There are a lot of silly tests on the market which label people, many of which aren’t validated scientifically (no matter what the publishers say) but are nonetheless used to “explain away” behavior. (“What can you expect from a ‘high Z’ Symbolic Symbolic with OKNL tendencies?”) I mean, really, why not just resort to horoscopes or that enigmatic black eight ball that keeps responding “Do it if you think you should?” Of course, the French actually use handwriting analysis in their hiring criteria, so sometimes you can barely stay ahead of the satirical curve. No, Virginia, there is no scientific basis for any validity in graphology.
However, here’s a test you can take to tell you whether your HR activities are up to snuff. It’s valid, because I created it:
1. At least monthly, are you proposing a partnership with a line executive to improve productivity and to raise the bar of performance?
2. Do you answer all phone calls in the department within two hours and all emails within the day?
3. Are you staffed to accommodate support for all time zones’ working hours?
4. Do you utilize an ombudsman or other third-party support for sensitive employee issues, confidentiality, complaints against superiors, etc.?
5. Have you produced and routinely updated a handbook of benefits that can be easily understood by an average reader?
6. Do you accommodate cultural and language variety across the organization?
7. Do you create results measures (not attitude or “smile sheets”) for every training intervention, and then assess results against those measures to determine efficacy?
8. Do you routinely rotate people from HR to line operations and vice versa?
9. Are you involved in the early planning stages of significant business initiatives and changes?
10. Do you develop and utilize a “best practices” set of criteria for the department?

The test could go on, but don’t worry about the answers. How often are you even asking these questions?

© Alan Weiss 2001 All rights reserved.

Alan Weiss, Ph.D., CMC is the author of 16 books, including the seminal Million Dollar Consulting (McGraw-Hill) and his newest, The Ultimate Consultant (Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer). You can reach him at Alan@summitconsulting.com. Visit his web site, http://www.summitconsulting.com to subscribe to his free monthly newsletter, Balancing Act: Blending Life, Work, and Relationships.