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- Overview
- Sample Reports
- Taking Your Assessments
- Application Programme
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MDS 360®The MDS 360® is a highly effective way of rating the performance of your managers or sales professionals in the workplace – a fast and easy way of assessing skills levels. This data is very persuasive, convinces candidates of the need for change and therefore accelerates application of new learning.As part of the design and delivery of a development programme the MDS 360® gives you:
- Involvement of bosses, peers and subordinates
- Buy-in from candidates for personal development
- Consensus on the programme objectives
- Foundation for a personal development plan
- Perfect opportunity for coaching in the workplace
- Calculation of ROI (when used again post-course)
- A tool for tracking progress
Overview of the MDS 360®The MDS 360® is a custom-designed skills assessment questionnaire which is:- Used for the assessment of leaders and sales professionals
- Used to create content for a development programme
- Based on competencies which your company identifies as important
- Designed to assess alignment of candidates with company values
- Assessed by self and observers
- Presented in a user friendly report
- Supported by individual or group coaching sessions
It is not a psychometric instrument but instead focuses on clear behavioural statements which are scored on a 6 point Likert scale. The report presents raw scores – so there is no diluting of the data. There is also a space for written comments from observers.
Becoming an MDS 360® PractitionerIt is not necessary to complete a certification programme to give feedback on the MDS 360® report. If a client Training Manager wants to give coaching feedback herself MDS will arrange a 2 – 3 hour practitioner’s training session. This is to familiarise the practitioner with the construction of the report, the process for giving feedback and creating an individual development plan (IDP).
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Sample Reports
The questions can be written precisely for your company’s specific need. However most clients start with one of the MDS 360® template questionnaires, then make alterations to reflect unique aspects of work in your company. Please see the sample reports below which are designed for clients who use one of the MDS core leadership programmes or the MDS sales programme “Consultative Selling.”
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Taking your MDS360® AssessmentThis is an online assessment, managed by an MDS administrator. There is therefore little for the client company to arrange. The key steps are:
- Tell MDS what competencies you wish to assess (or use one of the template questionnaires.)
- MDS will create the questionnaire of your choice and put it onto the MDS 360® online platform.
- Give us the e-mail addresses of the candidates for this assessment, plus e-mail addresses of observers (or the candidate may do this personally.)
- Each candidate will need 1 boss, at least 2 peer group members, and at least 3 direct reports as observers.
The MDS 360® may instead be used as 180 assessment, with just the boss (or one other observer group) completing the observer questionnaire.The online assessment is automatic and confidential. It is serviced by an independent server monitored by MDS. Observers can therefore be assured of anonymity. The scores from direct report observers are averaged out – likewise the scores from peer group. -
MDS 360® Application Programmes
The data from MDS 360® reports can be used to design programme content – especially when the data from the average scores (second part of the report) identifies some serious skills gaps for the whole group.
However in most cases the MDS 360® questions are written for a programme which has already been designed – see MDS 360 Skills Assessment and MDS 360 Sales Assessment Reports. In this case the application is to use the MDS 360® to build an individual development plan (IDP). To achieve this, candidates need to receive feedback on their MDS 360® report from a competent practitioner. When MDS trainers are used in this role the process is:
- At that time, candidates are introduced to worksheets with instructions for creating an IDP.
- The MDS 360® reports are delivered to candidates during a 1 or 2 day training programme.
- Candidates then meet with the trainer 2 - 4 weeks later for a learning circle and discuss the IDPs they have designed.
- Alternatively one to one coaching feedback is arranged to give more support for designing the IDP.