"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead
Contents
Welcome
Ways to use your Report
2. Organization Development
OD Refresh
OD Fundamentals
OD Career Landscape
3. Meaningful Work
The Thing about Meaningful Work
Sources & Outcomes
A M.O.S.T. Meaningful Assessment
4. Your OD Career Calling
Your Preferences
Market Demand
Do you have a Twin Calling?
5. Oh, the Difference you'll Make!
The Unique Impact of your Calling
Inspiring Examples
6. Careers you'll Love
OD Careers for you
Real Examples
7. How to Equip Yourself
Fill your Toolbelt
Stretch Yourself
8. How to Develop your Calling
Global Career Development
Personal Career Development
9. Thank you!
Getting Started
Welcome!
Get ready to answer your career calling, ignite your passion, boost your career capabilities, and Master Organizational & Societal Transformation (M.O.S.T.)! Work your way through each section in your report to learn about transformative careers you'll love. Then, plug directly into resources that energize and propel your career calling, including carefully curated books, articles, podcasts, and a community of positive change agents just like you!
Before you get started, share your results online! You'll trigger social media algorithms that attract connections with like-minded leaders, employers, and communities who wish to influence positive, healthy, and sustainable change. Attracting the right people to your network will supercharge your career trajectory.
Graduate students watch this first
Ways to use your Report
You're about to learn a lot about your unique fit as an aspiring practitioner in the field of Organization Development (OD). And the good news is that you're not starting from scratch! If you're reading this report that means you already have some or many of the key strengths and interests associated with a meaningful OD career. And whether you are a graduate student or are simply investigating a career transition, each section in this report is designed to bring you a very deep level of OD career clarity.
There are thousands of resources orbiting the field of OD, but we're gong to help you cut through the clutter and get right to the knowledge and resources that will feel personally tailored to your tastes. We'll hook into your interests in ways that inform, inspire, and equip you for a personally meaningful OD career journey! You'll also have an opportunity to fill your very own professional bookshelf, podcast playlist, and toolbelt! Here are just a few ways you can utilize your report...
Aspiring Practitioners, explore M.O.S.T. Meaningful Career coaching with Dr. Brendel, who can help you gain even deeper critical insights around the relationship between this report and your career narrative and portfolio. Contact Dr. Brendel for a 15m discussion about coaching and learn how he can help you develop a career vision and mission, practical strategy, and objectives for career development.
OD Departments and Firms, consider utilizing this assessment with your team. Contact Dr. Brendel for more on how this can be used to develop an OD Department design that not only caters to your organization's strategy but also orchestrates your OD team in ways that provide mentoring relationships based on individual strengths, interests, and career aspirations.
Professors & Instructors in a OD or Change Leadership degree or certificate program, consider having Dr. Brendel come to class and guide a discussion around ways this report can give your students tailored direction regarding paper topics, practicum opportunities, course electives, stretch assignments, and research areas.
Organization Development
What is Organization Development?
OD is known for its breathtaking diversification of professional titles, competency combinations, change impact areas, and approaches. But how do you know an OD career when you see it?
If you are looking for a career capable of transforming organizations and society, look no further than Organization Development (OD)! A quick Google search for "Organization Development Jobs" yields an impressive number of results, but not all of these job descriptions are created equally or meet the definition of a real OD career. So how can you tell whether a career shares the core qualities, aims, essence, and impact of real OD practice?
We've got you covered! Let's begin with a universal definition of Organization Development that can be applied to your job search, as well as efforts to launch your own consulting business. Analysis originally published in the OD Review, which now includes 98 scholarly definitions of OD, 11 competency models, and 750 jobs leads us the following definition:
People & Culture Consultant
Business Transformation Specialist
Manager of Culture Change & Teaming
Organizational Strategy & Culture Consultant
Director of DE&I and Organizational Development
People & Organizational Performance Manager
Global Organizational Culture Business Partner
Organizational & Leadership Development Mgr.
Learning & Organizational Development
Global Talent & Organization Development Mgr.
