As you may or may not know the ATP – SHL and HPCSA court case took place on Wednesday the 10th February 2010. The ruling can be viewed here. At this stage we do not have any additional information about the full and final ruling or its implications.

Some time ago we posted our response to a petition to the above mentioned court case. Click here to read the article. Despite the ruling we stand by what we stated in the article:

“our company supports the discipline of psychology and the role of the psychological professional in the assessment process and as such our operating and training policies are aligned with the HPCSA regulations. We will act against any misuse of the psychological tests we distribute.”

We understand that this is a very sensitive matter and undertake to keep you informed and updated as information becomes available. If you have any questions or comments, please post them below, or send an email to Jopie@jvrafrica.co.za

Kind Regards
Jopie de Beer

Author: Andrea Swanepoel (Psychometric Advisor)

JvR would like to assist our clients and further improve our client service, by demystifying some of our company processes. This article-, and others in future, will highlight the “how to” of ordering, scoring, researching, reporting, training and more. In this article we will highlight some important points to remember when ordering printed test material.

Ethical, Professional and Legal Considerations

All of us at JvR subscribe to the ethical and best practice professional standards of national and international psychological associations such as the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the American Psychological Association (APA) or the British Psychological Society (BPS) and others.

In South Africa, psychological tests are only available to appropriately qualified professionals registered with the HPCSA. We therefore routinely ask for your HPCSA registration number on all orders received.

JvR offers internationally accredited trainings on some of our assessments. The purpose of such training is, amongst others, to ensure that the use of the assessment is on par with international best practice. It also provides an opportunity for adding you to a list of internationally accredited clients. When test material of these assessments, are ordered, we also verify your accreditation status before processing the order.

Many of the psychological tests, distributed by JvR, can however be ordered without having to undergo further training. We do however still need to know your current registration as Psychologist or Psychometrist with the HPCSA, when your order is placed.

The ordering process works like this:

Whilst wondering which assessment(s) would best fit your specific need and context, you are very welcome to visit us at the office for a cup of coffee where we can provide you with all the information you need. If you prefer to browse, at your own leisure, through all the choices we can offer you, please visit our electronic catalogue site at www.jvrcatalogue.com.

Of course you are also very welcome to phone or e-mail us for any information you may require. We will also gladly send you a quote for the assessments you require. Our quotes are valid for 15 days.

Once you have decided on the assessment or combination of assessments that you need, we will ask you to complete an Order Form and, if you are a new client, a Data Form. You can request these forms directly from us in the Psychometric Advisory Department via phone (Johannesburg:+27 11 781 3705 or Cape Town:+27 21 913 0541) , or by e-mailing us at info@jvrafrica.co.za.

You can visit our offices where you submit your Order Form and, depending on stock, can wait for us to process your order. Your completed Order Form and Data Form can also be sent to us via email or by using the following fax numbers: Johannesburg: +27 11 781 3703 or Cape Town: +27 21 913 0542. Please remember to be very specific as to the assessment material required and do not forget to sign your order form! We will process your order within the next 24 hours depending on the availability of stock.

Please take note that should you be registered with the HPCSA in supervised practice, the Supervising Psychologist will also have to sign your Order Form.

Stock of test material

It is important to note that we do not always carry stock of all the tests displayed in our catalogue. Should you order test material that we do not have in stock we will notify you that your request has been placed on, what we call “back order”. This implies that the test material has to be imported or printed and it may take up to three weeks for delivery. In very rare circumstances an international distributor may also have run out of stock or may even have decided to discontinue a test. Should this happen we will let you know and also do our best to seek alternative solutions for you. It is however, always best to place your order as early as possible allowing us time to possibly import or print the test material you require. It may be useful for you to keep in mind that our orders to most international distributors are placed in the middle of the month (the 15th) and at the end of a month (the 30th). It might save you time to submit your order to us before these dates.

Processing of an order

We capture all the information from the Data Form onto our client database. The information in this database is confidential. Based on a new entry into our database, and with some verification, your account with us will be opened.
In South Africa, this account number is in your personal name as the HPCSA registered Psychologist or Psychometrist. In future, this account number should be used as reference whenever you are making any payment to JvR.
Your Order Form will be processed within 24 hours. Factors that may affect the speed of processing include the availability of stock as well as the accuracy of the information on the order form. Should there be a problem with the order we will phone you to provide feedback or ask for clarity.

