HIPSYS Handbook

Corporate and Personal Image (SI.PRO.PER)

Applications of HIPSYS

HIPSYS was originally developed to enable organisations to manage all components of their corporate image within the three image perspectives of the Self Image (SI), the Projected Image (PRO) and the Perceived Image (PER). (See HIPSYS Methodology Manual: A Guide to the Development and Application of HIPSYS.) Hence the name Holistic Image Profiling System, or "HIPSYS". Then individuals wanted to use it to manage their professional and personal image in the workplace and before long, some chose to rename the three image perspectives to whatever they wanted in order to compare different perspectives on the same issues. E.g., Management, Supervision, Workforce; or, Self, Boss, Colleagues, or, whatever.

Since the creation of HIPSYS, scores of different classes have been developed involving many and varied organisations and thousands of individuals. And many classes have been created on the original framework, which has become known as the SI.PRO.PER framework. (See HIPSYS Methodology Manual, Chapter 26.)

An important attribute of HIPSYS is that it enables users to customise the structure of each class to suit the needs or preferences of the organisation or individual. In some cases in the following examples, the three image perspectives of SELF IMAGE (SI), PROJECTED IMAGE (PRO) and PERCEIVED IMAGE (PER) have no breakdown into component groups, whilst others have up to nine breakdowns.

The process is as follows. A questionnaire (developed according to the procedure shown in Table 1.14 on Page 33) is given to the client, which may be an individual, or many people if it is an organisation's image that is to be examined, to ascertain the Self Image.

More than one day but less than one week later another questionnaire is given to the individual(s) to ascertain what image he/she thinks he/she is actually projecting to others. More than one day later is recommended so that the Projected Image responses are not unduly influenced by the Self Image responses and less than a week later so that each still refers to about the same time frame. (See Chapter Ten.)

In the case of an organisation, a Projected Image questionnaire is given only to those individuals who are actually projecting the image of the organisations to its targets. Not everyone in the organization may do so. For example, a chief engineer responsible for the internal maintenance of a plant, a factory or a mine, may never interface with clients/customers and so is not projecting an image of the organisation to them. He/She should not, therefore, be asked to complete a Projected Image questionnaire. But truck drivers, telephonists, salespeople and certain other members of the workforce and the management team who do interface with clients/customers and so do project an image of the organisation to them, should complete a Projected Image questionnaire. It is important to be selective in deciding who should complete a Projected Image questionnaire so that an accurate assessment of what is being projected can be made.

Finally, questionnaires are given to those who interface with the client (an individual or an organisation, as the case may be) to ascertain how they perceive that client (Perceived Image). They may be the client's subordinates, the client's peers, the organisation's customers, or whatever.

The responses to these three types of questionnaire are then input into a computer via HIP Input or input automatically if completed on-line, and the various displays can be viewed.

In a SI.PRO.PER HIPSYS Class the three image perspectives are as follows: -

The extent of the overlaps of the circles indicates the degree of congruence between the image perspectives. The more they overlap, the more they have in common (See Figure 7.1.) and the three primary colours (red, yellow and blue) yield colours in the overlapping areas as follows: -

Figure 7.1

SI.PRO.PER Application of HIPSYS

An Example of a SI.PRO.PER HIPSYS Applied to Individual Managers/ Supervisors

The following example shows how an application of HIPSYS can be used to reinforce managers' and supervisors' strengths and highlight areas for their development.

In this particular class there are ten questions for each facet. Some of the facets included are:

The Self Image has eight pluses and two minuses. Thus, with ten symbols, no "Neither" responses have been recorded and the circle is full size.

The Projected Image circle is also full size with eight pluses and two minuses. However, one of those pluses and one of those minuses is not common to the Self Image.

The Perceived Image circle has eight pluses only and is, therefore, eighty percent of its maximum radial size.

All three image perspectives are their maximum size with ten symbols in each of the three circles. Four positive responses are common to all three (SI.PRO.PER).

There is one negative response in the Self Image only (SI), one positive and one negative in the Projected Image only (PRO), and one positive and two negatives in the Perceived Image only (PER).

Two positives and one negative are in the area of congruence between the Self Image and the Projected Image but not perceived (SI.PRO). One positive and one negative in the Self Image is perceived but is not part of the subject's Projected Image (SI.PER).

