Ntrinsx is Accuratentrinsx.com/assets/pdf/whitepaper.pdf · Literally, within minutes, people gain ... ourselves, especially when we understand something of how to define and measure

Ntrinsx is Accurate Validity of the System

you. me. us.

Ntrinsx www.ntrinsx.com | © Intrinsic Systems, LLC 2

Table of Contents

Executive Overview ..............................................................................3Preface ................................................................................................. 3About Temperament Theory ............................................................... 3

Ntrinsx ..................................................................................................6

Ntrinsx Distinctions .......................................................................... 16Ntrinsx Acceptance and Validation .................................................... 18


Executive Overview

Preface Ntrinsx is a contemporary method used to help people understand the intrinsic strengths of their character, and recognize and appreciate the intrinsic strengths of others. It helps people in their professional, family, and social life by embracing respect in their relationships.

Ntrinsx is fast and fun, two attributes that have become crucial for engagement in the fast-paced lifestyle of today’s world. Rooted in entertainment, and built on a contemporary technology platform, Ntrinsx is both enjoyable and accessible.

While Ntrinsx shares a common theoretical foundation based on Carl Jung’s theories, its main difference is marked by how quickly people are able to benefit from it. Literally, within minutes, people gain valuable insights into their own behavior and the behavior of others. Perhaps more importantly, Ntrinsx gives people a metaphorical language, using colors to relate to behavioral tendencies, and it embraces technology with a modality that is better suited to large-scale engagement.

About Temperament TheoryMotivation, management, communications, relationships - focused on yourself or others - are a lot more effective when you understand yourself, and the people you seek to motivate or manage or develop or help.

› Understanding and developing yourself

› Understanding and developing others

› Understanding what motivates others

› Understanding others’ strengths and weaknesses

› Working in teams - by ensuring that all relevant necessary capabilities are represented in the team

› Allocating and agreeing tasks and project responsibilities

› Agreeing roles and development with others and for oneself


Understanding personality is the key to unlocking elusive human qualities, for example leadership, motivation, and empathy, whether your purpose is self-development, helping others, or any other field relating to people and how we behave.

Developing understanding of personality typology, personality traits, thinking styles and learning style theory is also a very useful way to improve your knowledge of motivation and behavior of self and others, in the workplace and beyond.

Understanding personality types is helpful for appreciating that while people are different, everyone has a value, and special strengths and qualities, and that everyone should be treated with care and respect. The relevance of ones intrinsic values - especially at work - is easier to see and explain when we understand that differences in people are usually personality-based. People very rarely set out to cause upset - they just behave differently because they are different.

As a general introduction to all of these theories and models, it’s important to realize that no-one fully knows the extent to which personality is determined by genetics and hereditary factors, compared to the effects of up-bringing, culture, environment and experience. Nature versus Nurture: no-one knows. Most studies seem to indicate that it’s a bit of each, roughly half and half, although obviously it varies person-to-person.

Given that perhaps half our personality is determined by influences acting upon us after we are conceived and born, it’s interesting and significant also that no-one actually knows the extent to which personality changes over time.

Certainly childhood is highly influential in forming personality. Certainly major trauma at any stage of life can change a person’s personality quite fundamentally. Certainly many people seem to mature emotionally with age and experience. But beyond these sort of generalizations, it’s difficult to be precise about how and when — and if — personality actually changes. We can however identify general personality styles, aptitudes, sensitivities, traits, etc., in people and in ourselves, especially when we understand something of how to define and measure types and styles. And this level of awareness is far better than having none at all.

Understanding personality is the key to unlocking elusive human qualities, for example

leadership motivation, and empathy.


You cannot impose motivation on another person. You can inspire them perhaps, which lasts as long as you can sustain the inspiration, but sustainable motivation must come from within the person. A good manager and leader will enable and provide the situation, environment and opportunities necessary for people to be motivated - in pursuit of goals and development and achievements that are truly meaningful to the individual. This implies that you need to discover, and at times help the other person to discover, what truly motivates them - especially their strengths, passions, and personal aims - for some the pursuit of personal destiny - to achieve their own unique potential. Being able to explain personality, and to guide people towards resources that will help them understand more about themselves, is all part of the process. Help others to help you understand what they need - for work and for whole life development, and you will have an important key to motivating, helping and working with people.