Delivery or Collection Methods

You are very welcome to visit our offices for a cup of coffee and to personally fetch your package of test material.
Should you ask us to send your test material via secure postage or courier, the costs will be added to your invoice. You are welcome to verify these costs before we send you the material.

Please be aware that courier costs are influenced by your choice of over- night- or on the same day delivery.
We can only ensure same-day delivery if we receive your order form before 10am on the day of delivery. Overnight delivery requires that the order form reach our offices before 3pm.

The cost of such a courier service is also dependent on the size and weight of each parcel. When utilizing the courier service it is important to provide us with a physical address where the parcel needs to be delivered. In some instances, such as after hour’s deliveries, a secondary address is also required. Please ensure that a contact person is available when the delivery is made.
It is very important to note that the courier service only delivers to rural areas once a week and not daily!

Speed post, as secure form of postage can also be considered. Speed post usually takes up to three days for delivery to a Post Office near to you. We will provide you with a tracking number for your parcel to enable you to follow up should the parcel not arrive in the allocated time.

Although we do our utmost best to ensure that your parcel reaches you in good condition and as soon as possible, it is not possible to accept responsibility for the internal processes of the courier service or the Post Office.

International orders will only to be sent by reputable courier services as JvR cannot be held responsible for damage or loss of such material. Pre-payment of such an order will be required.

Payment can be made in several ways:

We prefer payments to be made electronically (EFT) but will also accept bank deposits, cash or credit card payments.
For us to allocate your payment correctly it is absolutely essential that you add your unique account number to your EFT payment or your bank deposit. Make it a habit to fax or e-mail us your proof of payment as this ensures that you will not receive further invoices for money that has already been paid.

Our existing clients have 30 days, from the date of invoicing, to settle their account. Our policy is to block accounts that are overdue and to charge interest on late payments. We also require all purchases of R1000.00 and less to pay for the material before it is released. Unverified or new clients have to provide proof of payment before the test material is made available to them.

In Summary:

We value our business relationship and will do our best to make your experience of our service positive. We appreciate all feedback which can help us to enhance our offering even more. Please send such feedback directly to jopie@jvrafrica.co.za.

In next month’s article we will describe how electronic test material is purchased, accessed and scored.
If you have any queries relating to this article, or our ordering processes, please leave a comment or email either fatima@jvrafrica.co.za or myself at andrea@jvrafrica.co.za

For many psychologists, starting a Private Practice is a daunting and lonely place to be. Don’t despair, support networks abound, all you have to do is tap into them. Here is a 4 point plan to get you started:

1. Affiliate
   Apart from your HPCSA registration you need to affiliate yourself with a professional Psychology body in South Africa (e.g., PsySSA, SIOPSA etc). You may even want to join international bodies (e.g., the American Psychological Association (APA) or Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) etc). There are many to choose from, and your areas of interest will dictate which will be the most beneficial to you.
2. Read applicable practise documents
   Documents like the National Health Reference Price List (NHRPL) will guide you when setting your pricing structure for the year. Click here to check it out.

   A very useful document is the report produced by Health Management and Networking Services (HealthMan) appointed by PsySSA to conduct practice cost surveys that will determine appropriate benchmark tariffs for recommended inclusion in the Reference Price List 2010. This report can be found here.

   It has a wealth of useful information, and will, for example, remind you about hidden costs that you need to account for, to ensure a viable and sustainable business. For example, rent and utilities, bad debts, finance and insurance, practise management and administration.
   Another important reference is the ICD-10 codes which you need to include on your invoices if your clients want to claim from their medical aids. You can find an online directory of the codes here.

3. Join a CPD Group
   There are many opportunities to earn your 30 CPD points each year. It may be through courses run by various institutions, universities, companies ( JvR CPD Programmes) or by joining a reading group. No reading groups in your area? Then take the initiative and set one up! It is a great way to meet colleagues in your area and develop a robust referral network. Speak to Robert Mondi at the HPCSA to find out how to register a group for CPD points.
4. Find a Mentor
   I know it is said that one learns from your mistakes, but why make mistakes if you can avoid them! Seek out an experienced practitioner whom you respect and who is willing to supervise or mentor you. Be willing to pay for their time, but try to negotiate a slightly reduced rate that will suit your budget.

