Business and Corporate Services

Assessments

CORA’s workplace assessments include the Organizational Needs Inventory®, the 360, and DISC, as well as pre-employment, current employment, leadership, and management assessments.
Each workshop comes with two free business coaching sessions for the workshop organizer, in order to help him or her reinforce the techniques and tools covered in the training.

The Organizational Needs Inventory® [return to top]

The Organizational Needs Inventory®, or ONI®, is a survey and comprehensive report relating to three key areas for every organization:

1. Organizational Structure,
2. Predominant Leadership Style, and
3. Organizational Culture

The ONI® survey is a benchmark for continuous improvement that helps an organization's leaders plan for the future with a clearer sense of direction and purpose. This tool can also help business owners and executives adapt appropriately to desired changes and to measure changes that occur over time.

The information produced by the ONI® provides leaders with a basis for better understanding their organization and implementing positive change.

The ONI® is one of the most intensive surveys and reports offered to the business world today.

Leadership and Management Inventories [return to top]

Leader Effectiveness: The Leader Effectiveness Inventory focuses on eight skills and characteristics considered necessary for effective leadership in any setting:

• Emotional intelligence
• Contextual thinking
• Directional clarity
• Creative assimilation
• Change orchestration
• People enablement
• Reciprocal communication
• Driving persistence

Team Optimization: The difference between an average team and a high-performing team shows when team members work together with clear goals in mind. If a team’s purpose is not based on strong business imperatives, its collective effort can be less than the sum of individual team members’ efforts.

Team optimization is a simple exercise to help you and your team focus your efforts to improve group performance by:

• Determining the core purpose of the team’s efforts to improve
• Deciding where to focus attention to make improvement happen
• Identifying and removing the barriers to effective performance
• Sharing responsibility for removing these barriers

Test of Supervisory Skills (TOSS): TOSS is a 70-item, multiple-choice assessment that taps the knowledge required for success as a supervisor. Based on careful, repeated factor analyses of supervisory behavior, TOSS provides norms that allow a comparison of scores with a large (1,000+) number of supervisory and non-supervisory profiles.

The basic rationale underlying the TOSS is that an individual who understands what constitutes good supervisory practices can discriminate between effective and ineffective practices and will be more likely to be an effective supervisor.

TOSS is a valid instrument for evaluating both new applicants for supervisory positions and those being considered for promotion to such positions.

The Influence Styles Inventory: The Influence Styles Inventory (ISI) assesses three communication styles that people use to influence others: Passive, Assertive, and Aggressive. Drawing on current research that integrates the importance of assertiveness with interpersonal communication and influence, this assessment will gives managers an opportunity to analyze their influence styles.

The concept of assertiveness, and its superiority over aggressive or passive styles, has been demonstrated as effective by more than 25 years of research. Even so, many people still confuse assertiveness with aggression or are unclear about the difference. The ISI is a tool not only for examining one's preferred style but also for developing a practical understanding of how the three styles can be seen to be different in action. In this way, respondents can begin to learn how to use assertion effectively, as a distinct alternative to aggression or passive avoidance.

The 360 [return to top]

Typically, performance appraisal has been limited to a feedback process between employees and supervisors. However, with the increased focus on teamwork, employee development, and customer service, the emphasis has shifted to employee feedback from the full circle of sources. The sphere, or circle, of feedback sources consists of supervisors, peers, subordinates, customers, and one’s self.
Research has shown that assessment approaches with multiple rating sources provide more accurate, reliable, and credible information. For this reason, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management supports the use of multiple rating sources as an effective method of assessing performance for formal appraisal and other evaluative and developmental purposes.

CORA will custom-design the 360 to match the needs of your business.

Pre-Employment and Current Employment Assessments [return to top]

The purpose of employment assessment is to provide an employer with a means to predict how well an individual will perform on the job. Hiring the wrong people is an expensive proposition because selection errors often have a negative impact on employee morale, take up management time, waste valuable training and development dollars, and result in a decrease in productivity and profitability. In addition, there is the potential for litigation in the event a selection decision is challenged and determined to be discriminatory and/or in violation of state or federal regulations.

Person-to-person job interviews alone fail to give you enough information to make a good hire. Many hiring managers ask us, “Are there valid—and legal—ways to screen out low performers before I hire them?”

The answer is yes, and the tool is CORA’s pre-employment assessments. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the American Management Association reports that 29% of American companies are conducting personality assessments on all job applicants, up from 19% the previous year, a trend that is now seeing a continual rise monthly.

