Significance of Psychometric Assessment in Personality Profiling

Psychometric assessment - A SCIENTIFIC&VERSATILE TOOL FOR MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS ACROSS HUMAN RESOURCES ASSESSMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH.  

Introduction. 

In today's,competitive  world, every  organization is increasingly reliant on  harnessing  its  human capital to the optimum best. The success of any  organization, in the today's scenario , is in a way channeled through the  utilisation  of its human potential to the best . . In order to achieve the best performance of people, the organization must understand what drives their behavior.  Every individual  has  distinct and  unique trait and  distinct behavior  pattern  and  thoughts and as such every one  has a positive attribute to contribute to the workplace.  Understanding  of  this distinct and unique  behavior  pattern of its workforce  is vital to productivity of any  organisation. 

Every  organization- from top to bottom,  would require a  different skill sets and aptitudes - a reflection of personality dimension across functions and levels.  Understanding of right fit  for each role in terms of skill set in every position spanning varied functions and roles  need  to be  relevant and equally important is the ability to profile employee in the context of requisite competency, trait , personality dispositions  is of great significance to every Organisation.

 Productivity, harmony, growth and profitability  of  an  organisation  is accomplished  /  achieved by placing the right people in the right position.  Hence , the significance of psychometric profiling at the time of selection or  / and  across the employment  life cycle of the  an individual.  Psychometric  assessment  provide an objective way of assessing  one's  strengths and weakness .as an integral part of human resource management.(HRM). 

Psychometric Profiling. 

The word   psychometry  is derived from the Greek words 'psyche' (mind) and 'metron' (measure)', which means measuring the psychological abilities of a person.  Assessing and appraising people is a highly complex and subjective process, and psychometric   assessment  are a good way of objectively assessing people's "hidden" traits of an individual. 

Personality profiling – sometimes referred to as psychometric   assessment  or psychological profiling – is a means of measuring an individual's personality in a particular situation. It is not a measure of intelligence or ability – but of behaviour.  Personality assessments provide a measure of how individuals work with people, approach their tasks, communicate, approach change, and deal with stress. Differences between people in these various areas can make them more or less effective in different jobs.

Psychometric profiling  would have varied application, thereby add value to the process.It, would encompass: -

Personality assessment.

Manage the selection process - for effective Recruitment

• Talent  Acquisition and  Talent Management
  Career development
  conflict Management

Measure both effective team and individual performance - to enable team building. · 

Leadership Development.

Manage the restructuring process- 

by  understanding the Culture impulse

by  handling  change management  process   etc,

Coaching

Mentoring

Questionnaire.

Managing people, tasks, and processes requires a comprehensive set of interpersonal skills and appropriate behaviour. Developing specific behaviour and skills enables a person  to release your knowledge in a way which delivers great results for  oneself,  the  team and for the  business. The means by which this behaviour is measured is a questionnaire which asks the visitor to choose behaviour most and least like them. The results from this questionnaire provide a personality profile of the respondent.

The questionnaire is not a test – as there can be no right or wrong answer to psychological type. It is an evaluation of the individual's habitual or typical way of dealing with the world. 

Psychometric assessment aids   psychologists to understand and measure an individuals' psychological factors like intellect, personality, motivation, attitudes and values. , Developed by a specialist   psychologist  , the series of questionnaire -  are responded to by an individual. The responses to the statements are analysed and related to behaviours and performance in an organisational context. 

Personality questionnaires are considered to be fair and objective tools with an established reputation for predicting performance. In the case of personality assessments it is rather a situation of gaining a greater insight into one's own strengths and limitations. There are no right or wrong personalities as such, although there are strength and weakness implications for particular work situations.

People are able to develop skills and strategies for making the most of their strengths and minimising their difficulties through learning and experience. 

Personality assessments –  measures  how people differ in their style and the way  they behave in their environment and in relation to other people. 

 Executive Search, Recruitment and Selection. : -

One  area  where  Psychometric assessments are often resorted to is  Recruitment and Selection. Assessment of Personality have become a predominant factor   in Selection and the recruitment process along with Requisite Skill and Knowledge . Personality attributes are assessed to discern   on the job- performance. Competencies describe the behaviours and skills required to do a job successfully. By profiling candidates against competencies, it is possible to gauge how they will react in particular situations

While, adopting Competency-based approach , personality dimension assumes a critical significance in the selection of apt person for the role and position  to  achieve  a  better fit between the person and the Job -to enable success on job 

For recruitment and Selection , the  assessment will assist in  comparing  the  each candidate to  competencies or job specification. Understand the individual through Psychometric Assessment  Compares results against Job Competencies or Job Description. 

Personality testing, on the other hand, predicts how an individual will work—diligently, intelligently, cheerfully, and cooperatively .Considering a job candidate's personality can help employers determine if a candidate has the right ability and adaptability for their work environment. 

Personality profiling gives an indication of role suitability and team fit. Profiling is particularly powerful when the results are used during interview. Psychometric tests can be used at any point during the selection process. Sometimes they are used at the beginning, as a way of screening out unsuitable candidates. Other employers prefer to use them towards the end of a selection process. As an aid to  selection, a personality profile paints a picture of an individual's characteristics which  can be used to make behavioural predictions. Training , Learning and Development. Psychometric assessment though, prominently  associated often with Selection, Organisations have realised the importance of psychometric assessment for  people  development.  Changes in the Work Environment- owing to globalisation, technological advance, diverse work-force, team collaboration has given impetus to psychometric profiling for Training and development.

Psychometric profiling could assist the process of development of people, by Profiling Personality - to measure individual strength and weakness

identify their motivation and apprehension

their values and beliefs

management and leadership style

individuals and teams for team fit, team development and conflict management.

