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Connecting the Dots in the World Around You

Al Robinette

Al Robinette April 11, 2018

Acumen Capacity Index™ Series: Systems Judgment

Today we continue our discussion on Acumen Capacity in the protection industry series. In this article, we will focus on the third of six dimensions “Systems Judgement”.

Systems Judgment is the development of the capacity to recognize systems and order in the world. This might include activities such as thinking and planning, concepts and idea development, authoritative order (laws, policies, rules, and procedures), and understanding big picture & long-term objectives.

The capacity to understand how the world around you fits together along with the cause and effect is not universal. Some individuals with high clarity can quickly and easily see patterns, understand the why behind actions, and make better decisions. The benefits of systems judgment capacity can be seen throughout the law enforcement industry for example. There are a large number of departments who use training simulators to help officers improve their systems judgment skills (Basich, 2016). The use of these training simulators allows the officers to experience various scenarios increasing their knowledge base and more quickly react and apply better judgment in decision making.

 Benefits of Systems Judgment include 

*Enjoys and depends on structure and order

*Understands the need for laws, policies, rules, and order

*Genuine willingness to cooperate

*Objectively evaluates ideas, plans, and theories

*Open, two-way communication with authority figures


How many times have you worked with someone who refuses to listen to directions and thinks they know better?

This describes someone with negative bias and good clarity. This becomes a major obstacle for teams. This consistent alternatives to get his or her way and someone being a lone wolf slows down the team, the project, and puts the principal at risk. Many assignments depend greatly on everyone being on the same page and the same schedule to successfully complete the assignment.

Low Clarity with Negative Bias:  Someone with this combination would very likely be confrontational, have alternatives to all directives, and generally believes he or she knows more or knows it better than the boss. This also can indicate someone with low levels of knowledge or highly specialized knowledge limiting their knowledge outside of the specialization. If the individual follows direction, they will likely not understand the rationale behind it.

High Clarity with Positive/Neutral Bias: The benefit of selecting the right professional for this assignment with high clarity and neutral or positive bias includes values structure, identifies with the company, and will respect authority & processes

This is where Premier Risk Solutions has developed its Personalized Culture Fit Model to ensure the selection of the right professional for the right assignment.

Let’s take a little deeper look into this dimension of Acumen Capacity™.

The Systems Judgement dimension is evaluated in two ways first is the clarity and second the individual’s bias. The clarity tells us how well the individual can discern values in situations in the outside world. Bias provides additional insights how the individual see the world around them.

Premier Risk Solutions LLC  has developed a Personalized Culture Fit Model that measures this dimension to match clients and specialists creating a truly best in class experience.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and contact us!


co-authorized by Michael Delamere

Works Cited

Basich, M. (2016, December 7). Advancements in Judgement Simulators. Retrieved from Police The Law Enforcement Magazine:

About the Author

Al Robinette

Al Robinette

Al is a professional consultant with certifications in analysis of Behaviors, Driving Forces, Competencies, Hartman Acumen Capacity Index, Emotional Intelligence, and a Certified Professional Career Coach. He specializes in job benchmarking and talent selection along with other consulting services. He is currently completing doctoral work for his PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology. Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of that science to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations. The scientific method is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society Al has 20 years’ experience in leadership, business, retail, loss prevention and the security industry. This experience and academic training provides a unique perspective when working with clients in the security industry.

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