16PF® Newsletter

Printed with permission from 16PF Newsletter, London, England, October 2000. Written by Madeline McGill.

INTRODUCTION

From ancient times it has been recognised that the mind has a three-part structure, the cognitive element (what one knows and can apply); the affective element (what you want or desire to do) and the conative element (what you instinctively will and will not do). Until recently, because there has been no way of measuring it, the conative element has been largely overlooked.

The Kolbe Index, researched and formulated by Kathy Kolbe, identifies the key factors that explain how we instinctively go about tackling a task/project. It equates creativity with productivity i.e. problem-solving - bringing into being something that has not existed before. It assumes that, if one is allowed to work out of one's strengths, then one must be, by definition, creative. Such creativity involves the whole brain, not merely the right or left. Kolbe suggests that productivity is a combination of five factors:

• Motivation (i.e. the affective domain measured by personality type; social style; what we care about and what engages our energy)
• Conative or pre-determined instinctive energies or abilities (i.e. 'how' we tackle a task/project as measured by the Index)
• Intention (i.e. do we have a vague intention i.e. a 'this week, next week, sometime, never attitude' or have we made a half-hearted attempt or are we absolutely committed?
• Cognitive reasoning/judgement (i.e. IQ) which helps us to determine whether the circumstances and timing are appropriate.
• Action

THE IMPORTANCE OF INSTINCT

The Kolbe Index assesses how we sub-consciously invest our energy, providing a means of predicting the way in which we go about solving problems; that which we strive towards and how we are likely to act in a given situation, independent of whether we are extraverted or introverted or our social style. The theory suggests that, if we are forced by circumstances to work against our 'natural or instinctive grain', we will be subject to conative stress, under-use our talents and be less productive.

By identifying our Kolbe Action Modes, the Index helps us to better understand our colleagues and ourselves and provides insight into why we work effortlessly with some people and get irritated with others. A manager who understands that his or her direct reports have different instincts will allow them to deploy energy in the most productive way rather than cramping their style by insisting that things be done in a particular way.

KOLBE A, B, AND C

There are three versions. The Kolbe A is self-report. When working with a team, the Modes of Operations of team members can be stacked together to generate a Kolbe Synergy Report which can predict the viability of a team to work productively in order to achieve targets to time and to budget. Where a job-holder's expectations of the job have not been realised, the Kolbe B enables an individual to assess the conative requirements of the role and judge whether there is a mismatch between his/her self-profile and the job Profile. Where a boss feels that his/her team is not performing at an optimal level or has unrealistic expectations of team members, the Kolbe C allows the boss to look at his/her perceptions of the conative requirements of specific roles. These may be compared with the job-holders' Self profiles to look at whether some re-adjustment of roles is necessary or whether the boss needs to adjust his/her expectations.

MAXIMIZING TEAMWORK

Such an exercise can enable a team to maximise its contribution to organisational effectiveness by capitalising on diversity and working synergistically to capitalise on each other's strengths. It involves recognising that other members of the team will, of course, have different instinctive strengths and needs and that members should be willing to accommodate and capitalise on those differences in the pursuit of getting the job done, rather than imposing their own way of doing things on colleagues. The profiles which emerge from all team members completing the Index helps managers to recognise that people contribute and are productive in different ways. The data they yield provides insight to a manager and encourages him or her to support their people in working with, rather than against, their instinctive talents i.e. 'putting square pegs into square holes and round pegs into round holes'.

MODES OF OPERATION

The Kolbe Index describes four primary Modes of Operation, The Fact Finder; the Follow-Thru; the Quick Start and the Implementor. One may Lead/Initiate (i.e. score 7-10); Accommodate/Respond (i.e. score 4-6) or Resist/Prevent (i.e. score 1-3) in any of the modes. The scores in each of the four modes combine to tell us about a person's "Natural Advantage".

Fact Finder

Those who initiate on Fact-Finding instinctively probe and evaluate. They are concerned to get it right and so gather and document a lot of data about the history, context and primary objectives prior to developing their strategy. They need time for research and preparation and, unless they also initiate or accommodate in Quick Start, resist being asked to brainstorm. It is essential that the reasons for change are articulated and justified before they can take it on board. Given an assignment they will set out collect and examine relevant data, define goals, weigh the options open to them, establish priorities and document their findings in a precise and expert format, justifying their recommendations, together with the bottom line implications. Once those recommendations are accepted, they will draw up their strategy, specify objectives, co-ordinate resources and deliver within the agreed time frame and to budget.

