The Science Of Measuring Psychological Wellbeing In The Workplace
A comparison with the top 10 psychometric tools in utilised in Europe
Keywords: Psychometric assessment, Psychological assessment, wellbeing, psychometric tool
Author: Dr. Anna-Rosa Le Roux
Date: October 2023, Worklife Digital
Many large and well-established companies, including those in the Fortune 500 (more than 75%), have incorporated psychometric assessments into their hiring and talent development strategies. The latest trends in psychometric assessment include a move towards more holistic assessment, mobile strategies, predictive analytics and a reduction of product loyalty as organisations learn about different tools that could be more fit for purpose. Tapping into these developments, HR professionals could gain greater value to impact their organisation’s people performance potential.
How do organisations utilise the top 10 Psychometric tools today?
Traditional psychometric tools are positioned to measure various aspects of personality, values & motivation and behaviour preferences related to job performance in organisational settings with variable degree of trustworthiness and impact.
Below is an overview of the specific positioning for most used psychometric tools in Europe.
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): The MBTI assesses personality preferences based on Jungian psychological types.
Differentiator: Identifies an individual's personality type and provides insights into communication and decision-making styles.
Positives:
Provides insights into personality preferences and potential career fit
Non-judgmental and non-critical assessment
Easy to understand and discuss results
Negatives:
Lacks scientific validity and reliability
Results can be overly simplistic
Limited in predicting job performance
- DiSC Personality Assessment: DiSC categorises individuals into one of four primary personality styles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.
Differentiator: Helps individuals understand their behavioural tendencies and communication preferences.
Positives:
Helps individuals understand and improve their communication and interpersonal skills
Simple and user-friendly
Applicable in various workplace contexts
Negatives:
Lacks depth in assessing complex personality traits
Limited in predicting job performance
Potential for individuals to manipulate their responses
- SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ): This tool measures personality traits relevant to the workplace.
Differentiator: Designed for use in employee selection and development.
Positives:
Provides detailed insights into a wide range of workplace-relevant personality traits
Valid and reliable assessment with strong scientific backing
Useful for hiring and development decisions
Negatives:
May be time-consuming
Complex and may require expertise to interpret
Potential for faking responses in a high-stakes situation
- Hogan Assessments: These assessments are designed to predict workplace performance and measure personality characteristics, including bright-side and dark-side traits.
Differentiator: Provides insights into an individual's strengths and potential derailers.
Positives:
Offers both bright-side (positive traits) and dark-side (derailing behaviours) assessments
Predictive of workplace performance and potential for career derailment
Widely used in leadership development
Negatives:
Complex and may require trained professionals for interpretation
Some individuals may find the dark-side feedback uncomfortable
Higher cost compared to some other assessments
- Thomas International's Personal Profile Analysis (PPA): The PPA assesses personality traits and behaviours in the workplace.
Differentiator: Provides insights into an individual's work-related behaviours and how they might fit into a team or organisation.
Positives:
Provides insights into work-related behaviours
User-friendly and easy to interpret
Applicable for personal development and team building
Negatives:
May not provide as comprehensive insights as other assessments
Less suitable for predicting job performance
Some individuals may question its accuracy
- 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF): This questionnaire assesses 16 primary personality factors.
Differentiator: Provides a detailed and comprehensive assessment of personality traits
Positives:
Offers a comprehensive assessment of personality traits
Valid and reliable for various applications
Used in research and personnel selection
Negatives:
Lengthy and may be time-consuming
Requires trained professionals for interpretation
Complexity may deter some users
- StrengthsFinder (now CliftonStrengths): This tool helps identify an individual's top strengths and talents.
Differentiator: Emphasises the development of an individual's strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses.
Positives:
Focuses on individual strengths, which can be motivating
Simple to understand and apply
Valuable for personal development and team dynamics
Negatives:
Less suitable for predicting job performance
May not address weaknesses or areas for improvement
- Predictive Index (PI): The Predictive Index measures workplace behavioural drives and needs.
Differentiator: Provides insights into what motivates individuals and how they might perform in a specific role.
Positives:
Measures behavioural drives and needs for job fit
Helps with team and leadership development
Can be used in a variety of organisational settings
Negatives:
May not provide in-depth personality insights
Potential for faking responses in high-stakes situations
Requires trained professionals for interpretation
- Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal: This assessment evaluates critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Differentiator: Designed to assess an individual's ability to think critically and make sound judgments.
Positives:
Measures critical thinking skills relevant to decision-making
Valid and reliable assessment
Useful for evaluating problem-solving skills
Negatives:
Narrow in focus (specific to critical thinking)
May not address other personality or interpersonal traits
Requires trained professionals for interpretation
- Emotional Intelligence Appraisal (EQ): This assessment measures emotional intelligence competencies, including self-awareness and social awareness.
Differentiator: Focuses on emotional intelligence and its impact on an individual's interpersonal and leadership skills.
Positives:
Focuses on emotional intelligence, which is important for leadership and interpersonal skills
Provides actionable insights for personal development
Valid and widely used in leadership and team development
Negatives:
May not be suitable for all job roles
Requires training for interpretation
May not address all aspects of personality
Summary Comparison Table
We utilised publicly available information to compare the Worklife Digital measurement of psychological wellbeing against the top 10 tools used in Fortune 500 organisations, using four main criteria:
Complexity/ richness of assessment
Scientific basis
Application
Scope
How does Worklife Digital differentiate measuring Wellbeing?
As the world of psychometric assessments changes with new applications and trends in the marketplace maturing, new opportunities to impact organisations in a fit for purpose manner arise.
- Application
Psychological wellbeing constructs are not personality traits that are fairly stable over time, but capabilities that can be developed, similar to Emotional Intelligence constructs with the EQ. It is therefore ideal to utilise as a diagnostic to pinpoint intervention needed.
- Scope
The Psychological wellbeing instrument is a diagnostic applicable at systemic levels, i,e, individual, team and organisational levels.
- Complexity and richness
The psychological wellbeing measurement is built on two different psychological frameworks (Systems psychodynamics and Positive psychology) to represent a holistic measurement of the individual in interaction with their environment (interpersonal) and with themselves (intra-personal).
Positive psychology helps people to find new strategies to deal with change in a productive way.
Systems psychodynamics provides insights into ‘negative’ behaviour in the organisations.
- Scientific rigour
The psychological wellbeing measurement is built on a sound (phD) academic model. This model was specifically developed to understand individual, team and organisational wellbeing and consult in systemic wellbeing.
The constructs are measured with test items that are rigorously tested and published (Open Source) to measure psychological wellbeing in a valid and reliable way.
WorkLife Digital is a global mental-wellbeing consultancy driven by the mission to improve the sustainability of businesses. Our psychological wellbeing tool, Worklife Quotient (WL-Q), is modelled on cutting-edge scientific research and provides organisation-wide measurement and intelligence on the mental wellbeing levels and psychological resilience of staff. WL-Q also assesses the impact of organisational practices (i.e. people and culture, leadership styles, organisational purpose and values, social impact) that have a direct influence on staff wellbeing and provides strategic recommendations on addressing risks and promoting strengths.
For more information, get in touch at lisa@worklife.digital
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