Modern temperament theory can be traced back to, among others, Hippocrates (470 BC) and Aristotle (384 BC). In the late 1500’s Shakespeare educated and entertained audiences with his portrayals of human temperament. But not until the late 1800’s did temperament theory emerge as a scientific framework for psychology when Dr. Carl Jung published his “psychology type” theory.

A number of popular implementations evolved from Carl Jung’s work, the most predominant being Myers-Briggs and Kiersey. Each of these approaches will be characterized later to show what they have in common with each other and with Ntrinsx, and how they are differentiated. In general, all systems that stem from Jung’s theory subscribe to the notion that, in contradiction to earlier theories, people are not all the same. Their patterns of attitude and behavior are not the same. Intelligence and creativity are manifested differently. People communicate differently and they exhibit different mating, parenting, learning and leadership styles — and will excel at different things in life and work.

Beginning with the work of Myers-Briggs, temperament theory transitioned from an academic study of the science to a more practical application of the science. This moved discussions about temperament out of the journals and into corporate training rooms. Now, as technology advances, there is a new trend that embraces virtual learning environments. With the convergence of the Internet, mobile computing, social media, and even online gaming, we are able to reach the masses in a way that would not be possible if learning remained tethered to classrooms or encumbered by academic rigor.

You cannot impose motivation on another person.


Ntrinsx

Ntrinsx is the trade name used by Intrinsic Systems LLC for a family of products positioned to help people in all aspects of their professional, family and social life. By understanding and appreciating our intrinsic motivators and character strengths as well as the motivators and strengths of others we are better equipped to embrace positive lifestyle behaviors.

Ntrinsx is designed around a technology platform that could be easily and inexpensively deployed to extremely large populations. It incorporates online video and other multi-media techniques to make it engaging. And, it incorporates an open database design architecture that can be easily integrated with or embedded in other systems, thereby enabling anyone to embed temperament tools in their own applications.

The technology not only delivers the Ntrinsx experience, but it also collects and aggregates valuable ‘social intelligence’ about participants that can be used for marketing purposes and to automate decision making. Coordinators can organize participants in groups, access individual participant profiles, and view aggregated group statistics. All relevant information can be accessed from the database programmatically via published APIs (application programmatic interface).

Applications

Ntrinsx can be applied as a foundation for any application that leverages predictable human behavior and requires engagement in order to achieve reasonable success.

Training. The learning experience is not the same for everyone. Only by understanding the behavioral makeup of the learning group and of each individual within the group is it possible to tailor the classroom experience and/or course curriculum.

Coaching. The degree by which interaction between two individuals succeeds in achieving the desired outcome depends on relationship. That relationship may be very short-lived if the coach unintentionally clashes with the participant’s core values.

Performance Appraisal. This is often one of the most stressful interactions between managers and their subordinates. But, it doesn’t have to be. Establishing a comfortable, productive one-on-one meeting to discuss performance starts with each individual’s appreciation for what is important to the other.


Team Building. Much of what gets done today gets done by teams. Whether they are formal or informal, the success of a team depends on the ability of its members to focus on a common goal and leverage the strengths of its members. The potential for a team’s success starts with selection of its members.

On-boarding. Whether we are talking about a company or social group, both parties will benefit by knowing each other when someone new joins. Selection of a new member should be based at least in part on a characterization of the new member’s behavioral tendencies. The new member will benefit greatly by understanding the cultural landscape the organization he/she is joining.

Sales. Any successful sales person will tell you that selling is all about relationships. What works well with one customer doesn’t necessarily translate to others. Knowing what it takes to meet the customer’s requirements is fundamental. Knowing what is important to the customer personally is crucial to maintain a productive business relationship.

Marketing. Effective marketing campaigns appeal to the values of those within the target market. There are many ways to deliver marketing messages, but delivery is only one piece of the puzzle. A message that appeals to the intrinsic values of the recipient will get traction. All others will be ignored. Ntrinsx allows marketers to tailor their message to appeal to a broader market.

Wellbeing. This is an extremely complex issue that is top of mind for corporate leaders and world leaders and there is no simple solution. One thing that experts can agree on, however, is that a large part of the problem is behavioral and the solution involves engagement in a healthy lifestyle - Easy to say, but not so easy to do because everyone is motivated differently to make personal lifestyle choices. Ntrinsx impacts wellbeing by reinforcing esteem in self and others, reducing conflict and stress, and building healthier, happier relationships.

