HOGAN ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS AND SPB BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC NORTH AMERICAN ALLIANCE

September 14, 2005 (PRLEAP.COM) Business News
Two pioneering North American companies serving the human resources profession today announced a partnership involving products and distribution that will strengthen the leadership positions of both. Hogan Assessment Systems (HAS) is the leader in comprehensive personality assessments for employee selection and development in the United States; SPB Business Psychology (SPB) is Canada’s leading supplier of research-based consulting services in the field of organizational psychology.

The partnership comes after an extensive international search by SPB to find a company that provided employee selection and development tools that met its demands for scientific rigor, while addressing its clients’ needs for fast, automated reporting of assessment results.

“This has been a year-long process,” said SPB partner and spokesperson Julie Carignan. “Hogan Assessment Systems demonstrated to SPB that they are solid ‘under the hood’ by giving us a trial run. Their products work, they are scientifically proven, and they will help our clients make the right decisions in the areas of employee selection and development,” Carignan said.

Following the formalization of the partnership, HAS psychologists traveled to SPB headquarters and extensively trained SPB staff to use and interpret the Hogan assessment tools. SPB staff also earned qualification to train their own clients to administer the Hogan assessment tools.

“We are thrilled to be working with such an outstanding and highly regarded firm,” said HAS Chief Operating Officer Bob Williams. “SPB is number one in its field throughout Canada and one of the very best in all of North America. With their tremendous breadth of knowledge and position in the marketplace, we anticipate that they will become a top provider of Hogan Assessment Systems products within a few years.”

Some of SPB’s current clients are already using Hogan Assessment Systems’ employee selection and development products in the English-speaking provinces. A unique aspect of the partnership is HAS’s dedication to ensuring that the translated versions for French Canadians is the exact equivalent of the English version.

“It is not enough to have a simple translation of the text,” Carignan explained. “For example a question may be designed to determine how well an individual will respond to their leader. In French however, the word ‘follower’ can have a negative connotation that has more to do with the cultural interpretation than literal translation. Hogan Assessment Systems is making the extremely rare effort not only to provide great tools, but to provide assessments that are equivalent no matter the native language of the test taker.”


About Hogan Assessment Systems
Hogan Assessment Systems (HAS) is a multidisciplinary consulting firm that specializes in employee selection and development, providing comprehensive assessment systems for customers around the world. HAS is seen as the leading authority on employee selection and development because of its unique ability to validate, quantify, and customize its assessment systems for a variety of organizations. HAS customers include more than half of the Fortune 100 companies and many other private companies inside and outside the United States. Visit www.HoganAssessments.com to learn more.

About SPB Business Psychology
Established in 1980, SPB Business Psychology significantly helps clients solve complex people retention and development issues and improves overall team performance, employee satisfaction, and organizational effectiveness. As a leading supplier of research-based consulting services in the field of organizational psychology, SPB helps organizations deal more effectively with people through the creative application of its proprietary comparative databases, rigorous methodology, and HR technologies, producing well-defined business outcomes. For more information about SPB Business Psychology, visit www.spb.ca.

Contacts:
Rodney Warrenfeltz
Hogan Assessment Systems
(904) 992-0302

Julie Carignan
SPB Business Psychology
(450) 646-1022