Whether you are new to the field of psychology or have years of experience, we can all learn from each other. If you have additional comments or experiences you would like to share, please post and we will incorporate it into the document.

The January edition of our newsletter will contain some usefull articles around starting up your own practice and the basics of working in our industry. If there is something that’s always been bothering you, or something you just can’t seem to figure out, post about it! You might find something in this month’s newsletter – so if you are not on our mailing list, just enter your name and email in the top right hand corner of this website. If it’s not for you, you can always unsubscribe

Author: Janine Oosthuizen

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in a nutshell can be described as an approach to communication and personal development and was created in the 1970’s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder (Tosey & Mathison, 2007; Kyriacou, 2009).  It further embodies the discourse of self-improvement and attends to healthy functioning instead of pathology.

NLP writing and practice was influenced from a wide array of fields such as gestalt therapy, person-centered counselling, transformational grammar, behavioural psychology, cybernetics, Palo Alto School of brief therapy, Eriksonian hypnotherapy and cybernetic epistemology of Gregory Bateson (Tosey, Mathison & Mitchelli, 2005 & Kyriacou, 2009).  Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir, where also inspirational to both Bandler and Grinder (founders & principal authors of NLP), due to their reputation for excellence (Tosey, Mathison & Mitchelli, 2005 & Kyriacou, 2009).  Today NLP is not viewed as a uniform field, as Grinder has turned his focus toward the “new code NLP”.

The relationship between NLP and academia has been tenuous and somewhat strained, in part as a result of the anti-theoretical stance of its founders stating that “We have no idea about the ‘real’ nature of things, and we’re not particularly interested in what’s ‘true’. The function of modeling is to arrive at descriptions which are useful,” (Bandler & Grinder, 1979, p.7).

According to Tosey, Mathison and Mitchelli (2005), NLP’s content may appear highly eclectic, but it will not be fruitful to attempt to reconcile the contents of its models and frameworks.  It rather presents as a methodology as opposed to a research method and offers a more specific analysis of subjective experience than is available from other phenomenological methods.  NLP assumes that people act according to the way they understand and represent the world, not according to the way the world is, which is aptly recapitulated in Korzybski’s(1958) dictum, “the map is not the territory”.  As such, it supports the constructivist principle that people create their own reality – focusing on form rather than content.

The purpose of this article is to explore one of the models offered by NLP, namely the Logical Levels of Change, proposed by Robert Dilts.  According to Dilts, his model is based on Bateson’s five orders of learning.  He recaps them as follows (Bateson, 1972):

• Zero learning is characterized by specificity of response, which, right or wrong, is not subject to correction;
• Learning I is change in specificity of response by correction of errors of choice within a set of alternatives;
• Learning II is change in the process of Learning I, e.g., a corrective change in the set of alternatives from which choice is made, or it is a change in how the sequence of experiences is punctuated;
• Learning III is change in the process of Learning II, e.g., a corrective change in the system of sets of alternatives from which choice is made and;
• Learning IV would be change in Learning III, but probably does not occur in any adult living organism.

Robert Dilts’ (Dilts & Epstein, 1995), model of neurological levels, indicates as a useful methodology in changing world views.  However, Dilts purports that the model is based on systemic theory-which in itself is a fundamental flaw.  The flaw resides in the name “logical” and the structure – that there are different levels involved.  To clarify this point further it should be noted that in systems theory, a system (Ackoff, 1994, pp. 18-25) is a whole that cannot be divided into independent parts, because every part of a system has properties that it loses when separated from the system, and every system has some properties that none of its parts do. Ackoff (1994) further expands on this definition, stating that a system is a set of two or more elements that satisfies the following three conditions:

1) The behaviour of each element has an effect on the behavior of the whole.

2) The behaviour of the elements and their effects on the whole are interdependent.

3) However, subgroups of the elements are formed, each has an effect on the behavior of the whole and none has an independent effect on it.