Our ACL Assessment, known as “A Closer Look,” offers reliable and valid employment assessments that are benchmarked based on the occupation or job description. It analyzes the person’s ability, conscientiousness, emotional intelligence, ethics, and personality traits, so that you get a complete picture of each applicant as it applies to the job. Our unique approach to employment assessments results in accurately identifying top performers 85% to 90% of the time. It is useful not only for new hires, but also serves as an insightful checkpoint for managers as they consider current employees for promotion, transfer, or job realignment.

Among the areas the ACL analyzes are stress management, sensitivity level, compassion level, patience, creative ability, outgoing traits, interaction level, analytical ability, attention to details, decision-making, independence, persuasiveness level, aggressiveness level, stubbornness level, goal-setting ability, time management, and confidence level. Between 14,000 and 22,000 different calculations are performed for each assessment, resulting in a detailed, yet easy-to-read report.

Along with a complete personality assessment, the ACL provides information on how the employee would best be managed, as well as a list of interview or feedback questions you can ask, based on the testing results, to find out more about the candidate.

Many individuals take this assessment for themselves and include the detailed report in their resumes as they apply for new positions. Along with educational, experience, and skill credentials, the ACL report will show potential employers exactly what they will be getting when they hire you.

Employee Profile [return to top]

The Employee Profile is an assessment that pinpoints an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and extreme traits.

This assessment is a great tool for performance appraisals, as the report is designed for the employee and employer to review together. The report also has space where comments and goals can be addressed and a written plan of action, if needed, can be clearly identified.

Employment Assistance Profile [return to top]

The Employment Assistance Profile is designed for the individual who is preparing for an interview but is unsure as to how his or her various traits and personality styles will be seen by an interviewer. This assessment helps job seekers realize their strengths and weaknesses prior to the job application process. This is a powerful tool when used in combination with either the ACL or the Sales Aptitude results.

Sales Aptitude Assessment [return to top]

CORA offers a unique Sales Aptitude assessment that will not only help you determine what type of salesperson an individual is, but also where he or she would best fit in your sales organization.
The assessment focuses on the following:

• Qualifying - Knowing who to sell to, what to sell, and when to move on.
• Presentation - Knowing the correct way to convey your service or product.
• Overcoming Objections - Knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to say it.
• Cold Calling - Knocking on doors, making calls, and being assertive.
• Telemarketing - Making the calls, and setting the appointments.
• Closing Skills - Asking the right questions, and knowing when to quit selling and ask for the sale.

The Sales Aptitude also assesses and scores applicants on assertiveness, experience, ethics in sales, aptitude for outside sales, and aptitude for inside/retail sales.

Many sales professionals take this assessment for themselves and include the detailed report in their resumes. Along with educational, experience, and skill credentials, the ACL report will show potential employers exactly what they will be getting when they hire you.

Partner Profile [return to top]

When looking for a business partner or a top executive, you need someone who complements your traits. CORA’s Partner Profile assessment addresses two different matches. When looking for someone who will help you get ahead, the “Achievement” traits will be invaluable. It is these traits that will help you know whether your potential partner will help your company move forward and work with you to ensure success. Then, there are times when you need a partner or key executive who will fit well in your current management, and when stability is the highest priority. That is when the “Compatibility” traits will be of key importance in helping you find a partner who will bring his or her own talents and experience to the table as a team player.

The DISC Profile [return to top]

The DISC Profile is an objective tool for understanding behavioral types and personality styles. It helps people explore behavior across four primary dimensions:

The D Personality – or the Director, is characterized as a leader. The “D” person is usually a very strong, decisive, independent, risk-taker, the take-charge type. They are direct, results-driven, and bottom-line oriented. They are usually strong-willed, dominant people who enjoy challenges, taking action, and immediate results. They have a tendency to be extroverted.

The I Personality – or the Influencer, is the networker. The “I” person typically has a very outgoing personality, a good sense of humor, and is talkative and enthusiastic. They often have the ability to inspire and cast a vision that people will want to be a part of. They prefer participating on teams, sharing thoughts, and entertaining and energizing others. They are usually very social and extroverted.

The S personality – or the Supporter, is the helper. The “S” person prefers being behind the scenes, working in steady, predictable ways. They are also empathetic and cooperative. These people tend to be team players and are supportive and helpful to others. They are often good listeners and avoid change and conflict. They tend to be introverted.

The C personality – or the Conscientious type, is the thinker of the group. Deep and introspective, the “C” person is usually analytical and a perfectionist. In a nutshell, they are concerned, cautious, and correct. These people are often focused on the details and quality of everything they do. They plan ahead, constantly check for accuracy, and what to know “how” and “why.”