VP of DE&I and Organizational Effectiveness
Organizational & People Development Specialist
Director of Culture & Organizational Effectiveness
Organizational Design & Transformation Manager
Organizational Transformation Manager
Organizational Design & Effectiveness Manager
Future of Work Strategy Consultant
Excellence, Strategy, & Innovation Consultant
Search Results
About 1,090,000,000 results
Organization Development is a dynamic field of practice that uses caring and collaborative change frameworks and interventions to generate sustainable and flexible improvements to well-being, performance, and prosperity in human systems.
...a dynamic field of practice
OD is known for its breathtaking diversification of professional titles, competency combinations, change impact areas, and approaches. But how do you know an OD career when you see it? And for that matter, how did OD become so dynamic in the first place? OD is informed by numerous theories including Western humanism and postmodern philosophy, as well as an array of social sciences — most notably, the applied behavioral sciences. More recently, OD has become informed by Eastern philosophies and traditions including the expansion of consciousness through mindfulness and contemplative practices. The M.O.S.T. assessment demonstrates that there are 16 predominant types of OD positions, and most professionals gravitate toward one of these types or preferences. Just like wildflowers, there is always room for variation that branches from these 16 types, however, understanding your dominant type provides a clear frame of reference for developing your unique career development strategy!
...caring and collaborative
An OD practitioner’s first obligation includes care and consideration for the well-being of individuals, teams, organizations, surrounding ecosystems, and themselves. OD practitioners always strive to include diverse perspectives through a wide variety of collaborative models, participatory discovery approaches, consensus-driven decision-making processes, and collective action frameworks. In other words, change is not directed or carried out by the practitioner, but instead, the practitioner utilizes change frameworks and interventions that help organizations spark their own common sources of motivation, collective understanding and consensus, common language, and customized strategies. Each practitioner cares and collaborates through a unique core value, which you will identify in your first coaching assignment!
...change frameworks and interventions
There are numerous OD frameworks, interventions, and practices. They may include team-based interventions that entail active experimentation with new ways of operating together on an everyday basis. They may also include dialogic methodologies that seek to transform mindsets across large organizations. Additionally, they may seek to improve a system's ability to be agile not only through adaptive design and structure but also by reducing attachment to the status quo through mindfulness- based interventions. Due to the diversity of OD, new change frameworks and interventions seem to emerge on a regular basis. Nonetheless, OD practitioners tend to lean toward approaches that differ, and your M.O.S.T. Career Calling Assessment tells you what your Preferred Approach is! We will cover this in your first coaching session!
...generating sustainable and flexible improvements
OD provides organizations, communities, and social impact initiatives with a pathway to establish new ways of operating, relating with others, and making sense of systems. However, given that change is a constant feature of organizational life, the changes that do take place must always leave room for additional change. This is done by developing structural and cultural mechanisms that allow for continuous improvement, such as effective feedback systems and psychological safety, which encourage individuals to continue to experiment and learn from mistakes. In addition to flexibility, OD also helps individuals establish a new relationship with change itself! In this way, as OD practitioners help organizations change and build some level of internal capability for continuously adapting in healthy ways long after the OD engagement has taken place.
...to the well-being, performance, and prosperity
The impact of an OD career becomes observable to the degree that people, systems, structures, strategies, leadership, teams, and culture align to produce a wide array of improvements including more humane, adaptive, and effective forms of awareness, learning, and relating. Though well-being, performance, and prosperity are subjective enough to allow for customization, they also make sense on a universal level. Well-being includes physical, psychological, and spiritual safety, ease, and fulfillment. Performance is a wide-ranging term that includes a human system's ability to achieve its stated goals, operate effectively, and adapt to internal and external change in ways that do not produce unintended negative outcomes. Prosperity is also an intentionally broad term as it refers the overall strategic, ethical, and spiritual success of these human systems.
...of human systems.
