The data source for these lenses is the Occupational information Network, or O*NET. This database contains information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The data is collected from job incumbents and occupation experts using paper and web questionnaires that cover all the occupations in the U.S. workforce—including the knowledge required, work styles, education and training, work activities, work context, and tasks performed. For access to the full database please see onetonline.org.
We are using the O*NET data in a specific way to be able to align it with the Assessio performance model and create lenses in the Assessio Platform.
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We are not using select data. We restrict it to "tasks", "skills", "abilities" and "work activities" from O*NET since these are the dimensions that can be matched towards behaviours. These four areas are chosen from the dimensions "occupation specific information" (Tasks), "worker requirements" (Skills), "worker characteristics" (Abilities) and "occupational requirements" (Work activities) from the O*NET database. These and other descriptive data exists for all jobs in O*NET (see image below).
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We have connected the Assessio performance model (behaviors) with these four domains of the job descriptions. This is done by matching behaviour descriptions in competencies towards behaviour descriptions in tasks, skills, abilities and work activities.
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We choose competencies and weightings in each lens based on the occurrence of tasks, skills, abilities and work activities from every job in the performance model.
Work procedure
The work has been done in separate steps by Assessio, using O*NET data source and our own work psychology experts.
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We researched the O*NET structure to find an easy way to classify the different profiles/jobs and to choose what lenses to use. Because O-NET classifications are focused either on a market/industry or an individual/career development perspective and our users normally have an organization focus when working with jobs/profiles we choose to use departments that are common in organizations as the classification method. We also used the "experience level" derived from O*NET to separate different jobs within a department.
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We used the "bright future" classification in O*NET to identify roles of interests. We also used data from Ascend and Talent Index to identify specific roles that are used a lot by our clients, and arrived at 39 roles for the first implementation in the platform. Some of the interesting jobs where at the time lacking enough data to provide us with the analysis opportunities described below, and they where omitted for now.
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When researching the data available we identified "work activities", "tasks", "skills" and "abilities" sections as the ones providing us with the best behavioural data and they where chosen to be used for our purposes. These four areas are chosen from the dimensions "occupation specific information" (Tasks), "worker requirements" (Skills), "worker characteristics" (Abilities) and "occupational requirements" (Work activities) from the O*NET database. These and other descriptive data exists for all jobs in O-Net (see picture below).
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The behavioural descriptions in work activities, tasks, skills and abilities where matched towards behavioural descriptions in the Assessio performance model. The matching was done both towards specialist competencies and leadership competencies on all accounts. This was done by two work psychology experts, first individually and then together. Some changes where noted and discussed and consensus was achieved. Some attributes were also not matched since they did not have a behavioural output - one example is "Speech clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you".
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In each of the sections qualification criteria to be included in the analysis was set. For "tasks", only core tasks with an importance rating over 60 was included. For skills, work activities and abilities only items with an importance rating was included.
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For each job we used the matching toward Assessio performance model and basically counted how many times each competency was present from the four sections.
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Using two psychometric inclusion criterias, each lens can contain 4-7 competencies and all four performance dimensions needs to be included in a lens. In step 6 we identified an optimal number of competencies for each lens, and based on how many times a specific competency was chosen we also attributed a weight (for the total lens match score). If the job was a leadership job we used only the leadership competencies, if the job was a specialist job we used the 16 specialist competencies. In two instances, Business Intelligence Analysts and Informations Security Officers, the second criteria wasn't possible which means they don't have competencies from all four performance domains. The reason for this is that including more than four competencies for those would mean we would have needed to include more than 7 at a very low weight. Below you can see examples of one specialist lens and one leadership lens:
Abilities
Abilities are enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance across multiple jobs. We have aligned 17 different abilities that are rated in all jobs in O*Net with the Assessio performance framework. Some abilities was left out since they don't target behaviour outcomes. Examples of those left out are "Speech clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you", "Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). The 17 abilities are, for each and every job, rated by "importance" (0-100) in O*NET.
An ability needs to be rated above 60 to be used to influence competencies and weightings in the Assessio Platform. Below we show all 17 abilities and how we have connected them to specialist competencies and leadership competencies.
Table 1. Abilities and Assessio performance framework
|
O-NET Ability |
Competency |
Leadership competency |
|---|---|---|
|
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
Problem Solving: |
Strategic Leadership: |
|
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
Influencing and Inspiring |
Driving Leadership |
|
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). |
Embraces change |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem |
Embraces Change |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
Fosters Transparency |
Enabling Leadership |
|
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
Skills
Skills are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs. There are 25 different skills in O*Net that we have been able to align with the Assessio performance model. Some skills, not targeting behaviour outcomes have been left out. One example of such case Is the skill "Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience". The 25 skills are used for all jobs and they are, for each and every job, rated by "importance" (0-100) in O*NET.
A skill needs to be rated above 60 to be used to influence competencies and weightings in the Assessio Platform. Below we show all 25 skills and how we have connected them to specialist competencies and leadership competencies.
