Harrison Assessment Tests Enjoyment Performance Theory 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to EPT, which combination creates the highest risk of early turnover?
- High eligibility, high suitability
- Low eligibility, high suitability
- High eligibility, low suitability (Correct answer)
- Low eligibility, low suitability
Correct answer: High eligibility, low suitability
High eligibility with low suitability means the employee can do the job but won't enjoy it, making voluntary departure highly probable.
Question 2: In Harrison's Enjoyment Performance Theory, 'engagement' is best understood as a product of what?
- Manager approval ratings and peer recognition programs
- Enjoyment of tasks combined with a sense of meaning and autonomy (Correct answer)
- Number of promotions received within five years
- Attendance record and punctuality metrics
Correct answer: Enjoyment of tasks combined with a sense of meaning and autonomy
EPT links engagement directly to whether employees find their daily tasks enjoyable and meaningful, not to external reward structures alone.
Question 3: Which statement correctly contrasts Harrison Assessments with traditional personality tests like the Big Five?
- Harrison measures context-specific task enjoyment, while Big Five measures broad stable traits (Correct answer)
- Harrison focuses only on cognitive ability, while Big Five covers personality
- Big Five assessments are role-specific, while Harrison is generic
- Harrison uses forced-choice ipsative scoring exclusively, making it less valid
Correct answer: Harrison measures context-specific task enjoyment, while Big Five measures broad stable traits
Harrison's assessments tie behavioral traits to job-relevant task enjoyment, offering role-specific predictive validity beyond broad personality dimensions.
Question 4: What does EPT predict about an employee who enjoys most tasks in their current role but lacks one critical skill?
- They will likely underperform permanently due to the skill gap
- They are a strong development investment because motivation will drive skill acquisition (Correct answer)
- They should be terminated immediately to protect team performance
- Their enjoyment is irrelevant without the required skill
Correct answer: They are a strong development investment because motivation will drive skill acquisition
EPT suggests that employees who enjoy their work are motivated to close skill gaps through learning, making them strong development candidates.
Question 5: How does Harrison Assessments handle the measurement of traits that can be strengths or weaknesses depending on degree?
- It uses a paradox framework to identify optimal ranges for each trait (Correct answer)
- It assigns a single score without considering degree of expression
- Traits are binary — either present or absent
- Managers manually adjust trait scores based on observation
Correct answer: It uses a paradox framework to identify optimal ranges for each trait
Harrison's paradox framework recognizes that too little or too much of a trait creates risk, while a balanced expression is optimal for performance.
Question 6: Which best describes the EPT rationale for including enjoyment data in succession planning?
- Senior roles require enjoyment of strategic tasks that differ from operational ones (Correct answer)
- Enjoyment scores decrease with age, so they predict retirement timing
- Legal compliance requires enjoyment data in US succession plans
- Enjoyment assessments replace performance review data in succession models
Correct answer: Senior roles require enjoyment of strategic tasks that differ from operational ones
EPT supports succession planning by ensuring high-potential employees enjoy the task mix of the target senior role, not just their current role.
Question 7: In the context of EPT, what is a 'performance paradox'?
- An employee who performs well despite low compensation
- A situation where strong task ability coexists with low enjoyment, producing inconsistent results (Correct answer)
- A paradox where high performers always resist promotion
- A case where poor test scores predict superior on-the-job performance
Correct answer: A situation where strong task ability coexists with low enjoyment, producing inconsistent results
A performance paradox occurs when someone is skilled enough to perform but dislikes the work enough that output fluctuates and eventually declines.
Harrison Assessment Tests Enjoyment Performance Theory 3
According to EPT, which combination creates the highest risk of early turnover?