Whether an OD practitioner works with, in, or between organizations and/or communities, their work focuses on the intersection of humans and systems (a.k.a. sociotechnical systems). This implies a wide variety of contexts for OD work, including individual organizations, loosely coupled systems, trans-organizational systems, communities, nations, and trans-national organizations. Depending on a practitioner's professional strengths and interests, as well as the size and requirements of the human system, the desired approach to influencing these systems can range in complexity.
OD Fundamentals
Every Great Journey Begins with a First Step! The first step for anyone interested in transforming organizations or society in a humane and effective fashion is learning about the field of Organization Development (OD). OD is a diversified field of practice that utilizes a wide range of caring and collaborative change frameworks and interventions that are designed to produce sustainable and flexible improvements to well-being, performance, and prosperity in human systems. OD is certainly not lacking in certificates, graduate programs, books, resources, and learning opportunities!
As a Big Picture Fixer, you are most likely not interested in attaining the entire range of OD readings. However, it's still a very good idea to establish a baseline understanding of OD. Here are some of our "Must Reads" for those who strive to become full fledged OD practitioners. Each of them provide a helpful view of basic OD frameworks, interventions, and dialogue techniques. We suggest you select one or two as a baseline for your work. Click on a book to learn more!
The OD Career Landscape
The demand for OD careers seems greater than ever before, and we have created this report to help you find your place! The illustrations below demonstrate the latest analysis of where OD jobs exist. This includes geographic location in the U.S., physical working arrangements (Hybrid, Remote, In-Person), the proportion of jobs across different industries, and finally the proportion of jobs across different levels of seniority. Our data demonstrate that the OD career landscape is strong and widespread!
Locations
Seniority Levels
OD careers span numerous levels of seniority within internal OD position, and therefore, many viable career paths exist between these positions. It is worthnoting that career advancement opportunities increase when individuals move to Sr. Consultant (20%), Manager (32%) and Director positions (26.9%), and then decrease as one moves into a Vice President (5.3%), or Chief___ Officer (2.2%) postion. However, it stands to reason that some professionals transition out of internal consulting positions and begin their own external consulting businesses. If you decide to receive coaching, you will chart that path and utilize additional data about the top skills required to ascend as an internal practitioner.
Industry Representation
OD careers have spread across 18 industries! The majority of job descriptions we've analyzed demonstrate that while industry knowledge is helpful, it is not required as a job requirement. In general, aspiring practitioners have ample opportunity to shift the industry they are a part of. It is worth mentioning that the biggest OD-hiring industries now include Healthcare (17%), Retail & Consumer Products (9.8%), and Higher Education (9.2%).
Meaningful Work
The Thing about Meaningful Work
It's undeniable. Despite the challenges they face, many change agents absolutely love their jobs. We call this a "Career Calling" and it's a kind of joy that blurs the lines between work and life (in a good way!). To assess what makes a career a calling, our assessment has its roots in four questions that are key to identifying meaningful work, according to an ancient Japanese wisdom tradition called Ikigai, which translates as: reason for being.
When combined, your answers to these four questions can reveal a career path that is most meaningful, rewarding, and impactful (compared with other OD careers). Much has been written about this wisdom tradition, and its many natural connection with recent articles and views about meaningful work. These basic questions include:
- What type of change outcomes do you wish to influence?
- What type of professional identity do associate with?
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What unique talents have you mastered?
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Which approach to change brings you the most joy?
Many characteristics of this model make it particularly appealing for the context of OD careers. In addition to containing questions that focus on change (a primary outcome in OD) and meaning-making (a primary process in OD) , Ikigai is often used in coaching sessions to assist with career exploration. Each of these questions have two primary preferences. This results in 16 different combinations (OD Career Callings). Our analysis demonstrates that while some callings are more common than others, all callings are represented in education and career opportunities.
Sources & Outcomes
Personal
Sources that evoke an individual’s perception of meaningful work vary widely, and are based on “… experiences, present life situations, and aspiration, and integrates various emotions evoked by the sources, such as self-realization, motivations, life satisfaction, vitality, a sense of existence, and a sense of agency” (source).
