Those in Human Resources, Learning & Development and Training have countless options when it comes to profiling tools, designed to help employees better understand themselves and those they work with.
Much of the historical scepticism towards personality profiling is beginning to relax. The view of profiling as 'indulgent, introspective and ineffective' is a thing of the past, and profiling is now increasingly seen as an essential component to personal development. Not only this but profiling is also viewed in many places as the key to releasing potential and increasing organisational effectiveness.
Living in a VUCA1 (Volatile, Uncertain, Chaotic, Ambiguous) world, leaders and organisations do not want to start falling behind with organisational advances.
Individuals are looking to stay motivated with new opportunities. Teams are wanting to work more effectively together. Companies are seeking to gain that competitive edge through upskilling their workforce. Any tool that helps us learn and improve in these areas will understandably attract attention.
Answering this question is vital if we are to then understand what personality profiling is.
Personality refers to an individual's differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. Personality is categorised by traits and is formed by the complex relationship between our biology and our environment.
One of the most well-known measurements of these traits is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), analysing 16 different personality types.
Many psychologists today rely on frameworks such as Goldberg's Five Factors of Personality – where individuals are measured on a continuum for each of the following five traits: Open to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism.
HEXACO added a sixth trait around twenty years ago, which they called Honesty-Humility.
In simple terms, personality is often defined as who I am'.
Profiling is a means of better understanding ourselves.
Some profiling tools are simple, whilst others are highly complex. Some require very little input and others require much more. Some profiles are free, whilst others cost hundreds of pounds.
Whatever system we choose to engage with, the overall aim is to grow in self-understanding. If I know myself, I am in a stronger position to reflect on my interactions with others, as well as focus on playing to my strengths.
This all makes logical sense. But what about our behaviour….
Most psychometric tools focus on personality, which is a valid and important factor to consider in any people development strategy.
As indicated above, the MBTI is one of the most well-known tools that analyse personality. MBTI is helpful for thinking about individual differences in personality. What many people may fail to notice is that it is not always useful or accurate to focus on personality, because people behave differently in different situations2.
Statistical analysis of personality traits shows a low correlation between a person's specific trait in one situation and the trait they express in another situation. For example, knowing if I have the trait of introversion cannot tell me how I would apply this introversion in two different situations.
The image above demonstrates how one personality trait can express opposing behaviours. Essentially, personality would be a more accurate predictor of behaviour when behaviours are aggregated across different situations3. In practice, this would require taking the MBTI test over and over again across a framed time period, something that for most people is both impractical and unrealistic.
In contrast at C-me, our focus is on behaviours, underpinned by the firm belief that behaviours have the most direct and therefore biggest impact on ourselves and others.
Behaviours can be easier to predict and far more malleable than personality, i.e. I can adapt my behaviour without having to make fundamental changes to who I am. This is good news as it gives us the freedom to adapt how we relate to situations without having to compromise on authenticity. To some extent, I am who I am but I can adapt how I am.
Many people are reasonably aware of their personality traits, whilst potentially remaining blind to their behaviours and the impact these may have on others. This can potentially be a big problem as understanding how we behave is the first step towards shifting the way we relate to others.
Below are three observations about the importance of behaviours and why C-me focuses on the importance of prioritising behaviour over personality.
C-me is a deeply relational tool, focused on the so what? seeking to help individuals, teams and organisations consistently bring their best selves on a Monday morning, as well as the rest of the week!
Profiling is at best, an indulgence, and at worst, a waste of time, UNLESS the profiling process and subsequent personal reflection is backed by genuine accountability and the desire to be aware of our behaviours in light of our new learning.
Effective teams are founded on trust and when we trust one another, we become more receptive or open to reflecting on how our behaviours impact others because essentially we want the team to succeed.
Where this impact is not life-giving, behavioural flexing becomes the tool for succeeding together. Rather than my way or the highway, teams can work together to find the optimal our way. This collective unity and commitment to the whole are foundational to high performance.
For more information, contact C-me or visit our website.
1The following article published the Harvard Business Review provides a helpful summary: https://hbr.org/2014/01/what-vuca-really-means-for-you
2Hunsley, J., Lee, C. M., & Wood, J. M. (2003). Controversial and questionable assessment techniques. In S. O. Lilienfeld, S. J. Lynn, & J. M. Lohr (Eds.), Science and pseudoscience in clinical psychology (pp. 39–76). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
3A detailed explanation of this can be found here: https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontopsychology/chapter/11-1-personality-and-behavior-approaches-and-measurement/