Personality Assessments in Talent Management. Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D., President & Chief Science Officer

Transcription

1 Personality Assessments in Talent Management Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D., President & Chief Science Officer OMNIview 620 Mendelssohn Avenue North, Suite 156 Golden Valley, MN

2 Personality Assessments in Talent Management Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D., President & Chief Science Officer Brief History of Personality Assessment The use of paper and pencil psychological tests for employee selection was non-existent prior to the 20 th century. Testing gained credibility with the creation of the National Research Council in This was group of psychologists who developed tests to help in the selection and placement of troops during World War I. Military funding and practical needs continued to drive further improvements in testing. World War II brought the creation of a number of research organizations to study the use of psychological tests in making selection, placement, and training decisions (Driskell & Olmstead, 1989). A major milestone in personality assessment was the Thurstone Personality Schedule (Thurstone & Thurstone, 1930). This test was important since it was the first test developed using the model of internal consistency. This basically means that items are grouped under pre-defined constructs. A number of instruments followed. These tests measured a variety of different constructs. The result was that there was not a unifying model of personality in the field. A major milestone was reached with the development of the Big Five personality models. While earlier personality tests performed modestly at best in predicting job performance. Later tests performed much better. These contemporary tests share an underlying common model of personality that consists of five broad personality factors: Conscientiousness Extroversion Agreeableness Openness to Experience Emotional Stability These five broad factors were discovered and defined by studying known personality traits and their associated measures using a statistical method called factor analysis in order to find the 2

3 underlying factors of personality. A Review of Common Applications Employee Selection - Employee selection is probably the most common application for personality assessments. Early evidence of validity was very unimpressive. However, with Big Five personality assessments, validity is much stronger. In particular, conscientiousness has been shown to be a consistent predictor of job performance across a wide variety of jobs. In a broad meta-analytic study that looked at a number of individual validity studies, Barrick and Mount (1991) found that conscientiousness was a significant predictor of job performance across each of the occupational groups included in the research. The relative importance of the underlying factors and their associated constructs will vary depending on the job. For example, Extroversion scales may be given greater weight for sales related positions. Agreeableness may be more important in jobs that require nurturing, or caring for others. In addition to demonstrating significant predictive power, personality assessments are also seen as desirable in employee selection since they typically do not show the adverse impact associated with cognitive ability testing. In fact, many experts recommend combining personality tests with cognitive ability tests to ameliorate adverse impact. It also appears that combining personality measures with cognitive measures results in significant incremental validity (Bobko et. al., 1999; Schmitt et.al., 1997) Another application of personality assessments in selection is the evaluation of culture or team fit. Certain personality patterns are likely to a better fit than others for key aspects of culture. For example an individual with high independence and low in cooperation would be a poor fit in a culture based on collaboration. A recent meta-analysis of studies investigating outcomes of good fit found that individuals who fit well with their organization, co-workers, and supervisors: Had greater job satisfaction Identified more with their company Were more likely to remain with their organization Were more committed Showed superior job performance 3

4 The average correlation between good cultural fit and these positive outcomes was about.43 (Kristof-Brown, 2005). The effectiveness of using personality tests in reducing attrition is further highlighted by a case study at St. Luke s Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Prior to beginning personality assessments in 2004, they were experiencing a 41 percent annual managerial turnover rate. Two years after implementing personality assessments, the turnover rate dropped to 10 percent. In 2010, it dropped to 2 percent (cited in Workforce.com). Identifying Advancement Potential Measuring advancement potential is typically a highly subjective process. However, OMNIview utilizes an objective measurement based approach for evaluating potential. This measurement approach is based on a multi-dimensional model of potential that utilizes personality assessments and cognitive assessments to measure one component of the model. The model is presented below: The first dimension of this model focuses on raw potential which are innate qualities of the individual. The first element in this dimension is behavioral predisposition. This element is concerned with whether the individual is naturally predisposed to leadership roles. Personality measures with proven validity for predicting leadership success are used as a norm based measure of this element. The second element is cognitive ability. This element is concerned with whether the individual has the capacity to understand and handle the complexity of problems, issues, and challenges associated with senior level roles. Standardized cognitive ability tests provide a reliable measure of this element. 4

5 While personality measures only provide one component of this model, it is an important component. Other components include the career preferences and interests of the individual. It takes a motivated individual to begin to transform raw potential into true potential. The third dimension is experience. Experience is the mechanism by which a motivated individual can transform their raw potential into true potential. The final dimension is demonstrated behavior in competencies important to senior level positions. Another benefit of using personality assessments in high potential programs is that they help provide a complete view of a high potential s tendencies and values. This allows organizations to design and implement custom coaching and mentoring strategies for the individual. An interesting and unusual application of personality assessments being used for identifying high potentials is in the sport world. A 15 year predictive research study looked at whether personality assessments could predict an athlete s long term success in professional hockey. The assessment was found to be a significant predictor of a player s total NHL goals, NHL assists, and their overall NHL points (Gee et.al., 2010). It takes a motivated individual to begin to transform raw potential into true potential. Succession In succession planning, individuals are being considered for future positions that are higher in level than their current position. Their current role may not afford much opportunity to demonstrate many of the competencies that will be required at the higher level. In this case, it is useful to examine their innate behavioral predispositions to gain insight as to likely behavioral performance. Personality assessments play a very useful role in examining these behavioral predispositions. They are also useful in identifying potential career derailers. A derailer is a weakness or tendency that if not addressed or improved will likely prevent a potential successor from achieving a higher level role. Some examples of derailers that personality assessments can help identify include: A tendency to be overly critical or argumentative A tendency to be arrogant or self-promoting A tendency to be overly reckless or impulsive A tendency to be risk averse A tendency to lose composure under stress A tendency to micro-manages 5

