Each person is different, and personality tests and assessments were developed to get to the root of that difference. We use tools like skill tests to determine why people can handle some situations but not others, predict how different employees will react to crisis, and more. This post goes over how you can use personality tests to assemble star teams who work together seamlessly throughout your organization.
Origin of personality assessments
Personality tests, much like IQ tests, have been around for a long time. We see the obsession with different characteristics as far back as the zodiac, which uses your birth date to predict how a certain person will behave. For example, if you were born in a certain month, you may have a tendency to be more logical or emotional, more relaxed or high-strung, or more creative versus mathematical.
According to ColorCode, humans have sought to explain behavior since ancient times. Greek physician Hippocrates created the first known personality assessment, stating that human behaviors come from a balance of four temperaments.
Why use them in business
Today, our partners have gotten personality assessments down to a tried-and-tested science. They have gone from postulation to tools that you can use to hire the best people for your business, and organize the most harmonious teams. Our clients have seen a 64 percent improvement in quality of hire, and a 10 percent improvement in goal achievement thanks to the use of assessments.
What to look for
In order to discover the ideal tests for your business, here are a few criteria you should look for.
- Wholesome measurement: Your assessments must measure the entire person, not just an isolated skill. For example, someone may be 100 percent agreeable, but only 30 percent rational. Even if you are hiring for agreeability, this hire would be worse than someone who is 90 percent agreeable and 90 percent rational. Look for tests that include behavioral traits, reasoning, and occupational interests.
- Customizable: No one position is alike, which means the skill set and personality traits you need in a marketing team is different from those that are most valuable in your IT department. You should be able to customize your personality tests and assessments based on benchmarks of what you need for a particular role.
- Business-focused: Personality assessments are fun, but when they are purely for fun, they are vague and gloss over weaknesses. The personality tests you need to build great teams must highlight both strengths and weaknesses, no matter how hard it is for a person to hear.
How to balance personalities on a team
Once you’ve found the testing option you want, and have the results for your company, you will want to balance personalities out in a team. A good rule to go by is the DISC balance. DISC stands for dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness, respectively.
Here’s a little more information about each of the quadrants. To have a well-balanced team, you should aim for personalities in each of the quadrants.
- Dominance; blunt, sees big picture, straightforward
- Influence; enthusiastic, optimistic, collaborative
- Steadiness; reliable, calm, humorous
- Conscientiousness; independent, logical, detailed
Still curious?
To learn more about how personality tests can help you and your team, contact us and we’ll be happy to explain the details for different assessments you can use. Questions? Go ahead and comment below.
About the Author: Jocelyn Pick
