Assessment Tools
Assessment is the process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.
Assessments are snapshots of the current state of an individual, team, or organization. They are useful in OD work because they answer the question “Where are we now” so that the path to “Where do we want to be” can be mapped out.
The most common form of assessment we conduct is diagnostic assessment. Self-assessment is a form of diagnostic assessment which involves people assessing themselves. Assessments can also be conducted by asking key others, such as peers, customers, supervisors, or direct reports, to provide input to the assessment process.
A valid assessment is one which measures what it is intended to measure. For example, it would not be valid to assess driving skills through a written test alone. A more valid way of assessing driving skills would be through a combination of tests that help determine what a driver knows, such as through a written test of driving knowledge, and what a driver is able to do, such as through a performance assessment of actual driving.
Reliability relates to the consistency of an assessment. A reliable assessment is one which consistently achieves the same results with the same (or similar) assessees.
