November 20-2025
By: Marisa
We all face the same challenge: how do we ensure employees are not only working hard, but working in the right place?
Career pathing is often designed using a one-size-fits-all approach or becomes too rigid—based only on past performance and educational background. In reality, two employees with the same job title can have completely different motivations, work environment preferences, and leadership potential.
This is where the Harrison Assessment (or similar paradox-based tools measuring fit and traits) becomes a true game-changer. It is not merely a hiring tool—it is a personalized roadmap for internal growth.
Why Traditional Approaches Fail
Conventional career path frameworks often fall short for two key reasons:
- Overemphasis on Fixing Weaknesses
Employee development tends to focus on “patching” weaknesses rather than maximizing individuals’ natural strengths.
- Ignoring Work Environment Preferences
Employees are often promoted into managerial roles simply because they excel in technical tasks—when in fact, they may not enjoy managing people (a core requirement of leadership).
Harrison Assessment helps us see the bigger picture: what an employee truly enjoys and what they naturally avoid.
3 Steps HR Can Take to Integrate Assessment into Career Pathing
HR plays a critical role in transforming static assessment data into dynamic development programs.
- From Job Fit to Career Enjoyment
Instead of using Harrison Assessment solely during recruitment to ensure Job Fit, we can use it to predict long-term performance, motivation, and career satisfaction.
- Identify Paradoxical Traits
Harrison highlights traits that appear contradictory (e.g., Strategizing vs. Organizing). These insights can be used to map career trajectories.
Practical Example:
Employee X scores high in Analyzing but low in Delegating. Their ideal path may be toward becoming a Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Technical Architect (depth-focused), rather than immediately moving into a Team Manager role (which requires strong delegation).
- Insight-Based Career Conversations
Use assessment results as guidance during career discussions. Ask questions such as:
“We see you enjoy tasks requiring persuasion and initiative (high Assertiveness). How can we integrate more projects that leverage these strengths into your role?”
- Personalizing the Development Plan
Assessment data provides a highly specific roadmap for development, shifting us from generic training toward hyper-targeted coaching.
- Define Coaching Programs
If results show strong leadership potential (e.g., high Motivating) but a barrier in Self-Assertiveness, then the Development Plan should prioritize public speaking and stakeholder management—not technical training.
- Trait-Based Mentoring
HR can pair mentors and mentees based on intentionally aligned or contrasting traits.
Example:
A mentee who is overly cautious (high Cautious) can be paired with a mentor who scores high in Risk Taking to help them step outside their comfort zone.
- Measuring Impact on Retention and Performance
Integration only works if we can demonstrate measurable value.
- Retention Metrics (Role Alignment)
Track turnover of employees placed in career paths aligned with their assessment results, compared with general turnover. The aligned group typically shows significantly higher retention.
- In-Role Performance
Evaluate the correlation between high Job Fit (assessment-based) and performance scores (KPI/OKR). Employees whose traits match the demands of a new role tend to reach peak performance faster.
Integrating tools like Harrison Assessment into career pathing is an investment in organizational clarity and employee fulfillment. It equips employees with strong data to answer:
“What makes me successful, and which path will truly allow me to enjoy my career?”
When employees are placed in paths aligned with their best potential, we don’t just increase retention—we build a workforce that is intrinsically motivated, which ultimately strengthens the company’s competitive advantage.
Join the Harrison Assessment Program by Qando Qoaching
This program leads organizations toward a more strategic, effective, and impactful HR function that drives business growth.
Learn more through our digital learning platform and consultations with the Qando Qoaching expert team at https://campsite.bio/qqgroup and stay updated through our official social media channels.
Let’s move forward together toward a stronger, greater Indonesia!
