1. Set Goals
Set goals and decide who you want to profile.
Set goals
Let’s begin with the end in mind. What are you hoping to accomplish with Swarm Vision?
I want to (check as many as apply):
Hire more innovators
Identify innovators already in our workforce
Understand and be able to recognize innovators
Understand our innovation capabilities by department, function or region
Compare your company to international innovation talent benchmarks
Retain innovative employees
Form stronger innovation teams
Create a dedicated innovation capability function
Educate management about innovation
Create a culture of innovation based on data, not guesswork
I am more interested in identifying innovators
In a specific department, function or region
Throughout the organization
Identify the people you want to profile
Depending on the goals you set, you can define the people you’d like to invite to take the Profiler. For example, to:
Hire more innovators
Profile candidates that meet the specs for open positions
Profile existing employees
Identify innovators already in your workforce
Raise the entire company’s innovation profile
Profile a sample across the organization
Help a specific department, function or region become more innovative
Profile all of them, or a representative sample
Improve a specific team
Profile all of their members
Form new innovation teams
Profile all potential team members
Send out some advance communications
Here are some things to consider when communicating about the Profiler:
Invite people to take the Profiler
There are two ways to invite people to take the Profiler
Email from You
As part of your subscription, you received an email with sample copy and a unique code for sponsored users. Copy and send this email to anyone whom you’d like to invite to take the Profiler. Click here to view a sample sponsor email invitation.
Email from Swarm Vision
For larger cohorts of users, Swarm can send out the invitation on your behalf with unique logins for each user. Just send us an Excel or CSV file with the list of users in this format:
First name Last name Email address
- Contact admin@swarmvision.com to organize large batches. For a sample invitation copy, click here.
- Be sure to add SwarmVision.com to your company email directory so invitation emails get through your firewall.
Manage Profiler invitations
Once you send out invitations, you can see who has or has not completed the Profiler by logging into the dashboard. (Upgrade)
Plan to send 2-3 reminders during the period the assessment is open.
Analyze Results
As people complete the Profiler, their results appear instantly on your admin dashboard (Upgrade)
Results are color coded by quartile:
Try out some of the dashboard (upgrade) functionality e.g. Sort, Filter and Export reports. Click the “?” Button for a user guide.
Identify your top innovators… and more!
Click on the “Innovation Score” column to sort everyone by Overall score. Individuals in magenta fall into the top quartile (75th percentile +.)
Consider these employees for dedicated innovation roles, e.g. on innovation initiatives sanctioned by leadership, in incubators or accelerators. At minimum, try to free up 20 percent of their time for innovation initiatives.
Form Strong Innovation Teams
Average Innovation Score, Coverage & Complementarity
Using the results on your dashboard (upgrade), first select team members by overall innovation score. Then make sure at least one member scores high on each of the 8 innovation skills, and that their skills complement each other.
Enterprise customers can use the Swarm Team suggestion engine to form teams. (Upgrade)
Track Progress
Annual assessment
Most companies already use talent assessments
Many customers field a baseline study to see how strong their innovation skills are to start with, then they perform an annual pulse study to measure change.
Go to here to calculate sample sizes for different populations.
Convince Management
Want to use the Swarm Profiler but wonder how to convince management? Here are some tips:
Most companies already use talent assessments
In fact, about 75 percent of the Fortune 500 uses talent assessments. Swarm Vision is like many assessments you already probably use, like Myers Briggs or DISC, but purpose-built for innovation.
Swarm Vision is the most rigorous and complete innovation assessment
We identify the full spectrum of innovation skills needed from front- to back-end, from incremental to disruptive innovation. Check out why companies choose us.
Leveraging talent is cost-effective
Most large companies spend 50-80 percent of their operating budgets on people. And, first and last, innovation comes from people. Leveraging the innovation talent you already have, and attracting more of it, is a most cost-efficient approach to innovation.
FAQ
What is the Swarm Innovation Profiler?
The Swarm Innovation Profiler is an on-line assessment designed to help people discover their innovation talents. It was developed in Silicon Valley.
Why should I take the Swarm Innovation Profiler?
The Profiler assesses eight innovation talents that, together, enable teams to be effective at innovation. You may possess talents that you didn’t realize you had, talents that you can leverage to contribute to innovation.
Is the Swarm Innovation Profiler valid in my industry and country?
Yes. The Profiler was developed over four waves of international research across numerous industry sectors, from highly regulated industries such as banking and medical devices, to less regulated sectors such as consumer packaged goods and software. The research was conducted internationally across cultures that embrace innovation, as well as more traditional cultures.
How should I answer the questions?
You should answer the questions honestly based on your true self, not what you think you “should” say, or what you think other people might say. You may not bring this essence to bear in your work day-to-day, so others may not know what you are capable of.
What will my results tell me?
The Profiler will tell you your three innovation strengths, and how you compare to the general population. The Interpretation Guide explains the eight innovation skills, and the 26 sub-skills that make up your scores.
Can people skew their results?
The Profiler adjusts for socially-desirable responding. So don’t try to guess what the “expected” answer is. Just answer honestly.
How can I use my results to improve my effectiveness at work?
By leveraging your innovation talents, you can contribute more effectively to teams. By understanding the eight innovation skills, you can recognize and make the most of talents in others.
What if I don’t score well?
All Profiler scores are on a continuum, from Continuous Improvement to Incremental to Disruptive Innovation. Organizations need all of these skills (in fact they need more people in Continuous Improvement than Disruptors). So there is no such thing as a bad Profiler score.
How long does it take?
The Profiler takes 15-20 minutes. Plan to take it where you have a good Internet connection and when you won’t be interrupted.
What is the validity?
The Profiler differentiates innovators from the general population at 99.9 percent validity (p<.001).
What browser should I use?
The Profiler is best taken on Chrome or Safari.
Who will see my results?
If you are a sponsor, only you will see your results.
If you were invited to take the Profiler by a colleague (a “sponsor”), the sponsor will see your results on the Swarm dashboard.
Can I share my results with others?
Yes, you will receive an email with a PDF of your results, which you can forward to others. You can also download the PDF by clicking the button “Download PDF” at the end of your results.
How will the results be used by others?
Our customers use the Profiler to discover the innovation talent hiding inside of their organizations, and to develop a more nuanced understanding of innovation talent. (For example, it’s not only about creativity.)
Swarm recommends that Profiler results be used to engage people in innovation according to their talents and to form more effective teams. We recommend that sponsors use the Profiler to round out other workforce information, such as your accomplishments, functional skills, goals and personality.
Is the site secure?
Yes, Swarm Vision uses industry-standard security. Please don’t share your login credentials with others.
Need more help?
Contact Swarm Vision for help designing and carrying out your Swarm Innovation initiative. We are experts in innovation talent selection and team formation.
Download a pdf of our How To Use Swarm Vision Guide.
Resources
Videos
Webinar
Convince Management
Annual Benchmarking