Conflict and Stress. Conflict produces stress and stress is a well-known source of poor health. Conflict and stress are everywhere in our professional and personal lives. It occurs when someone violates our core values. A better understanding of what drives behavior will enable us to respect the values of others. Likewise, we can avoid conflicts that result from our misinterpretation of others’ behavior toward us.

Personal Relationships. All too often, conflicts with those we most care about threaten to erode our personal relationships with devastating impact. This can destroy friendships, end careers, result in divorce, put strain on parent-child and sibling relationships, and lead to poor performance in school. How many heart-breaking arguments could have been avoided if you understood and respected the other person’s position?

Ntrinsx Model


Ntrinsx tools are used to quickly identify a person’s predominant type (color). But, because everyone’s personality is characterized by some mix of each color, Ntrinsx identifies that mix in order of ‘most like me’ to ‘least like me’. The first color identifies traits that are predominant in all situations. The second color identifies traits that are easily called on in certain situations that demand those traits. The third color identifies traits that can be called on if required, but would not be comfortable on a routine basis. The fourth color is the weakest color. It identifies traits that are not natural strengths, indicating opportunities for personal development.


Ideally, a person’s work, family, and social environments would align with and/or reinforce his or her intrinsic character strengths. The Ntrinsx tools use visual techniques in an interactive experience to help people relate to their character strengths quickly (2 – 3 minutes). Unlike ‘testing’ methodologies, which derive a characterization based on forced-choice questionnaires, Ntrinsx provides an interactive method of self-assessment that is more intuitive and more enjoyable.


Ntrinsx Distinctions

All of the methods described in this analysis share some common ideas. At a high level, they can look quite similar. However, you will discover significant differences as you drill deeper. Here are some key distinctions of Ntrinsx as compared to the other methods:

Modality. The first and most obvious distinction between Ntrinsx and all other systems in use today, is the visual, interactive nature of the Ntrinsx assessment tool. Myers Briggs, Keirsey and DiSC use a blind test. After completion of the ‘test’ they reveal your personality. Conversely, Ntrinsx presents behavioral characterizations, which you identify with (or not) as you interactively portray yourself in terms of the traits that are most like you. This approach is less likely to result in an incorrect characterization.

Use & Recall. Ntrinsx uses a color metaphor to make it easier to relate to personality traits. Colors are easier to remember and non-judgmental. Color quickly becomes a natural ‘language’ within populations that have been exposed to Ntrinsx, which reinforces the individuals intrinsic values the more it is used. Myers Briggs uses combinations of four letters to designate type (ENT what? INF what?); Keirsey uses combinations of word-titles (Guardian – Provider; Guardian – Supervisor); DiSC uses chart scores and word descriptors (3-6-3-5 Appraiser); all of which are quickly forgotten and none of which can be used as a language.

Engagement. Perhaps the most compelling attribute of Ntrinsx is revealed only by experiencing it. You immediately feel good because the Ntrinsx assessment tool is designed to deliver positive messages about who you are. This immediately draws you into the Ntrinsx experience and the more you use it the more it engages you. And because Ntrinsx focuses on the positive attributes of your character, you are more likely


to share it with others. Ntrinsx teaches you how to respect your intrinsic values and the intrinsic values of others so, not only does Ntrinsx engage you, but it serves as a catalyst that helps you engage others. No other system currently on the market including Myers Briggs, Keirsey, and DiSC has that affect. Conversely, most people report that the forced-choice questionnaires are impersonal, tedious and boring.

Reach. Partly due to its engaging nature, and partly due to its technology platform, Ntrinsx is easy to deploy to very large populations. This is especially important when considering that the real value is accrued when all related parties have a common understanding of the principles. This, in combination with all of the previously mentioned distinctions, has a viral effect. Conversely, due to the nature of Myers Briggs, Keirsey and DiSC implementation formats, it takes a significant commitment of time and money to deploy those systems. As a result, organizations typically invest in training on those systems within a relatively small subset of the population — say top layers of management or a segment of the sales force.