6 Similar to the development of hi-potential individuals, personality assessment can also help provide greater insight into developmental planning. By having insight into one s natural tendencies, individuals can begin to develop behavior patterns that run contrary to limiting predispositions. As an example, individuals who are naturally introverted can still develop effective public speaking skills or social interaction skills. Mentors and coaches can also use the results of personality assessments to better understand the individual and how to adjust their coach style or emphasis. Team Building Personality assessments used for team building typically are different from those used for hiring or other applications previously discussed. These kinds of personality assessments typically categorize individuals into types. The Meyer-Briggs Inventory is probably the most well know of these type indicator tests. Their value is in helping team members understand the individual differences that exist within the team. Individuals can then use this information to modify how they communicate and interact with one another to strengthen the dynamics of the group. Often team building applications use a facilitator that is very familiar with the assessment instrument. The facilitator can help people understand the implications of their type or temperament and point out where potential conflict could occur in the group. The can also point out where individual styles can complement each other and help the team perform at a higher level. The goal of the facilitator is to point out how different people bring different qualities to the team and how to use that for maximum advantage while minimizing potential conflicts. Concerns and Cautions While personality assessments can bring value in a number of different aspects of talent management, there are also some concerns and cautions. Here are two of the more significant potential cons of using personality assessments and how to guard against them. Faking There is the potential for individuals to try to fake a personality assessment to inflate their desirability for an organization. This is particularly true in hiring applications. It is very important to select a personality assessment that has proven validity and is not overly transparent. There is both an art and a science in constructing test items and not all tests are equally good at masking the social desirability of their item content. 6

7 Another feature to look for in a good personality measure is the presence of reliable lie or distortion scale. This scale is sensitive to attempts to fake or inflate test results and is useful for understanding how much weight should be given to the test results. One should also not use personality assessments in isolation. Personality assessments should be part of a broader set of measures including interviews. Other measures provide an opportunity to examine the consistency of the data. For example, a behavioral interview can be used to determine if the past behaviors of the individual described in the interview are consistent with the behaviors that would be expected based on the personality measure. Faulty Interpretation There is also potential for individuals not trained to interpret personality measures to over interpret or misinterpret results. Many test providers will offer training to users in interpretation to ensure that results are properly analyzed. Another option is to use tests that have expert software systems built into the testing application. The software interprets the results for the user based on decision rules and generates a report that provides an accurate and complete interpretation. Conclusions Recent advances in personality assessments have improved their value for employee selection but there can be additional value in applying them in other talent management activities. While there are still concerns over faking and improper interpretations, it is hoped and expected that additional advances will continue to be made to reduce or mitigate these concerns and maximize the utility of the measures. As always, such assessments should be part of a broader set of measures to gain the most comprehensive understanding of an individual and have data to make both efficient and effective talent management decisions. 7

8 References Driskell, J.M., & Olmstead, B. (1989). Psychology and the military research applications and trends. American Psychologist, 44 (1), Thurstone, L.L. & Thurstone, T. (1930). A neurotic inventory, Journal of Social Psychology, 1, Barrick, M.R., & Mount, M.K. (1991). The Big-Five personality dimensions in job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, Bobko, P.,Roth, P.L.,& Potosky, D. (1999). Derivation and implications of a meta-analytic matrix incorporating cognitive ability, alternative predictors, and job performance. Personnel Psychology, 52, Schmitt, N., Rogers, W., Chan, D., Sheppard, L., & Jennings, D. (1997). Adverse impact and predictor efficiency of various predictor combinations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, (5), Kristof-Brown, A.L., Zimmerman, R.D. and Johnson, E.C. (2005) Consequences of individuals fit at work: A meta-analysis of person job, person organization, person group, and person supervisor fit, Personnel Psychology, 58, Gee, C. J., Marshal, J.C., & King, J. F. (2010). Should coaches use personality assessments in the talent identification process? A 15 year predictive study on professional hockey players. International Journal of Coaching Science, 4, (1),

9 About OMNIview OMNIview was created around the belief that talent selection and talent management is critical to the success of any organization. Founded by internationally recognized business leader and leadership talent management authority, Dr. Lowell Hellervik, OMNIview is supported by more than 90 years of academic experience by behavior science business experts. We know effective selection and talent management requires measurement and support that drives game-changing talent decisions for organizations. OMNIview is all about making your life easier by giving you the data you need to make smart, effective decisions regarding talent at a fraction of the cost of other HR software companies. Contact us at or visit us at 9