And one positive is in the Projected Image, which is perceived but is not part of the subject's Self Image (PRO.PER).

In this case the Self Image and the Projected Image are entirely congruent (SIPRO, no dot), including three negative responses and seven positive ones. Both circles are, therefore, full size because they each contain ten symbols and in this particular class there are ten questions in this facet.

One of those negative responses is perceived as a positive (PER) by those who have responded to the Perceived Image questionnaire on this particular question.

Six other positive perceptions and one negative one are congruent with the Self Image and the Projected Image (SI.PRO.PER).

With eight symbols in the Perceived Image circle two "Neithers" must have been recorded and the circle is, therefore, 80% of its maximum radius.

Here the Self Image is 30% positive (three pluses) and 10% negative (one minus). This means that six "Neither" responses were recorded. There are no symbols in the area shown in Red. This means that none of the responses are in the Self Image only (SI).

The Projected Image is 20% positive (two pluses) and 30% negative (three minuses).

The Perceived Image is 80% positive (eight pluses). As there are no minuses or zeros (that is, Polarised responses), this means that two "Neither" responses were recorded, because there are ten questions in the facet.

The Self Image circle is 70% of its maximum radial size because it contains only seven symbols (ten questions in the facet), five positive responses (pluses) and two negative ones (minuses). Three "Neither" responses must, therefore, have been recorded.

The Projected Image circle is 90% of its maximum radial size because it contains nine symbols, two pluses and seven minuses. One "Neither" response must, therefore, have been recorded because there are ten questions in this facet. The particular question to which this "Neither " response relates will be found in the Assist display.

The Perceived Image circle is full size because it contains ten symbols; four pluses, five minuses, and one zero. The zero indicates a Polarised response. This means that at least 30% of respondents agreed with a particular question and at least 30% of them disagreed with the same question and the difference between them was less than 25% per cent. (Where the difference is more than 25% the overall responses would swing to "Agree" or "Disagree", whichever is the greater percentage.)

There is one plus in the area of congruence between the Self Image and the Projected Image (SI.PRO) and one in the area of congruence between the Self Image and the Perceived Image (SI.PER).

PRO.PER, the area of congruence between the Projected Image and the Perceived Image but not part of the Self Image, has two minuses, and there is one plus and two minuses in the area in which all three image perspectives are congruent (SI.PRO.PER).

In this case the Self Image is 90% of its maximum radial size because it contains nine symbols, and the Projected Image and Perceived Image circles are both full size because they each contain ten symbols.

SI contains two positives. As they are in the SI area only it means they are neither projected nor perceived as positives. In fact, the questions relating to these two positives must be both projected and perceived negatively, because the Projected Image and Perceived Image circles are full size.

PRO has one negative.

PER has one positive.

SI.PRO has one negative.

SI.PER has one positive.

PRO.PER has three negatives.

SI.PRO.PER has four positives and one negative.

What Is the "Ideal" Profile?

What constitutes an ideal profile is probably debateable. In many cases, three concentric circles with ten pluses would seem to be ideal. However, in other cases, perhaps something like that shown in Figure 7.8 would be "ideal".

In this profile, Projected Image is entirely congruent with Perceived Image (PROPER) and all positive (ten pluses). This would seem prima facie to be desirable otherwise one is wasting energy and perhaps resources projecting an image that is not being perceived by those at whom the Projected Image is aimed. One negative in the Self Image is neither projected nor perceived, and, in some cases, this may be deemed desirable. It could be argued that it is not always be wise to project one's shortcomings.

Sometimes it may be decided not to project a positive either. For example, some individuals and organisations do not like to blow their own trumpet about their good deeds. So, whilst it may be shown as a positive in their Self Image, it is not projected and may not be perceived.

On the other hand, there may be some facets of image for which this would not be the case and an "ideal" profile may then be complete congruence between all three image perspectives with all responses being positive as shown in Figure 7.9.

Here there is complete congruence between Self Image, Projected Image and Perceived Image (SIPROPER, no dots) and all ten responses are positive.

However, as we have said, it could be argued in some cases that not all of one's Self Image ought to be projected, especially where it contains some negatives. Some things should, perhaps, be kept private and confidential and therefore not projected and, hopefully, not perceived. For example, a manager with negative attitudes towards a particular company policy perhaps ought not to communicate that to his or her subordinates or customers.