Applicability. Considering all of the above attributes — modality, use & recall, engagement, and reach — it is easier to envision the practical constraints that may limit how well a specific system fits a specific application. While Myers Briggs, Keirsey, and DISC are generally accepted as valid methodologies, they all require relatively intense education by an accredited expert — usually in a classroom environment. This equates to a significant commitment of time, money, and priority (i.e., how else should I spend my time and money right now). Given those commitments, Myers Briggs, Keirsey, and DISC have been accepted in corporate development applications, albeit for a limited segment of the population. Ntrinsx, on the other hand, is not only applicable across corporate development applications, it fits well in schools, entertainment, coaching, personal relationships, marketing/advertising, retail, etc. And, because Ntrinsx is easily embeddable in electronic systems, it has unique intellectual application opportunities in the area of customer service, online merchandising, social networking, data mining, etc.

A better understanding of what drives behavior will enable us to respect the values of others.


Ntrinsx Acceptance and ValidationAbout Assessment Instruments

The idea of “testing” people to determine behavioral tendency or personality has been around for decades. From the beginning, the validity of such test instruments has been challenged and, while there is no consensus, the scientific/academic community generally accepts that all validity claims are suspect.

Some perspectives on the subject of validity:

“MBTI has a ton of test-retest validity... but in terms of external validity, as in what these temperament patterns really mean, we get a big question mark.” (INTP Central Forum)

“MBTI measure is replicable... test-retest accuracy is as high if not higher than other personality scales... It’s relating it back to behavior that MBTI fails on.” (INTP Central Forum)

Test validity concerns whether a test measures what it is supposed to measure. So, the question is what is the purpose of the test? What conclusions are we trying to derive? If you buy into the assertion by the scientific/academic community that test-retest accuracy does not imply validity of behavioral prediction, then what?

This brings us to the real question. What are we trying to accomplish and how well is a specific instrument suited to accomplishing it? While other instruments help people understand themselves better, the intent of Ntrinsx is to help others understand us better and us to understand others better.

That’s why “You” is the first word in Ntrinsx’ tag line. This may seem subtle but it is extremely important and at the core of Ntrinsx’ value proposition. In building better, more productive and rewarding relationships, understanding and respecting your values is more important than understanding my own values. But no matter how important I think it is to show respect for you, it is impossible unless you share your values with me. The old adage, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” simply doesn’t make sense in this context — and we know that now. If you treat a bright Gold the way a bright Orange would like to be treated, or visa-versa, there will be conflict and stress. But, if I know you’re Gold and I respect your Gold values we will get along much better, regardless of my color. It just makes sense. So, “do unto others as they want done unto them” is the general idea behind Ntrinsx.

Bottom line: The intent of Ntrinsx is not to psychoanalyze people. It is to help people portray their values with intent to strengthen relationships.


Validation Research Findings

A formal study was conducted to determine if Ntrinsx helped people change behaviors to strengthen relationships, improve performance at work, and reduce conflict and stress. Participants took an online assessment to determine the relative scores of their four colors and received reports based on those characteristics. A total of 418 respondents completed the online survey, which represents 36 percent of those invited to participate in the study. Key findings include:

› Most (75.5%) respondents were not surprised at the style assigned them by the assessment, meaning that they agreed with it.

› Slightly more than one-half (54%) thought Ntrinsx was insightful.

› More than one-half (54.5%) think about Ntrinsx and its effect on their and others communication in meetings.

› 79 percent of those in the Manager/Director/CIO Job Area reporting that they use the tool and are more cognizant of style and temperament.

› More than one-half (54%) report that they have changed their behaviors based on what they have learned.

› Nearly one-half (48.5%) would like to use Ntrinsx with their family.

› GOLD was the style with the highest percentage (34.4%) for Primary Color; ORANGE was the least (14.4%).

› Secondary color/style was evenly distributed over three colors – BLUE (27.4%), GOLD (26.2%), GREEN (28.2%) and ORANGE (18.2).

› GREEN dominates in Infrastructure whereas GOLD is the strongest representation in the other three Job Areas (Application, Support, Manager/Director/CIO).

› Those with longer tenure (16+ years of service) are not as balanced in the styles as those with five and fewer years of service.

How Ntrinsx is Used

To see how respondents are using Ntrinsx, they were asked, “Give one example of how knowing your own colors and those of another person helped you.” More than half (55%) made a response. Of those 232 responses, 176 were positive, 46 were negative or did not have an example.

