Personality Profiling in Organisations – a Requisite for Success

Personality Profiling in Organisations – a Requisite for Success?
by Aoife Harrington


The study of personality represents one of the largest areas of research within the entire discipline of psychology and one that has great significance in terms of its applications in a variety of organisational domains. Personality can be broadly defined as an enduring style of thinking, feeling and behaving that reflects how each person adjusts to their environment. Essentially, by studying personality, it is hoped to achieve a greater insight into how better to understand and predict human behaviour.

A long tradition of research in psychology and organisational behaviour has attempted to link personality characteristics to job success. Models of personality are used in many organisational domains, including; selection and assessment, performance evaluation, organisational commitment, team-working, alleviating workplace stress, and management development, to name but a few. Several researchers have cited a link between personality and occupational success (e.g. Barrick & Mount, 1991) with job performance, turnover, expatriate success, leadership and promotion all reportedly linked to an individual’s personality (e.g. Hurtz & Donovan, 2000; Judge et al., 2002; Salgado, 1997).

For organisations, personality is, most importantly, a major criterion for selection of applicants. Mullins (1999) highlights, that it is quite rare for an organisation not to take personality into account when selecting the right person for the job. However, while it is generally undisputed that personality is a key criterion for job success, how it is actually assessed or measured varies widely. Many organisations and more specifically selection committees rely solely on first impressions, intuition and gut feelings to ascertain a candidate’s personality and their suitability for a particular role. Research has shown, however, that traditional unstructured interview’s have poor reliability and validity in predicting job performance (Hunter & Hunter, 1984; Smith & Williams, 1992) and do not serve as a valid means of assessing a candidates personality. On the other hand, what research has consistently found is that using psychometrically robust personality inventories can make selection decisions more systematic and precise (Smith & Smith, 2005). In fact, Black (2000) reported that, in selection and assessment, personality had good incremental validity, over and above general cognitive ability, thus illustrating the importance of incorporating personality profiling in selection decisions. Essentially it makes sense for organisations that devote substantial resources to establishing and maintaining a good fit between people and their jobs to begin this process at the time of selection.

Regardless of how one conceptualises personality there is one thing that is certain – personality is enduring, it is consistent across situations and by ascertaining a person’s personality we should be able to predict their likely future behaviour. In organisational terms this means being better equipped to predict job performance, potential for promotion, the likelihood of a seamless transition into a new team and the list goes on. Employing psychometrically robust personality inventories is therefore an obvious choice. Not only do personality inventories offer an objective means for measuring and comparing candidates’ personalities, they represent a very accessible, flexible and effective addition to selection decisions and in fact to any number of organisational initiatives. Personality inventories are a reliable and objective means of establishing information about candidates that is directly related to the way they are likely to perform in a job and the information obtained is very much complementary to other selection methods employed, thus improving the validity of the overall selection process. Research has also demonstrated the utility of personality inventories in stimulating discussion and increasing awareness on the strengths each individual employee has and the unique qualities and competencies they can bring to their role, thus making them an excellent source of information in leadership development programmes, mentoring and coaching programmes and management and training initiatives.

Fundamentally, personality inventories are an invaluable tool in both selection and development contexts and if correctly administered and interpreted can be a very effective means of ensuring continuing organisational success. So whether you’re looking for innovation, leadership, decisiveness, resilience or relationship-building skills, personality profiling can provide you with accurate and objective information – a resource not to be underestimated!

To learn more about Personality Profiling or any of our other services, please contact the office: +353-1-6688891 or info@davittcorporatepartners.com

Discover how DavittCorporatePartners can help you to:

Develop Leadership in Your Organisation

Win the War for Talent

Realise Individual Potential

Align Behaviour with Corporate Values

Aoife Harrington is a Consultant at DavittCorporatePartners – Corporate Psychologists

References:

Barrick, M.R., & Mount, M.K. (1991). The big five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, 1–26.

Black, J. (2000). Personality testing and police selection: Utility of the big five. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 29(1), 2-9.

Hunter, J.E., & Hunter, R.F. (1984). Validity and utility of alternative predictors of job performance. Psychological Bulletin, 96, 72-92.

Hurtz, G.M., & Donovan, J.J. (2000). Personality and job performance: The big five revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 869–879.

Judge, T., Bono, J., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 765–780.

Mullins, L.J. (1999). Management and organisational behaviour, 5th edition. London: Pitman Publishing.

Salgado, J.F. (1997). The five-factor model of personality and job performance in the European Community. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 30-43.

Smith, M, & Smith, P. (2005). Testing people at work: Competencies in psychometric testing. Oxford: Blackwell.

Smith, T.W., & Williams, P.G. (1992). Personality and health: Advantages and limitations of the FFM. Journal of Personality, 60(2), 395-423

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Outplacement – a worthwhile investment?

Outplacement – a worthwhile investment? by David Keane

In a word, Yes. An investment in a first-class Outplacement Programme can yield substantial returns – something that is all too rare in the current climate.

Many organisations choose not to run Outplacement Programmes as they think not doing so is another way to save money in addition to downsizing. The problem however is the ancillary loss in productivity that can come with this type of organisational upheaval. For example, turnover and absenteeism amongst remaining staff can significantly increase after downsizing or redundancies and turnover and absenteeism have been shown time and again to have a significantly negative effect on productivity.

An effective Outplacement Programme can begin to address some of these problems before they become too damaging. An effective Outplacement Programmes does not just begin after the event – providers assist the client from beginning to end – from pre-event advice and planning, to on-site presence when the news is delivered to staff, to follow-up coaching and support throughout the job-search process.