Engagement
This approach includes inquiry that focuses on the relationship between one’s work and positive and ethical change outcomes. It also emphasizes agency in shaping one’s life purpose in ways that pre-date the work of Frankl’s (1984) logotherapy and Maslow’s (1968) concept of self-actualization by over 750 years. Similarly, it focuses on meaningful work, which has become an attractive employee value proposition.
Well-being
Finally, securing a livelihood based on the Ikigai framework is demonstrated to have benefits to psychological well-being, including “feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment” (source). In this way this framework may also be integrated with meaningful job-crafting.
A M.O.S.T. Meaningful Assessment
OD is considered by many to be a deep personal calling that fuels continuous learning, creativity, and positive client outcomes. Helping individuals measure and develop the competencies they need is just the beginning of a relevant career assessment. A more authentic approach to career development for OD might also include the aim of helping professionals through a process of deep personal discovery, aligning what is most personally meaningful to them with different variations of OD work, and potentially transforming their careers into callings.
With the above opportunities in mind, what if there were an assessment that balanced what experts suggest should be characteristic of an OD position with evidence of what is actually represented by job market data and consultant feedback? Also, rather than asking OD career-seekers to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to developing OD consulting competencies, what if this assessment utilized an algorithm that equally valued an individual’s existing talents, sources of inspiration, the types of change they wish to influence in the world, and the unique career identity they are most interested in cultivating? These questions led to the development of the M.O.S.T. Meaningful Careers Assessment, which aims to help practitioners develop their OD careers in a highly meaningful, efficient, and practical fashion.
While this report provides robust information around your career calling, the next important step includes dialogue with others about what this means for you given your unique career narrative, strengths, and interests. This can be accomplished by talking with a M.O.S.T. Meaningful Career Coach, which we introduce at the end of this report.
Your OD Career Calling
Big Picture Fixer
Your Preferences
Organizational vs. Societal
Those who prefer Organizational Outcomes experience a greater fulfillment by working on projects related with organizational change, which includes the development of a competitive strategy, employee engagement, business performance, agility, design, ethics, employee wellness, and process efficiency. On the other hand, those who prefer Societal Outcomes experience greater fulfillment by improving organizations that work on societal issues. Satisfaction is derived from working directly on societal change efforts such as community development, social justice, environmental sustainability, income equality, establishing healthy food sources, and addressing unethical governments.
Hybrid vs. Pure
Those who gravitate toward a Hybrid OD Identity tend to feel more at home in career roles that are adjacent or partially overlap the OD profession, marked by a preference for some but not all OD job characteristics. According to our research, OD is now diffused or merged into professions that include Talent Development, Human Resources, Human Resource Development, Management Consulting, DE&I, and Executive Coaching. Still, those with a Hybrid preference can still appreciate and adopt additional characteristics of Pure OD practitioners, who identify only as OD professionals (i.e. "OD Proper"), and hold titles that are strictly named OD and attend only to matters of OD as defined mainly by university educators.
Classic vs. Innovative
Those who prefer a Classic Approach are more likely to enjoy a step-by-step, scientific, and objective approach to change that engages in diagnosis, problem solving, and changing behaviors. This is also known as the "Diagnostic" approach to OD, and it still has a very large following. On the other hand, those who prefer a more Innovative Approach are more likely to enjoy a "Dialogic", subjective, and emergent approach to change that facilitates sense-making and the transformation of mindsets. The Innovative Approach includes both "Dialogic" OD and relatively newer "Conscious OD" paradigms.
Specialized vs. Broad
Those who prefer a Specialized mastery of OD tend to gravitate to just one or two specific approaches (e.g. Appreciative Inquiry), and many with great success! However, they do not prefer to possess the remarkably extensive, Broad mastery of knowledge, skills, and abilities that represent all three core competency domains discussed above (Social, Technical, and Influence). Those who prefer a Broad Mastery may serve a wide range of organizational roles as they have an ample number of OD frameworks, tools, and approaches. Broad Mastery also requires a deep knowledge of the theoretical and psychological underpinnings of OD work.