The positive responses ranged from general comments to very specific examples of how they have used Ntrinsx. The responses indicate that people have had insights into their own thoughts and reactions to their style and that of their co-workers. The examples also show that the respondents are using Ntrinsx to assemble teams, in meetings and discussions, and in preparing materials for review by someone with a different color profile.


A sample of verbatim responses from the survey participants:

“A woman I work with is a strong Blue and when I interact with her, I always start off with some personal conversation about her family or how she is feeling or doing.”

“Altering my communication with others based on their color. Gained a better understanding of behaviors based on colors of others.”

“Approaching difficult issues.”

“Better able to approach others with tasks for our projects. Better able to communicate in a style that will be accepted by other colors.”

“Changed the way I presented an idea - wrote it down and sent it in advance before springing it on them.”

“Helped me to understand why someone reacts the way they do in a situation, when in fact doesn’t seem like anything to react to for me.”

“Has altered my approach, caused me to pause more and talk less to allow the other person a chance to voice his/her opinions.”

“Helps to know triggers of other colors and how they react to situations.”

“I’m a lot more accepting of Greens and what to me is hard dry data orientation and

I’ve become better and presenting my “case” in more Green-like terms.”

“I am rigid and need to slow down and be more flexible.”

“I have a team that consists of two oranges, two blues, and two greens (including me). Has helped me to understand more of people’s styles — especially oranges!”

“I have prepared PowerPoint presentations based on what colors the end user is.

It helped me design the slide knowing what sparked the end user.”

“I know that there are certain combinations that don’t mix well and that changes my approach to the person or situation.”

“I take into consideration that not all peers work at the same pace and I’m more respectful of the different outcomes achieved.”

“I used to think that a co-worker played too much but then found out he was a very strong Orange. It all made sense! So now I don’t get as upset with him, as long as he gets the job done in the end. And, he does - just not according to all of my timetables and organization tools.”

“I work closely with a Green/Orange. He’s often on his own invisible timetable with things, but he gets things done. Knowing this has helped me stay calm when I would otherwise have been panicking.”

“In organizing a team, the color of another team member has assisted in the assignments.”

“It allowed me an insight on management I was not aware of.”

“It helps in tailoring the type of conversation with the person. Do they respond better

to “just the facts” or do they like to hear a detailed explanation.”


“My boss is blue so I change my communication to be clear about when I am venting

and when I am criticizing, otherwise comments are perceived from an emotional standpoint and creates issues. Identifying the best way to communicate with my boss has been helpful.”

“My boss is orange - always riding a surfboard to work. I’m nearly equal with blue and gold, so I want folks following a process, but I want to be sure they feel good and are happy. While my boss may seem all over the place, I use my strengths to find patience and seek to understand his perspective.”

“My manager is a green I have learned to not beat around the bush and be very direct with him.”

“My manager is gold. I know that he expects me to be prepared and prefers not to be interrupted.”

Most Important Benefit

To determine the most important benefits of Ntrinsx, respondents were asked, “What has been the most important benefit to learning about your colors?” A total of 331 (79%) provided a text response to the question. Of those, 282 provided a benefit statement and 49 indicated it was of no benefit or they already had the knowledge or made negative comments.

The benefit statements included such terms as affirming, understanding, validating, acceptance, confirmation, finding out, helping me, how I approach/work/fit, knowing how, learning how, self-understanding. A sample from the responses about the most important benefit:

“Actually seeing something in black and white to describe things I’ve always known about myself and understanding a little better.”

“Although I’ve taken a similar program twice before, this was a good review of how a person’s temperament is often depicted by their color.”

“An understanding that everyone’s perspective is different.”

“Becoming aware of some of my hidden strength and what to improve on.”

“Confirmation that my personal style associates with a color and is not unique to me.”

“Each individual has a personal identify and strengths that other team members may not have. This brings diversity and offers more opportunities for growth in my opinion.”

“Feeling more comfortable that my style of approaching problems is different from that of my co-workers.”

Engagement, the most compelling attribute of Ntrinsx is revealed by experiencing it.


“Having my team understand that I am open to change, may look at things from a different perspective and want to see progress has helped me build a better relationship and trust within my team.”

“Having something I can hand to someone and say, ’This is the way I think.’”

“How I am perceived by others. I knew how I feel but now knowing that others can understand is helpful. It has also been insightful for me to see why I tend to work well with others who are my color.”