Losing your job is one of the most challenging events a person will ever have to experience in their lifetime. An effective Outplacement Programme works with people to help them deal with it and move on. With encouragement, interviewing practice, and regular coaching sessions, providers can help people deal with their fears and develop important job-finding skills. Having accepted their former employer’s circumstances and decisions, people are coached through the process—often reducing the job search time and often improving the kind of jobs they find, as well as giving them the tools necessary to move ahead in their careers.

Effective Outplacement Programmes steer former employees through the job search process and prepare them for future job changes. Clients are matched with an individual coach who serves as a point of contact, supplier of advice, and source of motivation. With a personal coach encouraging them, people can explore their strengths, learn new skills, reshape career paths, and move on more successfully to their next positions. Their CVs are prepared in a professional manner. They practice and sharpen interview skills. They find equivalent or better jobs faster than they would if left unassisted to manage this complex and challenging set of circumstances.

Clearly all Outplacement providers are not the same. An effective Outplacement provider should be able to understand the unique challenges faced by each individual organisation with whom they work. Ineffective Outplacement Programmes do little more than leave people feeling frustrated, helpless, and bitter toward the former employer. While the initial outlay may render a saving, organisations are warned against choosing the cheap option when it comes to selecting an Outplacement provider.

As providers of effective Outplacement programmes, we work to understand each company’s culture, objectives, and needs, just as we seek to understand each individual’s beliefs, goals, and aspirations. This understanding then forms the platform for a successful process. And we strive for the smoothest transition possible by avoiding the potential pitfalls of a poorly managed redundancy or rationalisation programme.

To learn more about our Outplacement Programmes or any of our other services, please contact the office: +353-1-6688891 or info@davittcorporatepartners.com

Discover how DavittCorporatePartners can help you to:

Develop Leadership in Your Organisation

Win the War for Talent

Realise Individual Potential

Align Behaviour with Corporate Values

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David Keane is a Director at DavittCorporatePartners – Corporate Psychologists

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Emotional Capitalists – The New Leaders

Emotional Capitalists – The New Leaders

DavittCorporatePartners is pleased to announce that world-renowned expert on Leadership and Emotional Intelligence, Dr. Martyn Newman is returning to Ireland for a series of events in late October / early November 2009.

Dr Newman will be available to deliver a one-day Emotional Capital Leadership Programme in-house. Anyone who wishes to avail of this opportunity should contact us to book a date.

Following the success of our breakfast seminar in the Four Seasons last year, Dr. Newman will also be delivering a more in-depth public half-day workshop. This will be a perfect follow on for anyone who attended the Four Seasons but also for anyone who is new to Dr. Newman and his work. Please contact us to record your interest in this event.

Tel: +353-1-6688891 or info@davittcorporatepartners.com

More information: click here

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Executive Coaching by Andrew Harley

Executive Coaching by Andrew Harley

There was a time, a long time ago, when sport was the sole preserve of the enthusiast and the amateur.  But times change.  There is still the amateur game and this is clear to see on the golf course and in track and field sports such as running.  To compete for prizes, however, the talent of the enthusiast needs to be honed and focused.  Weekend golfers with an eye on the professional game seek out the support of coaches, to leverage their talent to maximum effect.

There are clear parallels with the world of business and commerce.  There was a time when somebody could start their career in an organisation and develop gradually, often under the patronage of a more senior, wiser master.  Enthusiasm and talent, combined with an element of application, would be progressively rewarded until the individual reached the pinnacle of their career.  These were times of constancy and certainty, times when change was the exception.  But times change.  The one certain feature of current business life is constant change.  In this climate, the ability to deal effectively and productively with uncertainty is one of the key differentiating characteristics of the successful business leader.

So, what does this mean for today’s executives?  Well, it presents a challenge.  Part of this challenge comes from the experience and the shock of realising that what worked yesterday might not work as well today and certainly will not work tomorrow.  It means quite often that there is no clear guiding light within the organisation to illuminate the path to future success and prosperity.

At Davitt Corporate Partners our experience of working with a broad range of business leaders across many different sectors of business and commercial life has recognised the enormous potential of talent and capability to make a difference.  In the same way that a coach will work with an athlete to help them improve their performance, we work with senior executives to support them in improving their performance and that of their organisations.  The parallel has one critical key element.  The coach cannot run a race for the athlete.  They do, however, help the athlete by supporting the belief that they can realise their potential and run that race faster.  In the same way, we act not as surrogate but help leaders to become more effective in what they do. We recognise that in today’s uncertain times, a leader’s position can become increasingly isolated and the need for support is more important than ever.

So what is involved?

Initially we audit the individual’s capability, behaviour and current performance.  The audit comprises a series of measures embracing personality, ability and characteristic behaviour.  Effective leadership pivots on the ease and facility with which goals are achieved by getting others to turn plans into action.  Effective executive coaching is about encouraging and supporting the development of this facility.  Some leaders come to coaching from a recognition that they can perform better, some from the distress of feeling that their work/life equilibrium is out of balance.  By objective assessment, encouragement, challenging and commitment we help individuals achieve clarity about what they need to do and how to do it.

To learn more about our Executive Coaching services or any of our other services, please contact the office: +353-1-6688891 or info@davittcorporatepartners.com

Discover how DavittCorporatePartners can help you to:

Develop Leadership in Your Organisation

Win the War for Talent

Realise Individual Potential

Align Corporate Values with Behaviour

Andrew Harley is a Senior Consultant at DavittCorporatePartners – Corporate Psychologists

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