In our efforts to ensure that we offer the most up-to-date, empirically based, well-researched tools available, we are constantly doing research and market-place testing of our new assessment tools.
We even go to China!
In an earlier blog we introduced the Multi-Tasks test, an empirically based competing tasks measure with a long history in job selection research that is particularly useful for predicting job performance in managerial roles. We have now developed an updated online version of this tool and tested it on a group of workers in China. Our findings show Multi-Tasks to be a valid, reliable predictor of job performance in the Chinese marketplace, particularly for more senior roles.
A total of 101 job applicants for a range of positions within an organisation in the business and retail services sector in China participated in the study, ranging in age from 18 to 54 years and with educational levels ranging from high school to Masters degree.
In addition to the Multi-Tasks test we administered six other well-known cognitive ability tests, a personality measure and three measures of job performance.
The Multi-Tasks measure was shown to be reliable, with alphas from .88-.93 for the two components of the measure. This was higher than the other cognitive ability measures and the personality measure, which were also in the moderate to high range. It was also found to be a better predictor of job performance than all other measures: with more senior respondents scoring better on Multi-tasks and strong positive correlations found between Multi-Tasks and Job Level. Another measure that showed particular promise in predicting job performance was Reading Comprehension, which was able to predict job level while controlling for negative indicators of poor job performance (unreliability and absenteeism).
These findings support research indicating that the Multi-tasks measure is a superior job performance indicator, and that competing task paradigms like this are particularly useful for predicting performance in complex and managerial jobs, both in Australia and cross-culturally.
This study was the first of its kind to investigate the cross-cultural validity of the Multi-Tasks test. The results showed the test to be a valid and highly reliable measure. Cognitive ability and personality were also found to operate in similar ways within the job selection field as has been demonstrated in previous studies conducted with Western participants. Chinese employers may benefit from administering a battery of problem-solving tests and especially Multi-tasks and a reading comprehension test because they show promise in identifying those individuals with potential for senior roles.
To find out more about this unique and reliable assessment tool, contact us.
