Powerful and Intuitive Psychological Model
Validity of Octogram
Since its creation, the Octogram® has gone through several revisions. Each revision was made to increase the accuracy of the test and make it more consistent. When looking at the reliability of a psychometric test, factor analysis is used to determine just how well the test performs.
Factor Analysis
moreThe following information is simplified for understandability. The original information is available in Dutch, if you are interested, and can be provided on request.
First, we need to look at how well the traits remain “internally consistent”. As each person takes the test, do they tend to rank items relating to, for example, “Pioneer” at the same level consistently? There is actually a number for this called "Cronbach's alpha". An alpha of at least .70 is thought to be “adequate”. So, how does the Octogram® measure up?
Cronbach's Alpha
more| Trait Name | num of items | mean of inter-item correlation | Internal Consistency Alpha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer | 18 | .16 | .77 |
| Networker | 18 | .16 | .77 |
| Achiever | 18 | .15 | .76 |
| Strategist | 18 | .20 | .82 |
| Anchor | 18 | .23 | .85 |
| Analyst | 18 | .13 | .74 |
| Team Player | 18 | .20 | .82 |
| Helper | 18 | .17 | .78 |
(data calculated from 843 candidates)
From the above table, you can see that all of the traits meet the .70 rule and some, such as “Anchor”, far exceed it. As a side note, the “Symbol” column actually discloses this test's Dutch origins: the Dutch word for anchor is verankeraar. Hence the VA.
Each trait seems to be measuring only one thing (the alpha is above .70), and it seems to be measuring what we think it's measuring because we have compared the results against other, previously proven instruments.
The Octogram® is a “circumplex model”. A circumplex is a way of mapping the results of a personality test into a visual structure. In a circumplex, the shape of the graph is usually represented as a circle or polygon. Correlations of personality scores should resemble a simplex form where opposing types have low correlation and close types have a high correlation. The next step is to see if we have the traits of the Octogram® arranged correctly. We expect that Pioneer and Networker would have a good relation with one another; we would also expect these scores to have a negative relation with traits on the other side (distal) of the graph, such as Anchor and Analyst.
Let's take a look at the correlations:
| PI | NW | PR | ST | VA | AN | TS | HP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI | = | 47 | 12 | -06 | -63 | -48 | -13 | -17 |
| NW | 47 | = | 18 | -04 | -67 | -54 | 01 | -25 |
| PR | 12 | 18 | = | 14 | -14 | -18 | -40 | -62 |
| ST | -06 | -04 | 14 | = | -23 | 16 | -41 | -56 |
| VA | -63 | -67 | -14 | -23 | = | 42 | -13 | 17 |
| AN | -48 | -54 | -18 | 16 | 42 | = | -39 | -07 |
| TS | -13 | 01 | -40 | -41 | -13 | -39 | = | 45 |
| HP | -17 | -25 | -62 | -59 | 17 | -07 | 45 | = |
So, things that are close have a positive relationship (except Strategist and Achiever) and things that are far away are very negative, so we can reliably say that we have good traits, they are measuring what we think they measure, and that the graph is an accurate representation of how the traits relate to each other.
All of the above information was generated 3 years ago based on 843 candidates. These results have been further amplified and confirmed after delivering the Octogram to over 15600 participants. We have also expanded our test offerings to include over 45 tests in English and Dutch. OTM-Recruit uses a subset of these tests internally. If you are interested in much more in-depth information, contact us about a license to use the OTM-Expert system (website is Dutch)
OTM-Expert System
moreJobs Republic
2008 Octogram 25
Career Development Centers for provincial governments Jobs Republic is a leader in providing customized job boards and career centers for provincial governments in the Netherlands, supplying technology solutions to over 70% of this market. We are now working together to create an innovative Career Development Center for use in this market which will help candidates locate positions and career paths that play to their strengths and goals. This system will be more than a job posting site, it will be a comprehensive advisor to help people get the most out of their career.
Flexchange
2008 October 1
The pilot phase has been launched! Flexchange is now running a trial with their customers using matching technology within OTM-Recruit.
Human Capital Recruitment Signs On
2008 June 20
Human Capital Recruitment is a fast-growing recruiting bureau in Rotterdam that focuses on the recruitment and selection of professionals within the ICT sector and business services. They are strongly oriented toward utilising the latest technologies to identify, match, and place professionals.
New Partner - Flexchange
2008 June 4
OTM-Recruit has been chosen as a strategic partner in the Flexchange system in the Netherlands. Flexchange handles the administration of flex works for 7 governmental ministries.
The flexible technology and high quality results of OTM-Recruit were major factors in Flexchange's decision to incorporate us into their system. A pilot program is now in the planning phase.