Market Demand
The illustration below demonstrates the types of preferences employers are looking for, when it comes to internal OD positions. While there is healthy representation of each preference in the job market, you'll notice that some preferences are in greater demand than others. This is a snapshot of the current market, and this illustration will be updated periodically.
Do you have a Twin Calling?
You may have a Twin Career Calling! This occurs for people who do not have a strong preference about one of their four career preferences. Having a twin calling is important because it increases your OD career flexibility. Let's see if you have a twin calling!
First, you are a Big Picture Fixer, which means your primary preferences are Societal, Hybrid, Broad, and Classic. Here's how you can tell if you have a twin calling:
If Organizational impact is just as appealing to you as Societal impact, your twin is an Agile Accelerator.
If a Pure OD identity is just as appealing to you as a Hybrid identity, your twin is a Benevolent Barista.
If having a Specialized mastery of OD competencies is as appealing to you as Broad mastery, your twin is Humanity Hawk.
If you would enjoy leading with an Innovative approach just as much as a Classic approach, your twin is Consciousness Raiser.
Click on any of the links above and you'll be taken to your Twin Calling in a new tab!
Oh, the Difference you'll Make!
Your Unique Impact
The Joy of Big Picture Fixing!
Throughout history, sages have suggested that the world's problems are connected through a web of causes and effects, and as a Big Picture Fixer, your winning ability is helping others see and address the health of this system through methodical, data-driven, interventions. You will likely feel most alive in your work by striking a balance between genuine compassion and applying a direct, step-by-step approach to pinpointing and resolving problems.
Your choices for social impact seem endless, as you can work with a diverse range of stakeholders who are impacted by and/or contribute to societal issues. A 2022 OD Journal article by Anton Shufutinsky and colleagues, titled "Dissecting Meaning, Scope, and Roles of Social Justice and Social Action" reveals an emerging umbrella model for addressing social justice. Their three year study, which included a broad and diverse group of professionals, sought to create "an agreed-upon definition, list of topics, and roles as approximate and working definitions for the field of social justice." Its findings suggest the potential for numerous consulting areas, which you may be interested in as an Altruistic Enhancer. These titles, which may be useful key word phrases for job searches, include:
Environment
Health
Institutional Health and Safety
Wellness
Representation
Justice Systems
DIME
Education
Employment
Corporate/Organizational Social Responsibility (C/OSR)
Immigration
Housing
Financial Institutions
Infrastructure
Information
Agriculture & Animal Welfare
Inspiring Examples
Riches that will Inspire you!
Based on your unique preference, the following books and podcasts were curated to help spark your interests. It's easy to become overwhelmed, so we suggest you start with just a couple to feed your passion! These authors, hosts, and guests not only share their own joy, but also very unique and relevant subject matter that you're likely to enjoy!
OD Careers you'll Love
OD Careers for You!
Where Big Picture Fixers Thrive
There are many professional contexts to find and develop a Big Picture Fixer calling, and although they do not always call specifically for OD professionals, they benefit from same type of knowledge, skills and abilities. These include organizations who do work that impacts K-12 education, environmental conservation, government services, social enterprise and charity organizations, as well as Non-Profit organizations, NGOs, and community service and development organizations. Big Picture Fixers can also find ways to infuse with adjacent and sometimes combined professions, like Talent Development and HR! For a great example, check out this 2020 article in the OD Review by Vasudevan, which covers a method for infusing OD Values in Talent Development and Succession Planning.
Trans-organizational work is well modeled by the work of Otto Scharmer and the Presencing Institute, particularly its Ego to Eco Framework, which "applies a Theory U lens to the transformation of the economy and its key social systems." According to the Presencing Institute, " This framework explores the following questions: What are the deeper root causes of today’s ecological, social, and spiritual crises? What do we see when we look at the evolution of the economy as an evolution of human consciousness? If we are to meet the challenges of our generation, what are the “acupuncture points” of the global economy that could help accelerate transformation?"
