Companies Everywhere Use Personality Tests to Understand Their Employees. But Is That Enough?

Do advanced and novel concepts excite you greater than easy and simple ones? Are your residing and dealing areas clear and arranged? Do you discover the concept of networking or selling your self to strangers very daunting?

These are simply a number of the questions you may face within the Myers-Briggs character take a look at. Spend half-hour and you will slot into one among 16 character classes, recognized by 4 letters. These letters spell out your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality type, supplying you with insights into the way you view the world, make decisions and join with others.

Now, you have doubtless heard of this take a look at. If not, you might need come throughout different common ones just like the Caliper Profile or The Enneagram. Based on Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a psychology professor and creator of the ebook I, Human, character testing is a $2 billion industry and nonetheless rising.

These checks aren’t only for enjoyable anymore, both. They’re exhibiting up within the office, serving to corporations perceive their workers higher. They’re all about determining who’s within the workplace, what makes them tick and methods to deliver out their finest.

However are character checks a great answer for understanding and optimizing office dynamics? However do these checks actually nail office dynamics? Do they seize the complete spectrum of human conduct, or do they generally miss the mark? Let’s discover.

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Advantages of utilizing character checks at work

Deloitte reports that round 80% of Fortune 500 corporations are utilizing character checks to know their workers higher. However why the widespread adoption? If these checks have been fully unethical, would so many main corporations be on board? It is clear there’s one thing useful driving this development, so let’s discuss a number of the advantages character testing can deliver:

• Deepened perception: Personality tests, particularly well-researched ones, aren’t simply fancy questionnaires. They’re like mirrors, reflecting who we’re and shedding mild in your teammates’ quirks, too. Understanding your self and others can do wonders on the subject of working nicely with others and smashing group conflicts.
• Championing range: Let’s ditch the cookie-cutter groups, lets? Character checks assist us see past CVs and job titles, celebrating the attractive various quantity of skills and views inside your group. As a result of let’s face it, a group of clones is boring. However a group with numerous completely different abilities and backgrounds? Now, that is the place innovation thrives.
• Tackling group rigidity: No person desires to have conflicts within the office. If you happen to’re discovering that office drama is as frequent as Monday morning espresso runs, then character checks could also be for you. Understanding how folks assume and really feel can nip points within the bud, paving the best way for a office the place battle takes a again seat and productiveness wins.

Limitations of utilizing character checks at work

If you happen to’re something like me, then you definitely’ve taken a few of these checks greater than as soon as. I discovered that the outcomes various a little bit each time I took the take a look at, and it is doubtless the identical might occur to you. That is as a result of your character can completely change. Actually, lead researcher and psychologist Sanjay Srivastava, who printed her findings within the APA, discovered that your personality is fluid and may develop over time.

Now, the place does this grow to be an issue for employers? Nicely, should you’re an employer relying too closely on these character checks to make hiring selections or handle your group and these outcomes prove to not be as constant or correct as you thought, it might result in some severe mismatches. You would possibly rent somebody primarily based on a character sort that does not actually mirror who they’re anymore. Or worse, you possibly can pigeonhole workers into roles or groups that basically do not swimsuit their evolving personalities.

Then there’s the danger of stereotyping. Character checks usually categorize folks into neat little bins, and people are something however. We’re extraordinarily advanced creatures with layers upon layers of traits and behaviors. Relying too closely on these checks might result in oversimplification and unfair judgment. The outcome might be that you just’re turning away sensible folks as a result of a take a look at has stereotyped them.

Lastly, there’s the matter of social desirability bias that might make the outcomes inaccurate. If you happen to’re unsure what that is, it is primarily when somebody will consciously or unconsciously reply to questions in a means that they consider will solid them in a good mild. For instance, should you have been doing a take a look at for a task that you already know wants somebody to be organized, reliable and agreeable, you are most likely not going to reply questions in a means that makes you appear disorganized or unpleasant. This will skew the outcomes of character checks, portray a rosier (or gloomier) image than actuality.

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Finest practices for utilizing character checks ethically

You now know the perks and the pitfalls of utilizing character checks at your organization. If you happen to’re nonetheless actually thinking about implementing them, here is how you are able to do this ethically:

Do not use character checks pre-hire

Earlier than making any hiring selections, keep away from utilizing character checks because the be-all and end-all. Positive, they provide some insights, however they are not the entire image. As an alternative, use a mix of assessment methods, together with interviews, work samples and reference checks, to judge candidates’ suitability for the function.

Acknowledge your group as greater than their traits

To keep away from any bias or stereotyping that might happen with these character checks, you should perceive that your group is greater than only a bunch of traits on a take a look at. They’re actual folks with distinctive experiences and abilities. For instance, should you discover that somebody is scoring extremely for being extra introverted, that does not essentially imply they’re going to be dangerous at public talking. If somebody’s outcomes present they’re extraordinarily detail-oriented, they may nonetheless overlook issues generally and make these little errors. It is vital to strategy character take a look at outcomes with an open thoughts and think about them as only one side of every group member’s total capabilities and potential.

Commonly consider their effectiveness

Like anything, it is good to provide character checks a check-up from time to time. Are they serving to your group thrive, or are they inflicting extra complications than they’re price? Control their effectiveness, and do not be afraid to cease utilizing them altogether should you discover that the latter is happening extra usually.

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Character checks must be a software, not an answer

Character checks will be actually nice at giving perception into your workers’ minds, behaviors and preferences. You should utilize them for enriching studying and improvement and bettering office relationships. However as useful as they’re, these checks are solely a small a part of the entire efficiency administration course of.

Whereas worker character matches are tremendous vital, there’s a lot extra to constructing an organization the place everybody can enhance and advance. Check outcomes alone aren’t adequate to determine whether or not or not an individual can be a great match to your organization.

So let’s view character checks for what they’re: valuable tools, however not the last word answer. By utilizing them judiciously together with different strategies and methods, we assist to help your groups’ success and development.