Personality Assessments in the Workplace: Boosting Team Dynamics and Productivity
Establishing team dynamics in today’s fast-moving and variety-rich workplaces is very difficult. Teams often struggle with communication barriers, conflicts, and mismatched roles.
These problems decrease work productivity. This is where personality assessments become helpful tools.
They let you run an in-depth analysis of candidates so that you can have a one-fit team, which would make a better work environment. Personality assessments for hiring are prevalent; 80% of S&P and Fortune 500 companies use them.
In this blog, we will explore how these strategic tests heighten your workplace efficiency.
How Personality Assessments Benefit Your Teams
Employing personality assessments helps you achieve elite team performance. These are not just self-discovery tests; they help you better understand employees’ capabilities and possibilities.
Let’s take a closer look at the myriad benefits personality profiles offer your team.
1. Enhanced Communication
Poor communication hurts employees’ job satisfaction, and 42% cited a direct impact on stress levels. However, team members can identify their exclusive communication styles with personality assessments.
For example, some might like to talk directly and plainly, while others may take a more subtle—arguably eloquent—approach. Also, some will consume information through presentations and charts, while others only need written instructions or explanations.
If you know their communication style, you can change the format to suit it. This will make these conversations more concise and impactful, making it easier for your team members to cooperate.
2. Stronger Conflict Resolution
No matter what the job, conflicts will always arise in the workplace. You can prepare for them ahead of time through personality assessments. You can leverage insight into your employees’ personality traits that might lead to conflict and intervene before things get tangled up.
Also, these assessments help your team members understand each other’s viewpoints. Eventually, they create empathy and reduce stress.
3. Improved Task Delegation and Project Management
Understanding your team members’ strengths and preferences is critical, as this will guide how you delegate tasks effectively. Personality assessments can highlight various working styles.
This information can help you delegate tasks based on each person’s competencies. Thus, you can create a productive workforce.
Popular Personality Assessment Tests for the Workplace
There are several personality assessments available. These help you increase work efficiency and learn ways to make conversations easier among peers.
Among all, these tests are the most frequently used:
1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The MBTI delineates preferences in four domains and thus identifies 16 personality types. All the preferences show how a person would interact with the outside world and make decisions. It assesses:
- Extroversion (E) vs. Introversion (I): Introverts might prefer to work alone, then show their fully-formed ideas and prepare for the final presentation to the group. Meanwhile, an extrovert could thrive in a brainstorming session.
- Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N): Sensing people concentrate on mundane and regular details. However, intuitive individuals pay more heed to theoretical attitudes and possible outcomes in the future.
Hence, a sensing team member might be phenomenal at devising thorough project plans with specific deadlines. On the other hand, an intuitive might excel when creating creative solutions and foreseeing possible obstacles.
- Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F): Logical and objective factors influence how thinking individuals decide. Meanwhile, feeling individuals intentionally choose the course of action based on emotional arbiters or personal values.
While a thinking team member might analyze data, a feeling team member could prioritize the emotional comfort of employees when devising solutions.
- Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P): Judging people like settling things, while perceiving types prefer openness and options. A perceiving team member could lose their orientation when faced with continuously extended deadlines on several smaller pieces of work. Meanwhile, members who prefer to judge might do well with a clear deadline or specific schedule.
2. DISC
The DISC assessment categorizes individuals based on four primary behavioral styles:
- Dominant (D): People with the dominant trait are direct, decisive, and results-oriented. They tend to be natural leaders who are good at rise-to-the-occasion challenges. Such a team member maxes at goal setting, delegating assignments, and hatching plans to keep the ball rolling toward collective objectives.
- Influential (I): These individuals are people-oriented and great salespeople who can build relationships. They can influence others to agree with their point of view.
- Steadfast (S): These people are organized, like to protect stability, and are prime team players. They could be best at administrative tasks and always stick to the rules.
- Conscientious (C): They are problem-solvers who value precision and careful planning.
3. Big Five (OCEAN)
The Big Five is a personality trait model that examines the following five aspects of human behavior:
- Openness (O): This trait involves a person’s curiosity and interest in variety or novelty. They have an opportunity-focused outlook that motivates them to acquire new capabilities, innovative approaches, and open-mindedness.
- Conscientiousness (C): A highly conscientious person is detail-oriented and might always get work done on time while giving 100%.
- Extraversion (E): Tentatively adopted from MBTI, it represents how much of a social butterfly a person is. For example, a person with high extraversion probably loves working in teams, exchanging ideas as part of the team process, and forming strong social links.
- Agreeableness (A): Someone who scores high in this trait may be predisposed to mediate conflicts. They always look for common ground between people who are at peace with others.
- Neuroticism (N): This trait characterizes a person’s likelihood to be in negative emotional states like anxiety, stress, or mood swings.
Personality Assessments: How To Implement Them In Your Organization
Bringing personality assessments to your organization fosters better team dynamics and personal growth. Knowing the primary advantages and disadvantages of these tools is essential when leveraging this system.
With personality assessment insights, you can build a more solid, effective, and happier team. Here’s how to effectively use these assessments and get the most from them:
1. Choosing the Right Assessment
Consider your team’s particular needs and goals when deciding which test(s) to take. In addition to this, consider the following factors as well:
- Team size and structure
- Objectives (e.g., enhance communication, handle conflict)
- Industry and company culture
2. Professional Facilitation
Personality assessments can be compelling, but in order to make the most of them, you would require the assistance of a trained professional who can administer and interpret the results of such assessments. Thus, hire a professional who can help you make tangible improvements to the team.
3. Team Building Activities
Analyzing data from personality tests can equip you with a deeper understanding of the diverse traits within your group. This knowledge will empower you to build stronger relationships and foster a more collaborative and communicative team environment.
Build Best Workplace Teams With Guide to HR
Personality assessments offer a way to create quality teams in your organization. They accelerate communication, conflict resolution, and proper task delegation, leading to a more unified workplace that runs efficiently.
At Guide to HR, we share many more resources you can use to gain a deeper understanding of workforce development. Our experts are ready to assist you in hiring the best employees to boost your business efficiencies. Contact us today.
FAQs
1. What is the most popular personality test?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the most popular personality assessment.
2. How are personality tests mainly utilized today?
Personality tests are often used to help guide diagnosis within psychology, assess potential candidates for a business, or aid in building cohesive teams.
3. How are personality assessments conducted?
Tests often use behavioral observations and paper and pencil tests. However, to be of any value, these assessments must follow the established hallmarks of standardization, reliability, and validity.
4. What if employees don’t want to take a test?
Respect their privacy. Focus on alternative team-building activities or self-reflection exercises.
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