Trans-organizational work is well modeled by the work of Otto Scharmer and the Presencing Institute, particularly its Ego to Eco Framework, which "applies a Theory U lens to the transformation of the economy and its key social systems." According to the Presencing Institute, " This framework explores the following questions: What are the deeper root causes of today’s ecological, social, and spiritual crises? What do we see when we look at the evolution of the economy as an evolution of human consciousness? If we are to meet the challenges of our generation, what are the “acupuncture points” of the global economy that could help accelerate transformation?"
In fact, there are numerous opportunities to serve society by working in B-Corps and socially conscious businesses settings! For instance, in his 2022 OD Review article titled Renewing the Purpose of OD: From Sustainability to Leading Social Change, Mirvis shares that “Timberland… engages its employees in green projects as ‘Earth- keepers.’ It also activates its retailers and consumers to serve alongside its employees in environmental projects in the spring on Earth Day and in community service in the fall through its 'Serv-a-palooza.' The aims: Develop young people’s leadership skills and promote environmental and civic activism."
Real Examples
Filters
How to Equip Yourself
Fill your Toolbelt
The Science of Big Picture Fixing
Big Picture Fixers are very likely to enjoy the diagnostic aspects of their work, helping clients discern the root causes of challenges that keep them up at night. You will not only benefit from your systems perspective, but also from your broad mastery of OD skills and abilities. Some of the most successful Big Picture Fixers enjoy a wide variety of diagnostic tools! Some of the more popular assessments include:
In a 2019 article in the OD Review, David Coghlan may have put it best, "OD has a dual identity; it is a science of change and the practice of changing." It's because of this classic identity there are some really helpful ways to continue developing your skills and positioning your services. You can anchor your work in various approaches to changing organizational behavior. A 2000 Harvard Business Review Article by Nitin Nohria and Michael Beer offer several anchors, including the ability to: "maximize shareholder value; manage change from the top down, emphasize structures and systems, plan and establish programs, motivate through financial incentives, ... analyze problems and shape solutions." To develop these anchors and capabilities, you can turn to several outlets suggested by Matt Minahan in 2019, including The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) and The International Program for Development Evaluation Training.
Stretch Yourself!
Expand your Impact
Though it may not be a preferred approach for Big Picture Fixers, the ability to balance their classic diagnostic approach with more dialogic skills, can have a multiplier effect on both their credibility and impact. If you are interested in taking your dialogic capabilities to the next level, you can develop numerous complementary skills. There's no shortage of tools for facilitating this innovative form of OD. If you'd like to dip your toe in the water, check out a book titled "Practicing Organization Development: Leading Transformation and Change, Fourth Edition" and turn to Chapter 31, where Gervase Bushe and Bob Marshak outline 40 different Dialogic OD approaches and tools. Some of the more well known approaches, which originate from a wide variety of authors, include:
You can learn more about the Dialogic OD framework by joining the Organization Development Network for a wide variety of webinars. For deeper instruction by the founders of this concept (Gervase Bushe and Bob Marshak), head over to the Bushe-Marshak Institute for Dialogic Organization Development.
Another popular approach, which draws from the field of human-centered design, "Design Thinking" positions customers and clients as co-creators so that an organization’s strategy is not entirely contingent upon what the existing structure can accommodate. Instead, the structure is driven by a strategy that is closely and consistently developed with key stakeholders. The test for successful, rapid innovation is whether the solution is not only desirable but also feasible and scalable. Additionally, the product or solution is never flawless, but rather, is designed to further teach the organization about its objectives, processes, and talent. Design Thinking is an invaluable skill and there are multiple venues where you can develop it! Check out IDEO's courses on design thinking, which have gained significant popularity. You can also learn to design your own innovative approaches using Innovation Labs on OpenSourceOD.com.
How to Develop your Calling
Global Career Development
At OpenSourceOD, we're BIG fans of the Organization Development Network (ODN), so we decided to investigate how you can begin to prioritize your participation in their Global Competency Framework Model. This model is known as a "Full Spectrum" approach to developing OD skills, which is particularly good for those who demonstrate a desire to develop a broad mastery of OD tools.