Identify strengths and development areas for use in coaching.

 For development purposes,profiling  will highlightstrengths and identify the areas   and one can   use  the results as basis for the development   of human capital. 

Team

Profiling teams will help  the Organisations  by   analysing  the structure of the team – team  behaviour, its strengths and limitations and the role each individual plays within it.  identifying  and breaking down the barriers preventing exceptional performance. Opening channels of communication – once team members understand each other they are able to communicate with and appreciate one another.

Focusing and committing a team to its objectives

 Succession  Planning.

One of the critical challenge  organisation face today would be Succession Planning -  a process for identifying and developing people within the organisation with the potential to fill key leadership positions in the  organisation The use of psychometrics is a valuable tool in identifying ‘potential' within the organisation - Assessment  facilitates  the process of identifying  individual's strengths and development needs in relation to future roles.

  Profiling enables organisations to select the most important behaviours for a role and map an individual's results against this profile Psychometric profiling enhances  the  success of selection and promoting the right candidate through  assessment of leadership capability, personality, acumen, cultural and psychological fit, working well under stress, the ability to adapt to fast changing environments and the ability to influence others to act for the greater good of the company. Psychometrics can provide the foundation from which  organisations  base their succession planning strategy.

Psychometrics can provide the foundation from which organisations base their succession planning strategy. 

Change Management.

In today's dynamic environment,  major challenge to the business leaders  is the ability manage change – a process of identifying and preparing the workforce to adopt and adept themselves to demands of changing environment. A major hurdle to bring about  neccessary  changes would be the  non receptivity of people , at a critical role would prefer to maintain the statusquo. People do differ in their attitude to change - be it their personal  life or work environment. 

The ability to champion  change has become a critical  determinant  in  professional and organisational performance , independent of position or authority.  Psychometric assessment can measure individual attitude to change process by identifying the style of personality and thereby  openness to change,  adapatbility.  perseverance. 

 The assessment  would   throw light  on :- 

people receptivity to change. 

resistance to change 

openness to change 

 barriers to change. 

Psychometric assessment  helps  in   understanding how  one  react to change  , and  by assessing the behaviour pattern can lead to plan a strategy to bring about  desired change. 

Benefits of psychometric profiling.

Psychometric profiles can assist companies in selection, team development, succession  planning, and coaching. The use of psychometric profiling tools/assessments is widely recognized as a vital component in the selection, development, and retention of top performers. Psychometric profiling gives one insight how different behaviours, needs, motives and preferences might interact with aspects of an organisation's culture, the job and the work environment.

  The  utility  of  Psychometric profile results in      

            Understanding about  personality profile

           Identify areas of strength  and  areas of improvement  

           Holistic analysis  

           Authentic Psychometric evaluation of one's personality      

        Understand whether  one  have a need for change or modification of  one's  behaviour. 

  Some of the most popular personality assessment tools  are as follows: 

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), based on Carl Jung's typology of the  functions of the human psyche.
•• The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), which measures  normal personality, and claims to predict employee
performance. This assessment was developed specifically  for the business world.

• The DISC Assessment,This tool explores four domains: dominance, influence, steadiness  and conscientiousness/compliance.

• 16PF®  (Pearson Assessments), which have been commonly used for a variety  of applications, including support for vocational guidancehiring and promotion. 

• The Birkman Method® , which focuses on five domains: productive and stress   behaviors, underlying needs, motivations and organizational orientation. 

CTPI-R is an assessment tool that allows to assess personality traits, values and skills specific to the exercise of managerial functions or supervision. This assessment measures 19 personality traits associated with 21 keybehavioural competencies.CTPI-R is recommended for the recruitment and evaluation of internal managers and executives. And   Belbin,  Firo- B etc   covering.- Recrutiment  & Selection, Training and Development, Team Building,  attitude to Change Management  ,Leadership  Development etc. 

Conclusion. 

Personality tests measure how people differ in their style or manner of doing things, and in the way they interact with their environment and other people. 

Psychometric assessment, today  is acknowledged  for multi-purpose, streamlined and cost-effective assessments that would help Organisation  to  maximise the potential of their  working force, from recruitment right through the lifecycle of an employee, encompassing training, development, staff satisfaction, retention and team efficiency .Personality profiling and psychometric assessment  for individuals or teams can help get the best out of people by identifying core competencies, potential strengths and behavioural preferences and increasing their commitment to development and change. 

We have conducted Psychological profiling using couple of instruments -covering Personality profiling, Leadership Dimension, Team Interface  to enable conducting a Management Development Programme  encompassing. Leadership, Conflict Management, Change Management  for  large  group of Senior Executives for leading  Organisation and the receptivity to the programme was fulfilling and  satisfactory.

The  most significant goal of occupational psychometric  assessment  is to enable  people in finding where they can  make valuable a nd constructive contribution in a  most  content and pleasing way.Psychometric Assessments -  from pre-hire – Recruitment,Selection,Training,Learning and Development,Succession Planning, Coaching and Mentoring  - through retirement  should be an  integral part of   Every Business and   Organisation

Dr.Mrs.SITA RAMACHANDRAN

Doctorate,PG in HR,PGinPSYCHOLOGY,International Certification in Personality 

Profiling.As a  Senior Fellow,Commissioned to do a Project  of international 

significance on"EMPLOYABILITY"on a National scale,by a Top Research organisation

of GOVT OF INDIA 

ALL EMPLOYERS,HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS,FACULTY,GROUP OF STUDENTS WANTING TO  
VALUE-ADD TO THIS KEY ISSUE OF "EMPLOYABILITY" ,BY TAKING THE RESPECTIVE SURVEY 

QUESTIONNAIRE, TO GET IN TOUCH WITH Dr.SITA ON THE E-MAIL ID:-

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