From organizational change to recruitment and team building,
The Kolbe Method™ of assessment provides the missing link

By Tony A. Rose, CPA & Kathy Kolbe

Despite the best efforts of hundreds of the world’s top managers and consultants, creating an effective, repeatable road map for navigating major organizational change has been elusive. There have been successes, but they appear driven by the individual, intangible genius of a few business superstars. These leaders not only drive change, but also successfully manage the process of change to solve problems of physical infrastructure, strategic planning and the riddle of how to adapt and optimize the human capital of their organizations. What do these leaders use to produce results and how can their successes be translated and taught to others? The answer lies in understanding the part of individual, team and organizational behavior that remains a constant. The answer is instinct.

For years, change management was an issue only for outside consultants. Leaders within organizations relied on the “perspective” of outsiders to identify issues and deliver unpleasant news. Although the tactics, or even the strategy, presented by outsiders often made sense, the implementation usually fell short. Reliance on this approach alone has proven to be an ineffective solution.

The Kolbe Method™, developed more than 20 years ago by Kathy Kolbe, allows you to evaluate the specific instinctive behaviors of an individual or a team of people.

More than any other factor, human beings are powered by instinct

Human instinct is the most visible, sustainable driver of human behavior. Yet most assessment tools measure only the cognitive elements (IQ) of our minds, or the affective facets of our personalities. Although these tools can be helpful, they totally bypass the most significant driver of human behavior. IQ tests measure intelligence, which may be important but doesn’t predict success in a particular role. Personality traits are subjective, and crowd pleasers don’t always have the capabilities they claim or perceive themselves to have.

What’s missing from these tools is an assessment of the third part of the mind – the conative, or instinctive part. Instincts are not affected by social or environmental surroundings; they are unchangeable, and equally unpredictable to the interviewer. By understanding how conative thinking influences behavior, you can evaluate the real-life approach a candidate will take to completing tasks. Kolbe’s assessment tools measure a person’s instinctive approach to creative problem solving, thereby categorizing the natural way in which a specific individual is driven to act.

Talent impacts compatibility and productivity

We can all recall how it feels to build a team of people that works incredibly well together. They produce quality work, embrace the concept of a job well done and seem to enjoy life and each other in the process. The Kolbe indexes allow you to intentionally build these teams, leveraging talents so that team members consistently and effectively work together. It also serves as a tool for improving communication and clarifying commitment levels. Kolbe has proven that groups with the right mix of instinctive talents will naturally communicate more effectively, initiate solutions and work to avoid and eliminate problems.

Rose, Snyder & Jacobs is a certified provider of Kolbe consulting and assessment services. For more information about how your organization can be powered by instinct, please contact Tony Rose at 818.461.0600.

Trademark Kolbe Corp. All rights reserved.

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