Assessments
Assessments and the Arbinger Process
In the Assess phase of the Arbinger change process, we set a baseline for your current mindset and performance metrics as well as establish performance improvement goals.
Mindset Assessment
Suggested level:
Individuals, leaders, and executives
Everyone operates somewhere along a continuum from inward to outward. Our position on that continuum profoundly affects our performance, influence, and individual effectiveness. Similarly, the collective mindset of an organisation shapes its culture and performance.
This 20-question Mindset Assessment gauges an individual's perception of their own mindset as well as that of their organisation. In addition to indicating location along the inward mindset-outward mindset continuum, the results provide additional insight into specific areas of strengths and opportunities. When organisations field this survey widely, they receive detailed insights into employees’ experience and perception of their work.
Although anyone is welcome to take the Mindset Assessment at any time, we strongly recommend taking it at the start of work with Arbinger to set a baseline, then periodically reassessing to gauge progress and adjust efforts as needed.
Upon completion of the assessment, we present an analysis of the findings along with recommendations for steps to take to improve individual and organisational mindset and performance.
Mindset Styles Assessment
When you’re at work, do you tend to have an inward or an outward mindset? What about at home? With your boss? Your coworkers? Your spouse? Your siblings?
Everyone operates with one of two mindsets: an outward mindset or an inward mindset. The Mindset Assessment (above) gives us feedback on our individual mindset tendencies on average. However, our mindset can change in different situations.
The Mindset Styles Assessment helps individuals identify which mindset they tend to have in specific situations and relationships: with a boss, with coworkers, with a spouse or partner, with children, and so on. It also evaluates individuals’ predominant inward styles—better than, I deserve, worse than, or need to be seen as—in those situations. Assessment-takers can select the relationships they’d like to evaluate.
When taking this assessment, we strongly recommend that you evaluate multiple relationships. (Note: It takes 2-3 minutes to evaluate a relationship.) This will help reveal the nuanced and multi-faceted ways you approach common situations. It will also identify which relationships might require more attention and in which situations you might be the most susceptible to turning inward.
Leadership Assessment
Suggested level:
Leaders and executives
The Arbinger Leadership Assessment is a survey completed by individual leaders to evaluate their leadership practices and effectiveness. Based on Arbinger’s extensive experience working with leaders for four decades, this assessment can illuminate leadership strengths as well as areas for improvement. If appropriate, leaders can engage an Arbinger coach for support in these improvement areas. We recommend leaders periodically complete this assessment to continually gauge and adjust their efforts.
Organisational Assessment
Suggested level:
Executives
Systems, policies, and other structural elements of an organisation heavily influence employee mindset and behaviour. Many organisations unwittingly incentivise or invite an inward mindset among employees simply by virtue of the legacy structures they have in place. For this reason, any organisational transformation effort must assess not only the human elements (mindsets), but also the structural ones. Virtually every organisation can change some aspects of their operations to help ensure their employees work with an outward mindset over the long term.
In this assessment, Arbinger consultants work with organisations to review their policies, practices, structures, and procedures. We analyse these elements to determine which may be inviting or rewarding an inward mindset among employees, then recommend changes that will reinforce an outward mindset and reward results-focused, collaborative behaviours. If appropriate, we also provide support during the rollout and implementation of new policies, procedures and systems.
This process, including the depth of review, is highly tailored to the needs of our client organisations. Prior to each assessment, we consult with senior leaders to determine specific goals and issue areas, then propose a timeline for the review.