Table 2. Skills and Assessio performance framework
|
O-NET Skill |
Competency |
Leadership competency |
|---|---|---|
|
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
Problem Solving: |
Strategic Leadership: |
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Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
Fosters Transparency |
Enabling Leadership |
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Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
Collaborates with others |
Enabling Leadership |
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Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
Influencing & Inspiring |
Driving Leadership |
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Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
Results Oriented |
Operative Leadership |
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Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior. |
Influencing and Inspiring |
Driving Leadership |
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Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences. |
Fosters Transparency |
Enabling Leadership |
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Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
Demonstrates Integrity |
Operative Leadership |
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Systems Evaluation: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
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Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
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Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people. |
Service Oriented |
Enabling Leadership |
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Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. |
Drives Progress - Ambitious |
Driving Leadership |
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Instructing: Teaching others how to do something. |
Fosters Transparency |
Enabling Leadership |
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Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. |
Humility and Self Awareness |
Enabling Leadership |
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Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
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Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
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Management of Financial Resources: Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
Tasks
Tasks are occupation specific information in O*NET and they differ from the other data sources in that way. Each role have its unique setup and no general framework is being used. Tasks are divided into "core" and "supplemental" tasks. They are also rated for importance by job holders and experts between 0-100.
For the purpose of aligning data on tasks to the Assessio performance model we have included only "core tasks" that are rated above 60 in importance. Below you can see an example of task descriptions and how we have related them to competencies from the job as "Buyer". Since that role is a non leadership role the leadership mapping is excluded from this table.
|
Importance |
Category |
Description |
Assessio Competency |
|---|---|---|---|
|
89 |
Core |
Perform buying duties when necessary. |
Initiating action |
|
88 |
Core |
Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests. |
Plans and Structures |
|
86 |
Core |
Compare suppliers' bills with bids and purchase orders to verify accuracy. |
Problem Solving |
|
84 |
Core |
Prepare, maintain, and review purchasing files, reports and price lists. |
Plans and Structures |
|
83 |
Core |
Check shipments when they arrive to ensure that orders have been filled correctly and that goods meet specifications. |
Plans and Structures |
|
83 |
Core |
Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers |
Problem Solving |
|
80 |
Core |
Review requisition orders to verify accuracy, terminology, and specifications. |
Demonstrates Integrity |
|
79 |
Core |
Determine if inventory quantities are sufficient for needs, ordering more materials when necessary. |
Plans and Structures |
|
79 |
Core |
Calculate costs of orders, and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts |
Plans and Structures |
|
79 |
Core |
Maintain knowledge of all organizational and governmental rules affecting purchases, and provide information about these rules to organization staff members and to vendors |
Collaborates with others |
|
78 |
Core |
Contact suppliers to schedule or expedite deliveries and to resolve shortages, missed or late deliveries, and other problems |
Fosters Transparency |
|
75 |
Core |
Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders. |
Initiating action |
|
74 |
Core |
Respond to customer and supplier inquiries about order status, changes, or cancellations. |
Fosters Transparency |
|
72 |
Core |
Locate suppliers, using sources such as catalogs and the internet, and interview them to gather information about products to be ordered |
Networking |
|
72 |
Core |
Train and supervise subordinates and other staff |
Fosters Transparency |
Work activities
Work activities are general types of job behaviors occurring on multiple jobs. There are 35 different work activities that are used for all jobs and they are, for each and every job, rated by "importance" (0-100) in O-NET.
A work activity needs to be rated above 60 to be used to influence competencies and weightings in the Assessio Platform. Below we show all 35 work activities from the O-NET structure and how we have connected them to the Assessio performance framework.
Table 3. Work activities and Assessio performance framework
|
O-NET Work activity |
Competency |
Leadership competency |
|---|---|---|
|
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
Collaborates with others |
Enabling Leadership: |
|
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
Networking |
Driving Leadership |
|
Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.See more occupations related to this activity. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Getting information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions. |
Influencing and Inspiring |
Driving Leadership |
|
Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. |
Embraces change |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. |
Networking |
Driving Leadership |
|
Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members |
Collaborates with others |
Enabling Leadership |
|
Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. |
Embraces change |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates - Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance. |
Drives progress - Ambitious |
Driving Leadership |
|
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
Entrepreneurial and Commercial |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. |
Collaborates with others |
Enabling Leadership |
|
Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills |
Fosters Transparency |
Enabling Leadership |
|
Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others |
Humility and Self Awareness |
Enabling Leadership |
|
Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.See more occupations related to this activity. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. |
Service Oriented |
Enabling Leadership |
|
Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used |
Problem Solving |
Strategic Leadership |
|
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
Demonstrates Integrity |
Operative Leadership |
|
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. |
Results Oriented |
Operative Leadership |
|
Providing Consultation and Advice to Others - Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics. |
Drives progress - Ambitious |
Driving Leadership |
|
Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
|
Staffing Organizational Units — Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative leadership |
|
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
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Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |
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Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. |
Collaborates with others |
Enabling Leadership |
|
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment - Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used. |
Plans and Structures |
Operative Leadership |