The environment of a system consists of those things that can affect the properties and performance of that system, but over which it has no control. In systems theory information flows back and forth across the boundary between the system and its environment.  Dilts’ logical levels model places parts of the system in a control or dominator hierarchy. This is anti-systemic.  Furthermore, Dilts’ placement of the environment in his hierarchy makes no sense in terms of systems theory (Woodsmall, 2009).

Nonetheless, that being said, Dilts’ model presents as a useful organizing principle or a list of factors to consider in a change context.  It provides a convenient diagram and set of alternatives for intervention.  It is simple and seemingly straight forward and is associated with a set of questions that makes it easy to recognize (Woodsmall, 2009). It invokes Bateson and gives an ostensible impression of being both scientific and cybernetic.

Herewith a brief introduction and explanation of Dilts’ six levels model (Kyriacou, 2009):

1. Environment
2. Behaviour
3. Capability
4. Belief
5. Identity
6. Spirit

The model is presented as a hierarchical network and denotes that change at a higher level has more far-reaching consequences for the person in that it is likely to affect an increasingly wide range of beliefs, capabilities and behaviours (Tosey, Mathison & Mitchelli, 2005; Kyriacou, 2009).

NLP suggests that significant change to one’s map of the world may be new views of cause and meaning, which suggests that the individual re-configures the causal relationships between the parts of their map.  As such, it is consistent with transformative learning (change of understanding about the world) and also corresponds to the belief level in Dilts’ model (Dilts & Epstein, 1995).

The following is an illustration of the logical levels:

Dilts presents the model as a pyramid; each level is a category or set containing the level directly below.  In addition a higher level cannot develop without the immediate level below and a change at any level will impact on those above and below.  However a higher level change tends to have more effect on the lower levels than vice versa.  When all the levels are supported by the level above this means the levels are aligned (Woodsmall, 2009).

From the psychological point of view there seems to be five levels that one works with most often.

(1) The basic level is your environment, your external constraints. (2) You operate in that environment through your behavior. (3) Your behavior is guided by your mental maps and your strategies, which define your capabilities: (4) these capabilities are organized by belief systems – and (5) beliefs are organized by identity (Dilts, 1990).

As such, when coaching a person, who is experiencing a challenge, you may explore whether the difficulty is coming from the external context, or perhaps the individual doesn’t have the required sort of behaviour, alternatively the person may lack the belief or have a conflicting belief that acts as an obstacle to the outcome.  Finally, is there interference at the level of identity?  These become very important distinctions for anyone working in the areas of learning, communication or change (Dilts, 1990).  Think of an example like postponing a specific task, because you believe you are not capable of doing it.  This example can be viewed as being on the behaviour level – What does the person do (behaviour)? and the intervention can be aimed at the capability level – What skills, abilities and competencies does the person require to do the task?  Alternatively, the intervention can be pitched on the belief level – What is important to the individual?; How do they see themselves?; What would facilitate the accomplishment of their ultimate goal in life?  The latter being the most challenging intervention from the perspective of the coach.

Change becomes more difficult and requires more skill and time as the logical level increases.  From an efficiency point of view it is best to solve the problem at the lowest level possible, which requires the easiest intervention.  If the required progress is not achieved, one would shift one level higher and address the problem at that level and evaluate whether the desired change has occurred (Kyriacou, 2009).

It is also important to take note that a higher level of change may be necessary in order to effect a lower level change, but it does not automatically create the change.  One of the most powerful uses of the logical levels model is in seeking solutions to problems.  “Einstein’s notion that a problem cannot be solved on the level in which it was created” is a key driver of Dilts’ model (Cheal, 2007).

The following paragraphs provide a guideline to identify the logical levels (Cheal, 2007; Kyriacou, 2009; Dilts & De Lozier, 2000):

Spirituality – Whom do I serve and for what purpose?

The spirituality level connects you with the ‘bigger picture’ – where you question your own purpose, ethics, mission or meaning in life.  It focuses on the questions about existence and purpose.  This level tends to run everything that lies below and is left fairly open to interpretation.  It relates to how the individual experiences it on a personal level.

Identity – Who am I and do I reflect that in the way I live?

If values are viewed as policies for the self, the identity level is your evaluation of your ability to implement such policies.  One may have pre-installed filters that may become a network of filters, providing a way to prove over and over, how the specific self-belief is true.