The DISC profile reveals the primary and secondary personality types that every person possesses and provides a detailed report on how those inner tendencies display themselves when it comes to working with others. It is an extremely helpful tool for managers in determining ways to motivate and manage employees based on their individual personality types.

Campbell Interest and Skill Survey [return to top]

When people are in positions they love, their productivity and dedication to that position will be far higher. It is for this reason that the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS) becomes an important assessment for your current and prospective employees.

The Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS) measures self-reported vocational interests and skills. Similar to traditional interest inventories, the CISS scales reflect an individual’s attraction to specific occupational areas.

The CISS goes beyond traditional inventories, however, by adding parallel skill scales that provide estimates of an individual’s confidence in his or her ability to perform various occupational activities. Together, the two types of scales provide more comprehensive, richer data than interest scores alone.

The 25 Basic Scales, which represent parallel interest and skills scores, divide the Orientation Scales into the following categories:
• Influencing: Leadership, Law/Politics, Public Speaking, Sales, Advertising/Marketing
• Organizing:  Supervision, Financial Services, Office Practices
• Helping:  Adult Development, Counseling, Child Development, Religious Activities, Medical Practice
• Creating:  Art/Design, Performing Arts, Writing, International Activities, Fashion, Culinary Arts
• Analyzing:  Mathematics, Science
• Producing:  Mechanical Crafts, Woodworking, Farming/Forestry, Plants/Gardens, Animal Care
• Adventuring:  Athletics/Physical Fitness, Military/Law Enforcement, Risks/Adventure

Leadership and Management Inventories [return to top]

Leader Effectiveness: The Leader Effectiveness Inventory focuses on eight skills and characteristics considered necessary for effective leadership in any setting:

• Emotional intelligence
• Contextual thinking
• Directional clarity
• Creative assimilation
• Change orchestration
• People enablement
• Reciprocal communication
• Driving persistence

Team Optimization: The difference between an average team and a high-performing team shows when team members work together with clear goals in mind. If a team’s purpose is not based on strong business imperatives, its collective effort can be less than the sum of individual team members’ efforts.

Team optimization is a simple exercise to help you and your team focus your efforts to improve group performance by:

• Determining the core purpose of the team’s efforts to improve
• Deciding where to focus attention to make improvement happen
• Identifying and removing the barriers to effective performance
• Sharing responsibility for removing these barriers

Test of Supervisory Skills (TOSS): TOSS is a 70-item, multiple-choice assessment that taps the knowledge required for success as a supervisor. Based on careful, repeated factor analyses of supervisory behavior, TOSS provides norms that allow a comparison of scores with a large (1,000+) number of supervisory and non-supervisory profiles.

The basic rationale underlying the TOSS is that an individual who understands what constitutes good supervisory practices can discriminate between effective and ineffective practices and will be more likely to be an effective supervisor.

TOSS is a valid instrument for evaluating both new applicants for supervisory positions and those being considered for promotion to such positions.

The Influence Styles Inventory: The Influence Styles Inventory (ISI) assesses three communication styles that people use to influence others: Passive, Assertive, and Aggressive. Drawing on current research that integrates the importance of assertiveness with interpersonal communication and influence, this assessment will gives managers an opportunity to analyze their influence styles.

The concept of assertiveness, and its superiority over aggressive or passive styles, has been demonstrated as effective by more than 25 years of research. Even so, many people still confuse assertiveness with aggression or are unclear about the difference. The ISI is a tool not only for examining one's preferred style but also for developing a practical understanding of how the three styles can be seen to be different in action. In this way, respondents can begin to learn how to use assertion effectively, as a distinct alternative to aggression or passive avoidance.

Uniquely You (For Churches and Faith-Based Organizations) [return to top]

Uniquely You is one of the most popular profiles for churches and faith-based organizations and the pioneer for combining spiritual gifts with the four DISC personality types. You can now assess your own or your ministry's strengths and "uniqueness" by identifying your DISC personality profile and spiritual gift types. By understanding behavior from a biblical perspective, this assessment can help people find their shape and place in the ministries of a church or volunteer organization. These personality insights and motivational gifts will improve your ministry's involvement, leadership, evangelism, discipleship, conflict resolution, and spiritual growth.

Other Assessments [return to top]

CORA is certified to provide a host of additional assessments and tests. We have the ability to develop specific and customized aptitude tests based on your business or industry needs. If you are looking for something specific that is not listed here, please contact us and we will discuss assessments that we can provide to fit your needs.