likely consequences of using their strengths too much, too little or in a way that isn't appropriate
- The way their strengths are being perceived by co-workers and other key stakeholders, including recommendations for how to improve their performance (only available when respondents complete the 360/multi-rater version of the tool)
The Strengthscope™ feedback report provides a comprehensive account of a respondent's strengths at work, along with ideas as to how to put these strengths to best use at work. The feedback report forms a basis for a strengths-focused feedback session to provide the respondent with the best chance of maximising their strengths at work.
Q. Who designed Strengthscope™?
A. Strengthscope™ was designed by a team from The Strengths Partnership Ltd. The Strengths Partnership was founded and is jointly managed by James Brook and Dr Paul Brewerton. James is an expert in innovative assessment methods, talent management and leadership development and has worked internationally in corporate and consulting roles with a wide variety of clients. Paul is an expert in organisation development, organisational culture and psychometric design. As well as Paul and James, the design team contained a range of experts in assessment, selection, management and leadership development and psychometrics.
Q. What is different about Strengthscope™ from a normal personality questionnaire?
A. Strengthscope™ identifies the things that 'strengthen' you - this is a critical distinction between Strengthscope™ and say a broadband personality measure such as OPQ or 16PF5. Strengthscope™ does not describe behavioural preference (as personality questionnaires do) but instead identifies the behaviours and activities which make us feel strong, powerful and energised.
Q. How do you define ‘strengths’?
A. We define strengths as 'underlying qualities that energise us, contribute to our personal growth and lead to peak performance'. They reflect our passions and values and enable us to perform at our peak, in both good times and during tough, challenging times.
Q. What model is Strengthscope™ based on?
A. In designing the central Strengthscope™ model, The Strengths Partnership drew on a wide range of research efforts produced in the fields of personality, ability, positive psychology and strengths. We drilled down to identify the essence of strengths at work; finally selecting 24 strengths which we felt best captured performance-critical strengths in the workplace.
These strengths are broken down into four 'clusters' of strengths, as follows:
- Emotional: these strengths relate to how you manage and express your emotions in relation to circumstances and people around you
- Relational: these strengths relate to establishing and maintaining productive relations with others
- Thinking: these strengths relate to the areas in which you prefer to apply your intellect, as well as how you go about gathering and using information to make decisions at work
- Execution: these strengths relate to delivering results, in terms of content and delivery
The diagram on the following page below shows the full Strengthscope model and the areas it covers.
(click to enlarge)
Q. What does a low rating on my strengths profile mean? Does it mean that this is something I am not good at?
A. No, Strengthscope™ is not a measure of competence, but a measure of strength, i.e. those things that energise us and make us feel positive and confident. It could be that a lower score, or non-strength, indicates something that provides little to 'strengthen' us, or it could be that a non-strength is something that is actually weakening for us if we do too much of it. It is also possible (although less likely) that one or more of the "Significant Seven" strengths are not areas in which the person is particular competent or proficient, as they don't have the skills, knowledge and/or experience to fully apply the strength This is less likely because many people gain feelings of strength and energy from doing something well.
Q. My scores all seem rather low/high - what is this telling me?
A. Responses to the questionnaire are compared with other people's responses in order for a rating to be produced. In some cases, this leads to a profile being more 'left-sided' or 'right-sided'. Either way, it is the pattern of scores that is most important, from highest to lowest, rather than the overall position of someone's profile.
Q. Is the sequence of the "Significant 7" relevant?
A. No, there is no significance to the sequence of the Significant 7 in the report, which is presented in alphabetical order rather than in order of the associated 'sten' score. We would also caution against drawing general conclusions that a Significant 7 strength with a "sten 9" is more important that a Significant 7 strength with a "sten 8", as some of these differences are too small to draw meaningful conclusions from. It is far more important to treat each of the Significant 7 strengths as areas of potential strength and to explore these in relation to your current and future goals and responsibilities.
Q. Why are there 7 significant strengths?
A. Seven is a bit of a "magic number" in that it has been identified as the approximate number of items that people can typically retain in their short-term memory, which contributed to our decision to focus your attention on the 7 strengths that you have rated most strongly. This enables you to work on what is important to your success and what really energises you, rather than trying to focus on too many areas or be good at everything. However, we encourage people to identify their Standout 3 strengths as priority areas for developing their strengths.
Q. Does a high score against a particular strength mean I can perform well in this area?
A. No, not necessarily. A high score simply means that you are energised by this area and have potential to do well at it. However, some people may never optimise their strengths, usually as a result of a lack of awareness about their strengths or because they don't invest sufficient time and effort in maximising it.