The rest of the NLP levels, besides the value level, are all about choosing your behaviour and suggests a separation between the person and the actions.  The work within the coaching context for example, is situated around synchronizing the individual’s behaviour with his/ her values.  This facilitates a new programme or network for success, which replaces the old programme or map that was not supporting optimal performance, initially.

Values & Beliefs – Why do I make these changes?

Values can be thought of as important to us, almost fundamental policies for the self that define who we are.  Things become important to us when we believe they can facilitate the accomplishment of our ultimate goal in life.  Being individualistic, values cannot be affected by applying a one size fits all approach.  Values describe what you expect of yourself and how you describe yourself as a person, while your behaviour is what you do.  As such, values and beliefs drive us and influence or lower levels of capability, behaviour and provide us wit the internal permission to change.

When an individual’s values are in conflict, internal challenges may emerge.  As such, guilt kicks in when our core values are challenged or even entirely absorbed by our destructive patterns.  Instead of then viewing guilt as an indictment of character, it should rather be viewed as a testimony of character. For example, when addressing or challenging feelings of guilt (which are linked with values), one can ask the coachee to mention five things they feel guilty about and in turn translate this into five good things about themselves (their values).  Guilt generally presents as an indication that a person is breaking their own rules, or not living up to their standards of conduct.  As with physical pain, guilt, tells you when you are moving in the wrong direction and as such may be viewed as a form of pain that tells you when your behaviour is out of sync with your values.

Beliefs are included at this level as you believe in your values and you value your beliefs.  Furthermore, beliefs are present at all levels.  One has beliefs about the environment, your behaviour, your values, beliefs about beliefs, about identity and about spirituality.  As such, beliefs have an impact on all the logical levels.  Beliefs may be unhealthy or irrational and limiting to us, but we may still be unable to let go of them.  Possibly because limiting beliefs existed since we were very young and continued to strengthen over the course of our lives due to self-reinforcing experiences.

Capabilities & Skills – How do I make these changes?

This level refers to the skills and abilities that we currently possess to achieve the changes we want.  The required skills that we have not yet learned must also be considered at this level, in order to make the needed changes.  The requirement is that we practice these skills repetitively in order to gain competence and mastery with them.

Behaviour – What do I need to change?

This level refers to what you think about, as well as your actions.  We often have a deeply ingrained problem network such as depression or anxiety and that may be the phenomenon we spend the most time thinking about – every time the problem network is activated.  As such, we will have to install, learn and practice solution-oriented behaviours and attitudes.

Environment – Where do I need change?

The environment is where we are surrounded by people, places and things that support our behaviour and habits.  We have built these external networks and / triggers, which can often keep us stuck in our problems and may need to be removed or altered if individuals wish to change some aspect of themselves or their lives.

If an individual is faced with a specific problem/ challenge and the coach is able to establish the level where it is situated, a lasting solution will tend to be found a level or two above.  For example if someone behaves inappropriately in a certain environment, one could change the environment, but the inappropriate behaviour remains.  One could suggest an alternative behaviour, but even there is a short term change and the behaviour is likely to return, if something hasn’t changed in the person’s capability.  The individual has to have the knowledge of HOW to change, not merely WHAT to change.  Alternatively the individual can practice a skill without effect, but once the person begins to gain confidence and belief in themselves, the skill is more likely to become more lasting (Internet of the mind, 2008).

Although Dilts’ Logical Levels may be theoretically flawed –in stating its foundation in systemic theory- it can be viewed as a profoundly useful guide when addressing the change process in both humans and organisational systems.

REFERENCES

Author: Shani van der Merwe

There are numerous articles referring to the value of psychometrics that are used by many consultants alike to build a business case for using psychometric assessments as part of an organisation’s HR processes. Well in some instances the ‘sale’ tends to be quite easy, in other instances you are dealing with skeptics.

During a recent workshop I facilitated with HR Consultants, whom were all quite familiar and committed to using psychometrics, they raised these pertinent questions: “ How do I get line management to buy-in to the psychometrics?” and: “how can we convince them that it is important and a necessary step?”. It appears that in most organizations there will always be a ‘level’ of resistance which one needs to overcome – but how?

The how tends to be contingent on the organizational dynamics but may include education, enhancing positive experiences and even streamlining the psychometric process to ensure quick turnaround times.

