Personality testing in 2020 and the next decade: A best practice example from Version1

An interesting review of Personality testing in 2020 and beyond by Ian MacRae and Aoife Sheehy

The science of personality

In the past few decades we’ve seen business become vastly more data-driven, especially in how people are selected, managed and developed in the workplace. The rapid growth of knowledge in workplace psychology over the past years and decades has contributed to this – psychology, the science of human thinking and behaviour, has built on the knowledge about what we know about people in the workplace.

Going into the next decade, the use of psychology and its’ related tools, measurement techniques and scientific methodology will be deployed even more effectively in the workplace. It should not be surprising that some of the most effective users of psychological tools have been business and organizations that tend to the most effective users of data. Data-driven and results-oriented companies and organizations are relying more on tools like psychometric tests to identify and develop top talent.

A useful way to examine good practice in the use of psychometrics is to look at how specific companies have used them effectively.  In this example, we look at Version 1 which has grown from 2 people to 1,300 people in the past 20 years.

Version 1 Company Profile

IT Service Provider Version 1 specialises in Enterprise Resource Planning, Digital Services and Enterprise Cloud solutions which transform the way their customers do business and address the core challenges of their day-to-day operations.

Founded in Dublin in 1996, Version 1 CEO Tom O’Connor describes the business as “the glue that holds the Irish economy together”, managing huge numbers of day-to-day interactions such as providing insurance quotes, handling EU payments to farmers and processing motor tax payments.

O’Connor stated: “We develop systems that allow these kinds of processes to happen quickly and accurately.” A company that is so important to a national economy requires high performing people and an efficient talent management pipeline.

With a strong Irish customer base across commercial and public sector clients, Version 1 continues to expand across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Version 1 has Irish offices based in Dublin, Belfast and Cork and is expected to continue to expand its’ base of 1200 employees.

From the founding of the company Version 1 have continued to grow and maintained their values and carefully grown to be a leader in innovation in the IT market trusted by numerous global brands. Delivering IT solutions which drive their customers success Version 1’s employees work closely with technology partners AWS, Microsoft & Oracle and the growth of their organization and the sector means they must deliver excellence and provide independent advice that helps their customers navigate the rapidly changing world of IT.

Version 1 has achieved its’ success and fuelled its growth by consistently achieveling balance and success across three dimensions: Customer Success, Empowered People and a Strong Organisation

Version 1 describes how they engineer their culture using their six core values which govern every decision they make about their business and their people. These include:

Honesty & Integrity – Telling customers what they need to hear – not what they want to hear.

Personal Commitment – Being accountable and keeping commitments

No Ego – Having an open, helpful and ‘No Job Too Small’ attitude

Customer first – Actively seeking customer feedback to understand the business

Excellence – Good enough is never an objective. Version 1 solve tough problems and make innovative suggestions

Drive – Customers are accustomed to working with driven, results focused Version 1 people

Through Thomas International Ireland Version 1 use the HPTi, a leadership personality assessment.  The HPTi measures six personality traits on a spectrum from Low to Excessive: Conscientiousness, Adjustment, Curiosity, Risk Approach, Ambiguity Acceptance and Competitiveness. Version 1 have used over 1000 HPTI assessments over about 18 months. This is part of their processing of using rigorous, effective and evidence-based tools to build an efficient and effective leadership talent pipeline. Using the HPTi allows Version 1 to identify key personality traits which align with these strategic objectives.

Higher Conscientiousness in an individual’s profile indicates how a person is moitvated and what drives them at work. It explains to what degree they are intrinsically motivated towards goals, and how reliable and accountable they tend to be in the workplace, therefore fulfilling the requirements for Personal Commitment and Drive Version 1 core values.

Higher Adjustment scores suggest calmness under pressure and greater resilience to stress. Adjustment is a trait which can be an asset in almost any role, but is especially beneficial in workplace where employees must be comfortable in an environment of solving tough problems (Excellence). It is equally important when employees may need to face difficult conversations with clients (Honesty & Integrity).

A profile showing higher curiosity scores indicates someone who has a stronger orientation towards learning and innovation. An individual with higher Curiosity scores allows Version 1 the confidence they are choosing to work with an individual who will embrace new ideas and enjoy exploring alternative solutions to problems. Therefore, making innovative suggestions to clients upholding the Excellence core value. Version 1 consultants solve problems while engaging with clients and enterprise organisations. Choosing to work with individuals ranking higher on the Curiosity scale ensures a consultant capable of designing such solutions.

High competitiveness scores are typical of people who enjoy positions of power, recognition  and influence with that being the case, a lower score in this trait ties into Version 1’s core value of No Ego. This is characteristic of someone who is grounded, follows a team agenda, respectful, has room to improve and doesn’t have an overinflated opinion of themselves.

Honesty & Integrity in Version 1 is about being straightforward with their customers and one another.  It’s about meeting commitments, being accountable for actions and known as a trusted adviser.  A company that maintains confidentiality throughout all facets of the customer interaction with Version 1.  Using the Risk Approach personality trait of the HPTi is paramount – it allows you to measure a candidate’s ability to have difficult conversations and measure a candidate’s ability to be accountable for their actions.

Personality-Job Fit

Certain personality traits are linked to success, generally, in the workplace. And while we can use personality traits as a general predictor of potential, personality traits are more effective predictors of success when the type of success is clearly defined.

For example, recent research by MacRae & Sawatzky demonstrate how clear differences in personality can be found in specific work roles and types of work. Remote workers, for example had significantly higher Conscientiousness, Adjustment, Curiosity and Risk Approach than workers in the general population.

This is because those working remotely need to be disciplined, self-motivated, resilient, open to new ideas and willing to take risks and confront challenge in their work environment.

The example from Version 1 shows us how it is important to embed personality assessment into an evidence-based talent management system as well as integrating the company’s mission and values into the process. By understanding how personality traits are linked to work outcomes and organisational values, the company can select, cultivate and retain the right employees the best employees using the best available tools and evidence.

Ian MacRae is developer of the HPTI and author of five books on workplace psychology, including his most recent book Myths of Social Media: Dismiss the misconceptions and use social media effectively in business.

Aoife Sheehy is lead consultant with Thomas International Ireland specialising in coaching, training and advising clients and their people.

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