It is often the case that those who ask to have a HIPSYS done on them are the ones who are least in need of it. Some such people have been given almost perfect profiles. However, they have not regarded it as a waste of time. They thought they were on track and said it was reinforcing and encouraging to know that relevant individuals and groups thought so too.

Sunstate Sugar produces more than twenty percent of the nation's raw sugar, employs over 400 permanent employees, about 350 contractors and 600 seasonal employees in the crushing season. It has four sugar mills, a cane supply unit and a corporate office. It is a co-operative owned by over 1,200 sugar cane farmers who own a total of about 1,500 sugar cane farms spread over an area covering three counties and connected by more than 600 kilometres of rail on which run approximately fifty locomotives. Its members' equity currently totals over $500 million.

For many years it has prided itself on being a world leader in the production and marketing of high quality raw sugar. However, at a recent National Sugar Convention, it was stated that the nation's sugar industry had slipped from being a world market leader and innovator to being a follower. For four consecutive years the crop size declined due to adverse weather conditions and the price of sugar continued to fall. This combination of factors caused Sunstate Sugar to direct its energies and expenditures on things that will increase crop yield and reduce costs.

It recently suffered from low prices, crop failure, and increasing competition from Brazil. Brazil is increasing its production while reducing its costs. In an attempt to reduce its operating costs, Sunstate Sugar offered voluntary retrenchments to its workforce and about 25% accepted. As often happens in such cases, many of its best people took the offer. Sunstate Sugar now needed to get the best out of its remaining employees whilst simultaneously getting its members to embrace today's technology.

It developed a web site and e-mail facilities so that members could access important information immediately instead of through a field officer. It also instituted satellite estimating, which is used to estimate the sugar cane crop, schedule harvesting and monitor its progress - a job traditionally carried out by about forty field officers. Although there have been 'teething troubles' as experience is gained in interpreting detailed satellite data, once they have been overcome it was anticipated that this hi-tech type of estimating would produce more accurate and fairer estimating for growers. Sunstate Sugar also planned to take advantage of further operational streamlining opportunities through rapidly developing new technologies.

There were many aspects that concerned both. If the needs of employees and growers were to be met, the attitudes and perceptions of both groups needed to be monitored to see where they were similar and where they may be different. To help it to get these important stakeholders committed to the changes necessary for it to remain viable, the management of Sunstate Sugar felt it needed to survey how its employees felt about a range of issues important to the future of the organisation and compare that with how the growers who are its members perceived those issues. Following the procedure shown in Table 1.14 on page 33, the survey was structured as shown in Table 7.1 below.

Facets chosen, again following the procedure shown in Table 1.14 on Page 33, were:

In accordance with the procedure (see Chapter Ten), questionnaires were administered, data were input (see Chapter Four) and results displayed to and discussed with peer groups of all respondent groups (see Chapter Five).

A display of the components of an image perspective can produce interesting comparisons. For example, comparing the overall Summary responses of management, supervision and workforce showed a 46% noncommittal response from the workforce, as shown in Figure 7.13.

Figure 7.15

Circles and Assist Display of Decision Making Facet

Showing Distribution of Responses to Question No. 36

Such comparisons can be viewed facet by facet and in any of the several HIPSYS displays available. They allow differences between responses to stand out very visually and, when the specific questions and the responses are revealed ('Assist' display) together with other displays, discussion becomes focussed, meaningful and constructive.

Figure 7.16 is another example of an Assist display alongside a Circles display. The Circles show the overall responses to all questions in the Accountability facet and the Assist display shows the raw number and percentage responses of each image perspective (SI, PRO and PER) and its component response groups to each question.

Figure 7.16

Circles and Assist Displays of Accountability Facet

The scroll bar enables questions and their responses to displayed one at a time, thereby keeping discussion focussed. For the question shown here, specific examples of buck passing would be solicited to validate (or invalidate) the response of each group.

Navigating among responses between facets is a straightforward procedure and often helps with interpretation of results. (See Chapters Five and Six.)

A further explanation of the Holistic Image Profiling System with sixteen case studies in varying degrees of detail is given in the HIPSYS Methodology Manual. It also provides information on scores of HIPSYS classes, including those referred to in this Handbook.

Sample reports in various formats are also provided in the HIPSYS Methodology Manual as a guide on how to get the best out of HIPSYS for your clients.