Q. Does everyone have a Significant 7 or is the number sometimes different?
A. The report presents Significant 7 strengths for each respondent; however, for some respondents, there may be other strengths that are very close in score to the Significant 7 - it is sometimes worth exploring whether these too are important. For other respondents, it can be that say 3 or 4 strengths really stand out in their profile, while the others appear less important.
Q. What does the 1-10 scale tell me?
A. This is technically known as a 'sten' (standard ten) scale and is commonly used in psychometric testing, as an easily understandable way of charting a respondent's scores in different areas.
Q. It is useful to have a view on how visible I think my strengths are but what about what other people think - is there any way I can gain the views of people whose opinions I value?
A. Yes. Strengthscope offers multi-rater feedback on your strengths as standard. It is important that you are aware of how others who are close to you view your strengths in order to determine whether they see your strengths demonstrated through your behaviours in the same way as you view yourself. What is especially important to focus on is any 'gaps' or 'blind spots' between how you view yourself and how others see you. This will generate additional insights and self-awareness, enabling you to express yourself more authentically and to build higher quality relationships based on trust and openness. We would encourage you to get additional feedback on your strengths from others who know you well (manager, co-workers, spouse or partner, friends, etc.) to confirm whether these are indeed distinctive strengths. An added benefit of asking for such feedback is that through sharing your strengths with others, you are encouraging them to share more of themselves with you.
Q. Is it possible that I might have a strength that I am not good at?
A. Yes, this is possible, but doesn't occur very frequently. This is because we tend to be drawn to tasks and work that energises and strengthens us and avoid tasks and activities that we find draining or weakening. Over time, this process of making choices (conscious and unconscious) based on the level of interest and motivation we have for a task or activity develops our knowledge, skills and experience in that area, in other words, our strengths become more visible and powerful through additional acquisition of knowledge, skills and experience. However, it is possible to be skilled or talented in an area without you finding the task or activity energising. This tension will ultimately result in personal dissatisfaction and demotivation with that aspect of the work, even though the person may be good at it.
Q. What can I do about the areas where I don't have a strength?
A. The first question you need to ask is "What is the impact of this non-strength/weaker area on my work?" If there is little or no impact on your current work or future aspirations then you probably shouldn't invest too much time trying to develop in this area. However, if there is a negative impact on your performance or potential as result of this area, or if there is the risk of such impact, you should consider ways to "make your non-strength/weaker area less relevant by mitigating or managing it. Possible approaches include:
- Using areas of established strength to compensate for weaker areas or non-strengths.
- Finding someone who can compensate for your weaker areas to partner with you to perform the work.
- Stopping doing the task/activity altogether where it is not creating value for the organisation. Remember that we do a lot of things that don't add value and go unquestioned for long periods of time.
- Using support mechanisms (including technology) as a substitute for the lack of a strength in a particular area. For example, someone who is low on "efficiency" might use a good PDA organiser or online diary application to ensure they assume a more methodical approach to managing their time and tasks in future.
- Finding a new role which enables you to play to your strengths more of the time.
Q. How is Strengthscope™ different from Gallup's StrengthsFinder™ or Seligman and Peterson's Values in Action (VIA) tool?
A. Strengthscope™ differs in several important ways from these tools:
- Strengthscope™ offers superior psychometric properties, guaranteeing accuracy of assessment.
- If the multi-rater/360 option is chosen, the user receives multi-rater feedback from work colleagues and other key stakeholders on how their strengths are being perceived at work.
- The Strengths Partnership, the organisation behind Strengthscope™, has considerable consulting experience, know-how and tools to translate strengths assessment results into practical and measurable actions and results. We are able to answer the "This is a great assessment report, but so what?" question with confidence.
- The model is intentionally more straightforward than those of other tools to make it more practical and useable.
Q. Is there any relationship between my 'Significant 7' and Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) type?
A. The Strengths Partnership has conducted research to show the relationships between the Strengthscope™ model and other models of behaviour and thinking, such as the 'Big 5' personality factors and the Myers Briggs model. This paper is available on request.
Q. What differences are there between strengths and competencies?
A. Competencies are typically defined as characteristics and behaviours that predict successful organisational outcomes. Most organisations using competencies have focused their efforts on defining skills, knowledge and behaviours associated with success in a particular role, function or at a particular level in the organisation (e.g. leadership). Unlike competencies, strengths are related to the person and not the role, function or level. They have a strong emotional element as well as leading to valued outcomes; the best signpost of a strength is when something energises or strengthens you. Strengths are also part of your character - things that are core to you and are fairly consistently expressed across situations. Unlike surface characteristics such as skills and knowledge, they are relatively 'hardwired' in our teens and are difficult to develop and fundamentally change beyond this point.