To help you get the M.O.S.T. out of the ODN model, we've conducted research to help you prioritize your own development, and discern the degree to which OD competencies are most relevant to you, given your unique preferences. To do this, we created a differentiated learning approach based on ODN competencies that are essential (top priority), important, and helpful to have.
The illustration on the left demonstrates where (in general) it would be most meaningful, economical, and practical to focus your attention if you decide to participate in learning opportunities linked to the ODN Global Competency Framework. To make your learning as meaningful, practical, and economical as possible, the numbers on the competency dial suggest your career calling's top priority for learning (1) followed by second, third, and so on (2, 3, 4). Hover over the illustration to see the percentage (%) relevance for each of the competency areas. The illustration on the right lists the top areas of Global Competency Framework specialization according to your preference. If you already have proficiency, move down to the next highest percentage to determine the area you would do best to develop next.
Big Picture Fixer
Global Competency Framework Key
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Big Picture Fixer
ODN Specialization Areas
Thank you!
Dear Colleague,
We are so grateful for your participation in this assessment and hope you've found this report to be inspirational, practical, thought-provoking, and M.O.S.T. importantly, meaningful.
It is difficult to quantify the incredible effort and dedication of numerous volunteers, who continue to make a world of difference by igniting the spirit, reach and impact of Organization Development at OpenSourceOD. Please consider joining us!
Finally, don't be a stranger! Now that you've taken the assessment, we'd love to see you at one of our upcoming events, such as our regularly scheduled Immersive Learning Circles which bring real case studies to life. Walk in the shoes of our contributors, including Ed Schein, Peter Block, and Frances Baldwin.
If you found this report useful, please share the M.O.S.T. Meaningful Careers Assessment with friends, colleagues, educators, and employers. Also consider following us on LinkedIn to keep up with our the latest blogs, research, and learning opportunities.
All the best!
Dr. William Brendel
Executive Director
OpenSourceOD.com
Psychometrics
Psychometric Validation Summary
Research conducted by Dr. Yu-Ling Chang & Dr. William Brendel
What is Psychometric Validation?
If you are new to the concept of psychometric validation, it refers to a process of confirming if an assessment accurately measures what it's intended to, such as personal traits. In other words, it involves validating that the assessment is doing its job correctly. To do so, we checked if it's consistent (reliability), if it covers what it needs to (content validity), and if it measures the right thing (construct validity). Our validation focused on the more sophisticated aspect of this assessment, which focused on measuring your competency strengths and interests. Here is a summary of our results as well as some helpful definitions and illustrations.
Summary of Results
Based on our statistical tests (CFA), this assessment does a good job of measuring what it's supposed to (good construct validity). Only three items on our assessment can be improved to increase consistency, and we take great care to do just that! As more and more people take our assessment we continue to update and improve the psychometric properties of the M.O.S.T. Meaningful Careers Assessment.
Helpful Definitions
Here are some helpful definitions that can help you gain a better understanding of the type of research we conducted, what it means, and why the outcomes make the M.O.S.T. Meaningful Careers Assessment a good measure!
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Reliability is about consistency. If you take the test multiple times, you should get similar results each time.
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Content validity means the test covers the full range of what it's trying to measure. For instance, a math test should cover all the topics you learned, not just a few.
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Construct validity refers to whether the test actually measures the concept it's intended to. For example, an IQ test should measure intelligence, not just memory.
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The CFA model (or Confirmatory Factor Analysis model) is a statistical tool used to check if the data matches up with what's expected based on the test design.
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Model fit indices are measures to check how well the CFA model matches the actual data. A "good fit" means the model describes the data well.
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Factor loading is about how strongly each item on the test relates to the thing you're measuring. High factor loading means the item is closely related.
Summary Illustrations
For those who have greater familiarity with this process, below are helpful summary illustrations, which give a peak inside of our study phases, purposes, methods, samples, and findings. To view any of these illustrations, simply click on the picture and you will be able to view a bigger version in a pop-up window.