“I’m not as critical of others anymore. Peoples’ personalities don’t annoy me when I’m trying to get a job done. I’m much more tolerant.”

“I am rigid and need to slow down and be more flexible.”

“I am trying to be more open to new things and finding new ways to have fun.”

“I believe it is always a good idea to better understand communication and how it is taken. There is a human element of reaction and feelings to everything we do. Just knowing the company is promoting and fostering these types of thoughts and understanding is refreshing to me - although I don’t think the Ntrinsx colors is the best program, we understand the purpose of the activity.”

“I realize that I need to think more before reacting to any situation. That not everyone sees things the same way I do so I need to adjust to my surroundings. It is much easier when you are aware of their ‘colors.’”

“I try to remember that not everyone is detail-oriented and I listen to the high level/big picture first then ask for more details at the end.”

“If everyone would display their colors on their email or badges, it might help with how to approach issues or present new ideas.”

“It has been good to learn what makes me tick but also insight into why some strong colors bother me. I can better prepare to deal with a difficult situation.”

“It helps me understand other personalities and how to deal with them better; I used to take it to heart because I’m Blue and now I don’t.”

“It makes me realize even though I am a gold, I need to be more accepting of others who do not work the same as I do.”

“Learning to use my personality traits as strengths.”

“Temper some of the harder edges of my primary/secondary color combination and how I interact with other personalities.”

“That I am kinda old school.”

“That Ntrinsx analysis is a quality reflection and affirmation of my values. It’s reminded me that when other people act “stupidly”, that it is not stupid but just innately different behavior based from another mindset.”

“That, since I am a green (a VERY analytical green), I can develop my ‘blue’ side taking a deliberate and planned (very gold) approach and I can appreciate, then, the joy that oranges have in the world. It also helps me understand why I feel so driven to research everything rather than just accept folks’ word for what they are saying. Not so sure about if that is a good thing or not, but it is the truth.”

“Toning down those tendencies that tend to overwhelm others not of my primary color.”


Researcher’s Opinion

In terms of instrument validity, the theoretical validity is accepted as it is for the other Jung-inspired social-psychological assessments commonly used. You will note that in the evaluation we asked respondents whether they were surprised at how Ntrinsx captured their personality and communication styles. We found that three-fourths (75.5%) were not surprised at the style assigned them by the assessment, meaning that they agreed with it; and, slightly more than one-half (54%) thought Ntrinsx was insightful. While not strictly “scientific validity,” it indicates that 3 out of 4 times it resonated as true with people.

The higher “effect” (if you will) of Ntrinsx with managers is most likely related to the value they see in the tool as a way to improve and increase communication with their staff and perhaps other managers. It’s been my experience that managers realize the importance of communication and that not everyone

“hears” what you say. Ntrinsx becomes another tool for their toolbox that they can use to further the organization’s goals.

The fact that more than one-half (54%) of respondents actually changed behavior as a result of the knowledge about themselves and others is outstanding. In evaluations, we often find that no behavior change takes place following a learning intervention. People may recall what they learned, but they don’t apply it.

That nearly one-half (48.5%) would like to use Ntrinsx with their family underscores the value of the tool as a “personal communication tool” that one can use in a variety of situations and interactions.

Finally, I believe there are certain demographics that would explain some of the variance between those who found it useful and valuable and those who did not. Unfortunately, the client in this particular instance will not permit personal demographic questions to be asked in our evaluative research.

I would also like to comment on the importance of evaluative research that seeks to go beyond reaction to a learning or training. Using Kirkpatrick’s Model, most evaluation remains at the first level – reaction. Many major corporations and organizations actually seek to validate their expenditures by measuring the ROI of a learning intervention. However, without understanding the higher levels through evaluation (Level 2-knowledge; Level 3-behavior change; Level 4-results), it is not possible to legitimately create an ROI.

“Do unto others as they want done unto them” is the general idea behind Ntrinsx.

Intrinsic Systems, LLC

215 North Main StreetSaint Charles, MO 63301

[email protected]

www.ntrinsx.com

you. me. us.

Documents

Ntrinsx is Accuratentrinsx.com/assets/pdf/whitepaper.pdf · Literally, within minutes, people gain ... ourselves, especially when we understand something of how to define and measure