With one of our clients we have taken the approach of personally visiting all of their sites on a regular basis in an effort to personalize the interaction between the psychologist and the manager. This has been quite successful and has assisted us in gaining the necessary buy-in and commitment. However, the only problem is to actually get into the manager’s office in the first place…

As a psychologist, HR manager or consultant working with psychometric tests, how have you managed to overcome this kind of buy-in resistance?

Shani works as a consultant for JvR Consulting Psychologists.

Author: Gareth Hallet

Context and purpose

Human development is an absolute necessity in the world of work. The present economy, technological advancements and environmental demands compel the modern employee to continuously improve their ability to handle ambiguity and change as well as appreciate learning.  In order to achieve this it is critical to explore the role of psychology in firstly understanding learning and secondly, from a holistic perspective the growth and development of individuals.  Consider for a moment the purpose of psychology – the ultimate goal of all our efforts, within the profession, is to essentially help people grow and develop so that they function effectively in their environments.  Being a science we accomplish this by creating and practically applying theoretically and statistically sound models of understanding.  So with the individual in mind, we embarked on the development of a model of individual growth and development.  In our exploration, and to truly understand growth and development, we explored various fields of thought in an attempt to provide a holistic model of understanding, which draws on the concepts of Worldview, Phenomenology, Systems Theory, Field Theory, Metacognitive Theory, and theories relating to Learning and Change.

A Model of Individual Growth & Development

Describing the Model

In order to expand knowledge and improve skills we believe that individuals need to go through a process which brings about self-awareness thereby laying an important foundation for learning and secondly, providing a platform for sustainable change.  The process is outlined below:

• We appreciate that any person attending a training course (workshop, meeting, or any session where there is a gathering of people) arrives with their individual perspective or worldview.  Our individual worldview, which participants are guided through, is determined by a number of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors such as my current reality, my origin, how I see my future, my values, my knowledge etc.
• Participants are given an opportunity to explore these intrapersonal and interpersonal factors in terms of how they experience the world.   Their worldview will determine and give meaning to how they, on an individual level, perceive the world, make judgements about the world and lastly, how they feel about their experiences.  So in essence their perspective defines the way in which they understand themselves, interpret and interact with the world.
• We then guide the participant’s focus towards others.  Being part of a whole, the participants are introduced to exercises which help them to appreciate that as an individual they form part of a larger system such as a ‘home’ system or ‘work’ system.  Participants need to realize that they do not exist in isolation and that their actions or behaviours (or more philosophically speaking, their existence) impacts on those around them.
• Through careful design we ensure that the participant becomes aware of their perspective regarding gaps that may exist as a result of understanding both themselves and their interaction with the world.  Through this process we help participants write, in a self-directed manner, their personal future life script.
• In enhancing their perspective it is critical that the participant identifies their own development needs as well as appropriate pathways or development methods in closing the gaps identified.  The process drives ownership which when followed in an authentic manner ensures that the participant directs the development process by themselves.

Before attempting to deal with the content we believe that groundwork regarding needs to be laid.  That is, the individual needs to go through a process whereby they gain an appreciation for and a personal perspective with regards to growth and development.  Once this is achieved the process continues:

• Learning pertains to the content to which the individual will be exposed.  This step is characterized by experiential, practical and theoretical components which are designed in such a way that the individual relates to the content in meaningful and personal way.
• Change, a process rather than a step, is one of the key signs for individual growth and development.  Change is not something that can be merely imposed on others.  Rather this model accepts both conscious and unconscious changes need to take place before change is sustainable.  Despite the outcome, that is whether new behaviours are endorsed by the participant or not, the participant would have undergone a powerful process that either reinforces their current perspective or sows the seed for change regarding their worldview.

Throughout the process participants need to make decisions regarding their learning needs, the utility of new skills in their context, and lastly, whether the learning will be endorsed and appropriately applied.  The individual’s view of the world is as a result either reinforced or changed, and perhaps more importantly whether endorsed or appropriately applied, the process ensures that growth and development takes place.

This model provides us with a process and structure which we believe can be applied in many individual and groups interventions pertaining to the growth and development of individuals.

JvR Consulting Psychologists aims to help people grow by creating awareness and developing their skills and knowledge so that they can fulfill their potential.  To read more about our service offering click here.