Strengths Partnership see strengths and competencies as relating to each other as shown in the diagram below:
We believe that where job-specific competencies overlap with an individual's strengths, as well as where there is alignment with an organisation's goals, peak performance can be achieved and sustained.
Where there is a lack of alignment between these elements, performance is likely to be limited or short-term.
Q. Are specific strengths more suitable for managers?
A. No, since 'management' roles tend to vary significantly from organisation to organisation, there is no one set of strengths that make up a 'good manager'. Also, research has found that similar managers call on vastly different strengths to undertake their role, with equally impactful outcomes. What is important to the success of a manager is knowing one's strengths and applying these as optimally as possible, whilst managing or minimising weaknesses to make them less relevant.
Q. Is it possible to overdevelop an area of strength?
A. We believe that strengths have infinite development opportunity provided this is the right type of development. This is one of the things that makes them so powerful. However, a person could overuse a strength or use it in the wrong situation. For example, a collaborative person may seek others' input to a decision even when an urgent response is called for. Similarly, someone who is particularly focused on getting tasks completed may forget about the people and relationship aspects of work. The Strengths Partnership has developed a card deck around 'strengths in overdrive' which can be purchased through the website - www.strengthscope.com. Strengths in overdrive information is also contained as standard in each report.
Q. Do strengths change over time, i.e. will my strengths be the same in 5 or 10 years time?
A. Research has shown that one's strengths tend to be fairly stable over time, as they are a core part of who we are as individuals. However, important life events (marriage, divorce, major job change, childbirth, etc.) may bring strengths into the foreground or push them into the background for a period of time.
Q. Can the results of Strengthscope™ be influenced by situational factors when I answered the questionnaire, e.g. if I was particularly stressed due to a heavy workload or particularly relaxed after coming back from a great holiday?
A. Yes, though these factors are unlikely to distort the results significantly, as there are multiple questions measuring all 24 strengths. However, if you were influenced by a major situational factor and have reason to believe that the results are distorted as a result, please don't hesitate to contact us to retake the questionnaire.
Q. I would like to use Strengthscope™ in a team context - is there any way of bringing individual results together to create a team report?
A. Yes. Strengthscope™ has a team report component which provides teams, team leaders and facilitators with very rich information about the extent to which a team is currently able to play to its strengths and where there may be opportunities and threats to the team playing fully to its strengths. A sample report is available on request.
Q. What about Strengthscope™'s reliability and validity - is it 'fit for purpose'?
A. Our aspiration is for Strengthscope™ to be best in class in terms of psychometric properties. Our validation work with the tool is ongoing but up to now, we have obtained internal consistency and test-retest reliability ratings which far exceed the baseline required by the British Psychological Society and American Psychological Association. Median reliability currently stands at 0.83. Construct validity figures are also very positive, with clear statistical independence reported between each of Strengthscope™'s 24 strengths.
Q. Do I need accreditation training to use Strengthscope™?
A. Yes, accreditation training runs throughout each year and training takes one day. Experience has shown us that it is very important that prospective users of the instrument have the opportunity to watch demonstrations, use Strengthscope™ in a live setting, and receive feedback on their approach. This is because the approach and emphasis in using Strengthscope™ is different to more standard assessment tools.
The accreditation training includes:
- The business case and benefits of transitioning to a strengths-focused approach to managing and developing people
- The background to Strengthscope™, including the psychometric properties of the profiler
- How to apply the 4-A Strengths to Success Framework to take a person/team from awareness to achievement
- How to translate awareness and knowledge of your own and others' strengths into success
- How to provide constructive and appreciative feedback and coaching based on the Strengthscope™ report
- How to translate learning into a practical, business-relevant outcomes
Q. What is the process for using Strengthscope™?
A. At present, Strengthscope™ can be purchased by contacting The Strengths Partnership to agree the number of uses required. Once payment is received, individual IDs or a project ID will be allocated to you. You then invite participants to complete the questionnaire at www.strengthscope.com. We monitor completion rates and remain on hand for any support required. You can decide whether feedback reports should be sent to you or direct to participants, along with a debrief preparation questionnaire and a FAQs document to answer any immediate queries they may have. You then arrange separately for participants' feedback sessions.
Users are also able to administer the tool themselves once accredited, to allow complete control of all aspects of the tool.
Q. I have some more questions which are not answered in the document - how can I get in touch with you?
A. The Strengths Partnership can be contacted as follows:
Email: info@strengthspartnership.com
Website: www.strengthspartnership.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 8944 0289