Solving the Major Challenges in Corporate Talent Assessment

Author: He Fei, Gu Lei, Lin Yi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The human body and mind are interrelated. For example, if a person is physically strong and energetic, their skills and coordination are also relatively good. Conversely, if someone is in a low mood and lacking vitality, they often feel physically and mentally exhausted. For the body, physical examinations and exercise tests can be used for assessment; for the mind, talent assessment methods are primarily employed.
When assessing a person's mind, two main aspects are considered:
The first is intellectual qualities. Intellectual qualities refer to psychological traits directly related to completing tasks. Except for knowledge, other qualities are relatively stable. Intellectual qualities include three aspects:
(1) Abilities. Abilities are psychological traits that directly affect a person's performance in tasks and activities. According to psychological research, abilities can be divided into general abilities and special abilities. General abilities are common to most people and are present in daily activities or tasks. For example, intelligence is a general ability, typically measured by IQ. Special abilities, on the other hand, are possessed by some individuals but not others, or are relatively weaker. Examples include mechanical ability and auditory discrimination.
(2) Skills. Skills are a series of programmed actions and are fixed operational techniques. For instance, even if someone has strong motor coordination and balance, they are not necessarily born knowing how to swim. Even if they have the foundational ability and knowledge of swimming, their first attempt in the water might still result in sinking. Only through repeated practice and mastering the combination of swimming movements can they develop the skill and enjoy the joy of swimming.
(3) Knowledge. Knowledge is the accumulation of direct and indirect experience and constitutes our experiential system. For example, in northern regions, when snow falls on people, they feel cold, so they learn that snow is cool. In equatorial areas, where snow does not fall, people may still know that snow is cool through books or word of mouth. For businesses, knowledge can be divided into basic knowledge and professional knowledge. Basic knowledge is essential in almost all social life and business management activities. For example, in modern society, without basic language and reading skills, it is difficult not only to work in businesses but also to navigate daily life. Professional knowledge refers to the experiential system of specific fields, such as computer science or aerospace engineering. Different majors in university focus on professional knowledge. Abilities vary in level; skills differ in proficiency; and knowledge varies in depth, superficiality, and correctness. Abilities, knowledge, and skills mutually influence and interact. A strong learning ability can help a person acquire knowledge more quickly, and knowledge also aids in mastering related skills. The relationship among these three aspects is further discussed in Chapter 2.
The second is personality psychological characteristics. These are psychological traits that are not directly related to completing tasks but indirectly exert influence. Examples include personality, interests, motivation, and values. Information about these aspects can be found in Chapter 2. Different personality psychological characteristics play a very important role in the activities of relevant enterprises, such as interpersonal communication awareness and skills, management style, career interest tendencies, teamwork spirit, environmental adaptability, innovative awareness, inclusiveness, and environmental insight. These psychological traits, combined with abilities, determine the of a person's work performance.
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