It has come to our attention that there are fraudulent letters in circulation advising clients that our bank account details have changed and providing new, fraudulent details.

Investigators have informed us that such fraudulent letters have been sent to clients of both Jopie van Rooyen and Partners SA (Pty) Ltd and JvR Consulting Psychologists.

Should you receive such a letter, please notify us immediately.

If you are unsure regarding our banking details, please call our offices at 011-781 3705 or email Reinette@jvrafrica.co.za and she will follow up with you promptly.

We appreciate your help in combating any fraudulent activity.

Kind Regards/ Vriendelike Groete

Dr Jopie de Beer

Managing Director

Jopie van Rooyen and Partners SA (Pty) Ltd

Dr. Grant Freedman

Managing Director

JvR Consulting Psychologists (Pty) Ltd

Fighting our Demons at work

The past ten years people have gradually shown an increased interest in personality characteristics that are destructive and anti-social. R. Hogan and J. Hogan developed an inventory known as the Hogan Development Survey (HDS) in 1997 and there have been well over 500,000 administrations up to date.

Psychological Consultancy Limited (PCL) is a consulting firm in the UK and very well known for the work they do with the Hogan suite and the PROFILE:MATCH^®. Their focus is on evidence based research and effective assessment solutions to business. In October Geoff Trickey, Managing Director of PCL, visited South Africa with his family for the first time to enjoy our beautiful Mother City. We we’re very happy when he agreed to fly up to Johannesburg to share some of his insights on the ground braking research they have done with the HDS the past decade.

The HDS is known to measure the dark side of personality, the personality traits that will derail a person when they are not actively managing their public image. The HDS consists of 11 different dark side tendencies. These are: Excitable, Skeptical, Cautious, Reserved, Leisurely, Bold, Mischievous, Colorful, Imaginative, Diligent and Dutiful.

Geoff Trickey and Gillian Hyde compiled a very comprehensive report based on the HDS data gathered between 1999 and 2009. The report consists of more than 18,000 UK online completions and how the different dark side tendencies play out within the UK population. The report, known as A Decade of the Dark Side, provides one with valuable information regarding specific dark side tendencies within different sectors, industries and generations. In understanding these trends organizations can better manage their dark side tendencies and potentially destructive personality traits. Their analysis provided an overview of the dark side characteristics in relation to the:

• UK Workforce
• Different Generations
• Public compared with the Private sector and
• Different Industry sectors

The charts below are taken from the report, A Decade of the Dark side, to illustrate some of their interesting findings:

Chart 1: Frequency distribution of high HDS scores in the total sample (n=18464)

The majority of people (85%) have at least one dark side characteristic, and only

15% of their workforce population exhibits none.

Chart 2: The dark side across the generations

As seen in the chart, the ‘generation Y’ seems to have a stronger tendency towards dark side characteristics than the other generations defined by Geoff as (Baby Boomers: 1943 – 1960, Generation X: 1961 – 1981, and Generation Y: 1982 – 2001)

The report also focuses on their qualitative findings over the 10 years. They found the dark side of personality to not only be explained by statistics and quantitative measures but found that there are incredible value in understanding self- awareness and self- management of people regarding their dark side. The PCL team found it important to look at personality, and its dark side as a whole to ensure they complete the story. They came up with a relatively simple diagram known as The Triarchic Model.  The Triarchic Model incorporates all aspects of what we refer to as ‘our personality’, ranging from what we are born with (nature) how we are influenced (nurture) who we are, and what both nature and nurture created (FFM) as well as that little short-circuit to the dark side that may at times of stress and upset show its face.

These are just some of the aspects that were discussed with Geoff Trickey. It was such an honor to have had the opportunity to listen to him for a day, and would just like to thank him again for his time and effort. On our blog site we have a link to the full report (A Decade of the Dark Side) and all their interesting findings using the HDS.

Over the last year, there has been a great focus on the quality of our roads and general driver safety. We are all exposed to a number of dangers on the roads every day, especially with the extent of road works being done in and around Gauteng, and other major centres in South Africa. Within the transport industry, truck drivers, bus drivers, and taxi drivers are the most prone to having to deal with obstacles, and often engage in risky driving behaviour that causes accidents.

