The story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a classic fairy tale. It illustrates the importance of getting things just right. You know the story. In the tale, one bowl of porridge was too hot, and the other bowl was too cold. However, the final bowl was just right- it was the perfect temperature.
Productivity at work, like temperature in the Goldilocks tale, is something that can be refined. There are many ways to improve productivity. One of the more unconventional methods is by using a personality assessment. Here are five ways personality assessments can increase productivity.
Increase Employee’s Understanding of Each Other
There are various types of personalities in the world, but people don’t always understand that as much they should. For example, extroverts tend to think introverts are shy. That’s not necessarily the case. Extroverts recharge by being around other people. Conversely, introverts renew their batteries by being alone. An extrovert can be shy, and an introvert can be talkative.
Introversion and extroversion are certainly not the only differences that people have. For instance, some people are sensors, people who are extremely in touch with their five senses and the world around them. Other people are intuitive, meaning they like to think about ideas, abstract concepts. When employees understand their differences, it makes it easier for them to help each other. For instance, someone introverted and shy may have considerable trouble speaking at a team meeting, but if the team is aware of the fact, they can facilitate opportunities for the introvert to speak. If someone has something good to say, they need to be encouraged to say it.
Increase Management’s Understanding of Employees
Personality tests can help management place employees in situations where they can succeed. Or it can help management understand the biggest hurdles an employee faces before moving up to the next level in the company. Case in point, consider a nurse who management wants to promote to a charge nurse. She excels in patient care, but sometimes she spends too long with the patients, causing her to rack up overtime. If her personality is exceedingly judicious, she may have trouble giving any patient less than 100%, even if it means spending too much time on the clock. Realizing this with a personality test allows management to understand the problem and address it the right way, so she can advance and excel.
Increase Understanding of Employees Motivation
Personality deeply ties into motivation. Moreover, motivation has strong connections with productivity. By way of illustration, consider the work from home benefit. For a team of introverts, it could be a huge plus. Introverts don’t need as much social stimulation as the rest of the public (however, just because they don’t need it, it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want it). On the flip side of that coin, extroverts may not find a work from home option that appealing. For them, it could be a drain on their energy reserves. Understanding employee motivation helps employers offer better compensation packages and experiences for their employees.
Increase Employees Understanding of Themselves
Good employees are always looking to improve their weaknesses. The one fascinating element of a personality test is that it reveals those weaknesses. As an instance, take a look at someone who is loquacious; that person may not be a good listener. Consider someone who dislikes conflict; that person may not take the initiative when they need to. Likewise, someone who is independent may not ask for help- even when they should. There are two sides to every coin. A personality assessment can improve productivity because it highlights blind spots, encouraging good employees to reduce them.
Personality Tests Can Show the Power of Change
There’s a mistaken idea that personality tests are indubitably accurate and precise. For a variety of reasons, they aren’t. For one thing, people can fabricate on the test in order to get hired or perhaps move to a higher position. That’s one reason why results may fluctuate over time. Yet, there are other reasons too. You see many stories of people taking tests, such as the Myers-Briggs test, and getting different results. Defenders of the test say the original test was probably inaccurate. Others disagree, saying personalities can change during a job or over a lifetime. For example, some introverts say they became extroverts during a stint in the military or during a sales job. Claims of these types are a lot more common than you’d think.
How does any of this increase productivity? Productivity tests, despite all their benefits, tend to put people in a box. Of course, this often comes from misinterpreting the results, potency, or meaning of the test, but it still happens. People have marvelous, amazing potential to change themselves when they put their mind to it. When you give personality assessments to a large group of people, you’re likely to get people who got different results on these tests at different times in their lives. These revamped people show the fluidity of human beings, perchance driving people to try things they may not have otherwise attempted.
Personality Tests and Improvement
Tinkering. Adjusting. Fiddling. These are words a clockmaker may use to describe his profession. Yet, they are also the words of an HR pro, of an adroit manager. Just like Goldilocks, managers require precision. Close is nice, but it can always be closer. Untapped productivity means you’re leaving money on the table. Explore personality assessments carefully. They are a powerful business tool, capable of taking your team to new heights.
Latest posts by Benjamin Shepardson (see all)
- 5 Ways Personality Assessments Can Increase Productivity - March 27, 2018
