Since its inception in Illinois in 1949, IPAT (the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, Inc.) has administered and published personal assessments for selection and post-hire management for clients worldwide.
Several years ago, Lantern Partners worked with IPAT to create a custom version of the assessment specifically aimed at assessing leadership traits for senior executives. This assessment, which is completed online by invitation only, provides Lantern Partners with insights into the thinking and behavior patterns that are related to success, and also gives us the information to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses relative to job requirements, the senior team, and the organization’s culture.
With the help of the custom IPAT assessment, Lantern Partners is able to gather the most comprehensive picture of each candidate to ensure the best hiring decision. In addition to what the search professional and the client firm learn through interviews, references, and other tools and methods, IPAT’s objective, descriptive, research-based information is an integral, powerful tool used in the selection process.
Perhaps most importantly, we believe half or more of the assessment’s value can and should be realized post-hire, i.e. providing know-how for proactively increasing the new executive’s skills in areas the predecessor was weak, or using formal/informal methods to improve known areas of weakness. The information is also very helpful in creating the new executive’s formal and informal on-boarding plan, and guiding coaching, mentoring, etc.
In addition, the use and benefits of IPAT is ever-evolving. Still today, Lantern Partners has routine access to the considerable expertise of Dr. Ralph Mortensen, a lead industrial psychologist who helped develop the Lantern Partners assessment, and is “on call” to help us or our customers with output interpretation, ongoing customization, and providing additional related services to our clients who desire further consultative assistance.
Special thanks to Dr. Ralph Mortensen for his input during the creation of this post.