October was Public Transport Safety month, and focussed on the four values of

• Accountability,
• Honesty,
• Respect and to
• Acknowledge Others.

Research done in Europe shows that more than 90% of road accidents are caused by human error. The only way to reduce the amount of accidents therefore is to decrease the number of risky drivers on the roads. Psychological assessment is a proven tool to determine whether someone is fit for driving and it is widely used in Europe.

From next week (9th – 13th Nov) we have Angela Dus from Scuhfried visiting South Africa. She will be showing us how The Expert System Traffic forms part of the Vienna Test System and how it is used to clarify assessment issues in the field of traffic psychology.

This event will be held at our Jhb offices on the 11th November and is open to all! We would love for you to join us in learning about this method for selection of drivers. It will be a good opportunity to learn and discuss how psychological assessment can add value through new applications.

Agenda

• Welcome and introduction
• Road safety in general, some facts and figures
• How traffic psychological assessment is used
• Case studies from Austria, Germany, Slovakia, France
• TEA
• The Schuhfried Expert System Traffic – a validated test battery, incl. explanation of the neuronal net
• Demo of the XPSV Standard
• Questions and close

This means I can make a U-turn here right?

Event Details

Date: 11 November 2009

Time: tbc

Venue: JvR Johannesburg Office

Cost: None

RSVP: with Shadi@jvrafrica.co.za or call 011-781 3705 by 4 November to book your place.

If you wish to attend, but are unable to make the date, Angela has offered to visit you at your premises, free of charge.

Author: Dr Anna-Rosa le Roux

Stay a while and listen!

I love the experience of musical events in the form of screened concerts at Cinema Nouveau and a recent event triggered my thinking on a trio of themes. I was watching BBC’s Last Night of the Proms, one of the most popular musical celebrations enjoyed by millions of people and billed as the ‘biggest classical music party in the world’. The guest conductor of the BBC symphony orchestra, David Robertson summarised the spirit of the 2009 promenade concert drawing from a musical metaphor. I remember this to be something along the lines of:

“ … each instrument has its unique voice, its unique history, its unique sound, its unique technical design, its unique tone … these are all seemingly unrelated … however in a symphony orchestra all these seemingly unrelated instruments play together to create harmony and a showcase of spectacular sound!”

I realised that each instrument has its own story to tell … creating identity … creating synergy … creating shared identity.

A recent consulting assignment in Africa challenged our insight and understanding of the construct of synergy and identity. We were tasked with the notion of creating an improved strategic collaboration and to build more fruitful, synergistic relationships between our client and their implementation partners at national level. How are we going to give all the implementation partners a voice? How will one leverage individual identities to create an overarching shared identity? How do we create future hopes and dreams that will transform current operational obstacles? How do we create meaning? How do we create a picture of the future that is worthy of their efforts? How do we create alliances? How do we look beyond the practical and discuss value drivers? How do we define the character of our relationships? How do we develop ideas for information sharing, fruitful co-operation between implementation programs?

We found part of our solution in the linking of identity at individual, team, organisation and inter-organisational levels. Stories needs to be told to explore and unpack who we are: our perceptions, values, thinking, goals, aspirations, dreams and future hopes. Story-telling is central to who we are:

“A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species Homo sapiens: second in necessity after nourishment and before love and shelter. Millions survive without love or a home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives …” Reynold Price

In our modern, disorganised, hierarchically random world of disparity, there is a need to listen to the voice of individuals and create identity and shared identity. John Seely Brown, Chief Scientist of Xerox and co-author of The Social Life of Information define, from a scientist perspective how the world has changed from Descartes’
proposition, “I think, therefore I am,” to the current “We participate, therefore we are.”

Stories are also an important vehicle for facilitating change and transformation. Steve Denning, former program director, Knowledge Management, at the World Bank beliefs that springboard stories enable individuals to make a leap in understanding how an organisation, a community, or a complex system can change.

Our methodologies ranged from the introduction of participants as cartoon characters, thematic dialogues creating new futures and themes, working on collages to express the future positioning of the partnerships and facilitating conversation on guiding principles and practices going forward.

Story-telling transcended the differences in individual identity, paved the way for creating a shared group identity, contextually positioned and defined for the mammoth task of transformation at hand.