As part of the application process for my first office job, I took a personality test called the Predictive Index. The Predictive Index (PI) is a psychodynamic assessment tool that claims to “help [managers] select, retain, and develop…key talent for long-term business results” (Predictive Index System, 2010). To complete the test, participants look through two lists of adjectives (the lists contain the same adjectives, but in a different order). On the first list participants check off adjectives that they would use to describe themselves, and on the second list participants check off adjectives describing how they think people expect them to behave. There is no time limit and there are very general requirements surrounding the number of adjectives required.
To calculate results, the PI uses the participants’ choices to predict four primary “personality constructs”: Dominance (control), Extroversion, Patience, and Formality (organization, discipline, conforming) (Rouse, 2011). The PI also measures two secondary personality constructs: Decision-making and Response level (Rouse, 2011). The results are then plotted as points on three charts: One chart measuring the participants’ description of themselves (self), one chart measuring how they think people expect them to behave (self-concept), and one chart that combines the first two (synthesis) (Rouse, 2011).
Figure 1: Example of self, self-concept, and synthesis results for a Predictive Index assessment. Retrieved from http://www.powershow.com/view/b3b60-ZWQ4Y/Predictive_Index_flash_ppt_presentation
Of course I had no idea when I was applying for that job that I was taking a personality test. I just filled out all the paperwork and turned it in. Months later, after accepting the position, I was in a training session where the facilitator explained that she brought along copies of our PI results to analyze and compare in class. Some of the participants knew what she was talking about, a few didn’t, and as she described the process I finally realized why I had to check off all of those adjectives in my interview. Then I wondered, is a personality test reliable enough to be the base of a company’s hiring strategy?
According to PI Worldwide’s website (2011), the answer is yes. They claim that their tool is built to help managers and business owners hire the right people for the right jobs and retain employees by keeping them motivated in a way that complements their PI profile. On the other hand, the Myers-Briggs Foundation, home of another psychodynamic tool the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), discourages making hiring decisions based on the MBTI assessment claiming that it is “unethical and in many cases illegal to require job applicants to take the Indicator if the results will be used to screen out applicants” (Myers-Briggs Foundation, n.d.).
Personally, I’m wary about an employer’s use of any test to assess either candidates during an interview or current employees. I think the PI and MBTI are both insightful assessments and both seem to be relatively accurate; however, it’s important that the test results be interpreted appropriately, and to me that means taking many other qualities and situations into consideration. I imagine the creators of the PI and MBTI feel the same, but that doesn’t affect how employers, managers, colleagues, and other members of the business world treat the information. As mentioned in Northouse (2013), one of the criticisms of the psychodynamic approach (which includes both the PI and the MBTI) is that it has a narrow focus, measuring only the personalities of leaders and followers. It does not take into consideration organizations, situations, or any other factor external from the personalities of these two groups.
Overall, I did have a positive experience with the PI. It was helpful both in class and in the organization to compare different parts of my personality with others using a shared language. I learned a lot about myself as well. One specific piece of the assessment I remember was that my “self” patience level was very low, while my “self-concept” patience level was high, which showed that I spent a good deal of energy being patient because although it was contrary to my natural tendency, that is how I thought I was expected to behave.
Can personality tests predict the future? I think they are one of many tools that can help leaders and managers understand their candidates and employees, along with helping followers understand their leaders and managers. However, I don’t think that they are reliable enough to be the sole predictor of employment performance.
References:
Myers-Briggs Foundation, The. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.myersbriggs.org/index.asp
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Psychodynamic approach. Leadership: theory and practice (6th ed.) (319-348). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Predictive Index System. (2010). Wellesley Hills, MA: PI Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.piworldwide.com/Products/Predictive-Index-System.aspx
Rouse, M. (2011, November). WhatIs.com. Retrieved from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Predictive-Index-PI
Hi Michael, thank you for your comment! I think your sentence about how personality assessments should be applied after a person is hired rather than during the interview process is exactly on point. Maximizing employee potential is, to me, what these assessments are meant for, that and self-reflection, team work, and communication exercises. Personality assessments are strange tools to use during the hiring process. Can a hiring manager learn enough specific details from personality assessments to make the right choices? Perhaps people are trying to make the hiring process less subjective by applying these assessments to all applicants across the board. However, the idea that these assessments decrease subjectivity in a company’s search for applicants is flawed. Assessments like the Predictive Index and the MBTI show behavioral tendencies in relation to themselves. So using MBTI as an example, if I have a high P that is compared to my J, it is not compared to someone else’s P. In other words, a high P isn’t always the same from person to person. Hiring is a subjective process; there is no point in pretending that isn’t true. As long as people are involved in choosing to hire others the process will always be subjective, and I don’t actually think there is anything wrong with that. It may be nice to know someone’s MBTI score, but I would be more likely to hire candidates based on their answers to my questions, their tone and body language, their ability to articulate themselves, their experience and knowledge, and frankly a gut feeling. I think it’s important that people don’t put too much stock in the results of personality assessments.
I truly enjoyed your post on psychological assessments in the work place. I have used Meyers-Briggs style assessments in the past when working with high school students with little to no idea what they want to do when they graduate. It helps narrow the field of opportunities that the student may be interested in and give indications of majors in college to explore. In addition, like you, I have had to take the psychological profiles several times when interviewing for positions, and my own company swears by it’s results. Personality indexes have their place in corporate recruiting, but I like the note you made about the MBTI’s warning not to use this as a way to screen out applicants, I see that all the time and all it really is to me is a form of discrimination. In my opinion, these tools should be used after the hire is made to determine how that employee prefers to be led or how to maximize performance with that employee.
Thanks for your post.
Michael