Part II: Administering a Self-Report EQ-i 2.0

Planning the EQ-i 2.0 Assessment Process

Step 4: Clarifying Deliverables/Contracting

The phrase “get it in writing” reminds us of the value of a written agreement because an agreement outlines the working parameters and expected conditions in a given relationship. Engaging a client in the EQ-i 2.0 process requires much of the same up-front contracting and in fact, when done properly can actually help you avoid many of the confidentiality issues (e.g., who owns the data?) or common misuses of the EQ-i 2.0 that tend to arise later in the administration process.

By incorporating , the following elements in your contract you can avoid unmet expectations around the purpose of your partnership with a client (Block, 2000). These elements have been adapted to suit a typical organizational level EQ-i 2.0 consulting initiative, although the elements are still applicable to contracts/binding conversations with a single client.

  1. Boundary Analysis
  2. Project Objectives
  3. The Kind of Information You Seek
  4. Your Role
  5. The Product You Will Deliver
  6. Support and Involvement Required
  7. Time Schedule
  8. Confidentiality

Each of the eight contracting elements have been outlined further in the following table. Notice how much of the information you need to complete each element has already been gathered through the previous steps in the EQ-i 2.0 Engagement Process.

Table 4.3. Contracting Elements

Contract Element Description Refer to Information Collected in the Client Engagement Process Example

1. Boundaries of Analysis
  • Begin with a statement outlining the organizational “need” that your work will be focusing on.
  • If you know what will not be involved in your initiative then include it here.
 STEP 1.
Investigate Underlying Needs		 “The EQ-i 2.0 will be administered to all High potential managers enrolled in Leadership 101. A full day of training content will be devoted to learning EI competencies and managers will receive a one hour debrief of their results with an external coach. The EQ-i 2.0 acts as an integral and ongoing assessment that HR wished to offer High Potentials for their personal growth and development.”

2. Objectives of Project
  • Outline the benefits that the EI initiative is expected to produce for the client.
 STEP 2.
Communicating Value of the EQ-i 2.0		 “The main objective is to provide all high potentials with: A common language§ Insight into their emotional and social functioning§ Data to drive their personal goal setting throughout their training program.” A second objective is to pilot the EQ-i 2.0 within the organization. Feedback and post-assessment follow-up will be collected to determine whether the EQ-i 2.0 can be used with other teams in the company.”

3. The Kind of Information You Seek
  • List the kind of information you will need to ensure the success of the EI initiative. This listing can include people you will need access to, data, models and processes (e.g., competency models or objective performance data) or additional client resources (e.g., training curriculum/providers if you are imbedding EI into an existing training program).
 STEP 1.
Investigate Underlying Needs

“To complete the project I need access to all 12 high potentials, the training manager and the HR manager. I will also need to work with the existing training materials and content in order to build one day of EI content. I will also need access to all participants and their managers for 1 hour each following the program to evaluate success.”

4. Your Role
  • State your role in the EI initiative (e.g., coach, training facilitator) and how you wish to work with the client.
  • Much of this information will come from your initial conversations and by asking yourself “Who am I to this client?”
 STEP 1.
Investigate Underlying Needs		 “My role is to manage the project from my consulting practice perspective. I will oversee the project and work closely with the internal project champion (HR Manager X). The actual delivery of the EI training program and coaching hours will be completed by my training facilitator Mr. Smith.

5. The Product You Will Deliver
  • At this point you want to be very detailed, using tangible terms about the product you will be delivering. Remember to new users, the EQ-i 2.0 can seem nebulous. Clients may ask you:
    • Who receives a report?
    • Do I get data?
    • Can I see the team’s results?
    • Is there coaching?
    • Will there be recommendations for leadership development from taking the EQ-i 2.0?
STEP 2.
Communicating Value of the EQ-i 2.0

“The products include:

  • An individualized Workplace Success report for every High Potential who completes the EQ-i 2.0.
  • There will be NO group report, or group analysis presented to senior management.
  • A customized EI one day training program will be delivered
  • 3 coaching hours spread over 3 months with an experienced EI coach.
  • One report and presentation to present the evaluation of the EI training program and recommendations for next steps in using EI within your organization.”

6. Support and Involvement Required
  • List what you need from the client in order for your EI initiative to be a success.
  • You can be explicit here about your expectations in terms of participation in the EQ-i 2.0, internal support and championing of the project, resources and even access to key decision makers when the time is appropriate.
  • Reflect on any barriers or challenges you had from the client in the initial conversations as you can likely reverse these and turn them back as requests to client (e.g., time or organizational resources).

STEP 1.
Investigate Underlying Needsand

STEP 2.
Communicating Value of the EQ-i 2.0 and

STEP 3.
Gaining Buy-In

 “I will need all 12 high potentials to complete the EQ-i 2.0, which takes about 30 minutes. Managers will need to allow for this. I need internal support to allow the high potentials to not only attend the EI training but to practice the concepts back on the job… The time commitment expected of participants is X over a 3 month period.”

7. Time Schedule
  • Outline major administration milestones in the EQ-i 2.0 process:
    • Invite to take assessment
    • Complete rater list (EQ 360 2.0 only)
    • Deadline to take assessment
    • Reporting
    • Result debrief/feedback
    • Presentation of group results (if applicable)
    • Coaching/action planning sessions

STEP 1. Communicating Value of the EQ-i 2.0 and

STEP 2. Gaining Buy-In

“The proposed schedule:

  • April 1- Invite to take EQ-i 2.0
  • April 7- Send out reminder
  • April 20- Deadline to complete assessment
  • April 21- May10- Build EI training curriculumMay 10- internal sign off on curriculum
  • May 25- Deliver debriefs and reports”

8. Confidentiality
  • Acknowledge any confidentiality concerns and prevent them from snowballing later in the process.
  • How will test results be shared?
  • How will people’s right to confidentiality be protected in a group setting?
  • Where is test data stored?
  • What happens if a report is lost?
  • Will the client know who did/did not complete the EQ-i 2.0?
  • How will raters’ anonymity be protected for the EQ 360 2.0?

STEP 1. Investigate Underlying Needsand

STEP 2. Communicating Value of the EQ-i 2.0 and

STEP 3. Gaining Buy-In

 “Understanding that EQ-i 2.0 results and reports are owned by the participants alone, there will be no expectations for the participants to share their results. Each participant will receive their report and data will be housed in the secure database of the test provider (MHS). There needs to be strong internal championing of this process, but it is not mandatory for participants to complete the EQ-i 2.0.”