Follow Thru

Those who 'initiate' on Follow-Thru are in their element when asked to co-ordinate, plan and schedule. All they need is an overview and then time to devise a plan, checklist, flowchart, set of guidelines or instructions which they will work through sequentially, preferably without distraction. They will be less productive if a plan is imposed upon them. They need a sense of a beginning, middle and end. Once they have that, they can be depended on to impose order on chaos and see that the underpinnings of any project are put in place. Everything has its place and will be kept in place. Their desks are neat and tidy and they know exactly where to find things. They know immediately when someone has invaded their space.

Quick Start

Those who 'initiate' in Quick-Start constantly experiment and improvise. They are good at brainstorming and so tend to dominate a group, often interrupting other people in their eagerness to surface ideas. They have a missionary zeal for change and, unless they also initiate or accommodate in Follow Thru, push to get it implemented yesterday. Unless other modes mitigate Quick Start, they tend not to work in an orderly way, only pulling out their fingers just prior to a deadline. If a Quick Start resists on Fact Finder, it is likely to be a waste of energy trying to get them to set priorities. They communicate better via the spoken word rather than in writing. They are not 9-5 people. Those to whom they report need to look at their productivity over a period of time, rather than day to day. They need their creativity to be recognised and appreciated. In the absence of mitigating modes Quick Starts take risks and hence tend not to be valued in a culture that penalises failure. They thrive in a future-oriented environment and are often the people who agree to take on 'impossible' projects. They operate on the hoof and rise enthusiastically to a challenge, setting visionary goals and proposing alternative solutions. If a better deal comes along, they will revise their priorities and re-negotiate any agreement.

Implementor

Those who initiate in Implementor mode are the practical people among us - the 'doers' who produce tangible products and are not averse to getting their hands dirty. They tend to be self-sufficient characters who need to be left alone to get on with things and resent over-management. They take immense pride in what they do, choosing to work with high-quality materials and produce to a high standard, often finding it a chore when expected to conform to tight deadlines. They avoid meetings and therefore their ideas may not be either expressed or sought. They choose to demonstrate what they do rather than talk about it. They are often most valued in their absence, when things break down and no-one is able to fix them. They operate in the here and now and are more concerned about that than the history of a project or what may happen in the future.

Leadership Style

Leadership is about the capacity to influence people to work together collaboratively in pursuit of a shared goal to which all of the team subscribes. Productivity is about having the motivation and commitment to do something and the necessary knowledge and skills to enable one to do what one has set out to do. It follows that no one mode of operation/action mode (MO) is better than any other. The instinctive (or conative way) in which people tackle a task is just as significant as their being motivated and capable of doing whatever they set out to do. Being liberated to exercise our innate strengths not only makes us feel good but also puts us into a position where we can do our best work. The scores on the Action Modes combine in different ways to generate distinct 'Natural Advantages'. These include profiles such as "The Manager"; "The Systems Analyst"; "The Strategic Planner"; "The Entrepreneur"; "The Innovator" plus thirteen more. A cassette tape which describes how one's Natural Advantage influences the way in which one tackles a task is available to supplement the print-out.

I was trained to use the Kolbe Index by Kathy Kolbe herself some eighteen months ago. I have used it on an experimental basis since then, in a coaching and selection context, alongside measures of personality/character, and motivation and leadership behaviour, in order to ascertain whether the Index adds any significant data to that which I get from the battery which I use, or indeed duplicates it. My conclusion is that it does add valuable information. Its emphasis on working out of one's strengths is also highly congruent with my approach to executive coaching.

If it becomes a tool of choice by business psychologists in the UK the questionnaire, the reports and the manual will, as with many psychometric tools that originated in the US, require some translation from American English into English.

More information about the Index can be gleaned from the websites www.warewithal.com and www.kolbe.com. On the latter you can also complete the Index (have your credit card ready) and obtain a printout. Should you prefer it, a pen-and-paper edition of the Index is also available. A prompt and efficient processing service is available in the UK. Tapes describing one's Natural Advantage can also be purchased from the same source.

The Kolbe Index is the copyright of The Kolbe Corporation Inc. The terms Kolbe Index, Kolbe Action Modes, Kolbe A, Kolbe B, Kolbe C and Natural Advantage are all trademarks of Kathy Kolbe. Madeline McGill is with Senior Executive Selection, Development & Coaching Ltd.

16PF® is a registered trademark belonging to the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, Inc. and is in no way affiliated with Kolbe Corp or its services.