Personality Assessment

Increased usage:

SHRM survey --- 30%

Fortune 100 Companies --- 50%

Outside U.S. ----- 50% to 80%

Interaction of personality characteristics and the situation

• Strong vs. weak situations

• Impact of reward systems

• Which personality characteristics are important for a given situation

Personality InventoriesSelf-reports --

(e.g., Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI),

California Psychological Inventory (CPI), Myers-Briggs Type

Indicator (MBTI), Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), NEO

PI-R NEO (assesses the 5-Factor model consisting of: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness Conscientiousness)

(e.g., Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Rorschach Inkblot Test (RIT), Miner Sentence Completion Scale)

Projective Techniques --

• Extraversion --- Outgoing, sociable

• Neuroticism (Emotional Stability): Depressed, anxious, worrisome, etc.

• Agreeableness: Flexible, forgiving

• Conscientiousness: Careful, thorough, persevering

• Openness to Experience: Curious, imaginative

Five Factors

Overall, conscientiousness and extraversion are best predictors of managerial performance across jobs

Personality measures add to prediction above and beyond other commonly used measure such as cognitive ability

• When you go somewhere for a day, would you rather:

a) plan what you will do and when, or

b) just go

• In a large group, do you more often:

a) introduce yourself, or

b) get introduced

• Is it harder for you to adapt to:

a) routine, or

b) constant change

• Do you think it is a worse fault to be

a) unsympathetic

b) unreasonable

Sample Myers-Briggs Items

Literal ______________________ Figurative

Forgive _____________________ Tolerate

Impulse _____________________ Decision

Where you focus your attention

E I

Focus attention on the outside world – people and things

Focus attention on the inner world – ideas and impressions

S N

The way you take in information

Take in information through the senses; focus on the present

Get information from patterns, see the big picture and focus on future possibilities

The way you make decisionsT F

Make decisions using logic, objective analysis

Make decisions on values and subjective person-focused factors

How you deal with the outside worldJ P

Planned, organized approach

Flexible, spontaneous approach

Holly (7)

Very Clear Clear Moderate Slight Slight Moderate Clear Very Clear

Steve (10)

Bill (5)

Thinking --- Feeling

F

Frank (1)

Betty (19)

30 25 20 15 10 5 5 10 15 20 25 30

T

Paul (2)

Sally (2)

Thinking• Looks at the logical consequences of actions; • Examines pros and cons of approaches objectively; • Energized by critique and analysis; • Focuses on tasks• Desires to find a standard to apply in all situations; reasonable and fair

Feeling• Focuses on how others may be affected by decisions by mentally placing themselves into situations; • Guided by personal values; • Energized by appreciating and supporting others; • Focuses on interactions• Strives for harmony and positive interactions

J P

Very Clear Clear Moderate Slight Slight Moderate Clear Very Clear

30 25 20 15 10 5 5 10 15 20 25 30

Holly (25)

Steve (6)

Paul (28)

Bill (18)

Sally (1)

Frank (20)

Judging --- Perceiving

Betty (20)

Judging• Planned, ordered, and structured in approach; • Systematic and methodical; • Prefers to have things settled, closure; • Likes to make plans and schedules; • Energized by getting things done and settled; • Prefers to avoid last-minute stress

Perceiving• Spontaneous and adaptable in orientation; prefers flexibility in work• Leaves things open as long a s possible; • Open to last minute options and changes; • Energized by resourcefulness and adapting present demands• Focuses on enjoying the process

Sensing --- Intuition

Very Clear Clear Moderate Slight Slight Moderate Clear Very Clear

S N

30 25 20 15 10 5 5 10 15 20 25 30

Holly (24)

Steve (11)

Paul (16)

Bill (21)

Sally (9)

Frank (26)

Betty (24)

Sensing• Prefers real, tangible information; • Notices specifics and focus on practical realities; • Factual• Develops understanding through practical applications• Focus on immediate issues

Intuition• Takes in information by focusing on the big picture;• Attends to relationships and connections between facts; provides connections and meanings• Imaginative and verbally creative; follows inspiration• Moves quickly to conclusions and follows hunches; • Prefers clarification of ideas before use• Focuses on possibilities

Extraversion --- IntroversionE I

Very Clear Clear Moderate Slight Slight Moderate Clear Very Clear30 25 20 15 10 5 5 10 15 20

25 30

Extraversion• Focus on the external environment; direct energy outward; • Prefer communicating by talking and working out ideas by talking them through; • Learns best through discussions; • Sociable and expressive; •Takes initiative in work and relationships

Introversion• Focus on ideas and experience; direct energy inward;• Prefers to communicate through writing and work out ideas through reflection; • Learns best by thinking and contemplation; • Private and self-contained; • Takes initiative when situation is important to them • Enjoys working alone without interruptions

Holly (6)

Steve (5)

Paul (6)

Bill (18)

Sally (15)

Frank (2)

Betty (26)

Hogan Personality Inventory[206 items]

• Designed to predict occupational success• Based on the 5-factor model• Developed and normed on 500,000 on working adults• Validated in over 200 organizations• 4th grade reading level• No adverse impact

Primary Scales ---

Adjustment (confidence, self-esteem, composure under stressful situations)

Ambition (competitive, possessing initiative, potential for leadership)

Sociability (extraverted, friendly, enjoys social interactions)

Likeability (warm, charming, capable of maintaining relationships)

Prudence (responsible, possessing self-control, conscientious)

Intellectance (imaginative, curious, creative)

School Success (achievement orientation, keeps current of business and technical developments)

• I would rather be famous than almost anything.

• I never judge other people’s actions.

• I often read the business news.

• It is so important to have lots of friends.

• I believe you can never be too careful.

• I like many different kinds of people.

• I like puzzles and mental games.

• I dislike going to parties where I don’t know the other people.

• I am pretty strict about right and wrong.

Sample Items form the Hogan Personality Inventory

(Motives, Values, Preferences)

Hogan Personality Inventory (cont.)

Occupational Scales ---

Service Orientation (attentive, pleasant, courteous to others such as customers and clients)

Stress Tolerance (ability to handle stress)

Reliability (integrity, good organizational citizen)

Clerical Potential (able to follow directions, attentive to detail, clear communicator)

Sales Potential (energetic, ability to interact socially, able to deal with client issues/problems)

Managerial Potential (leadership ability, good at organizing, capability to make decisions)

• I like parties and socials. (Sociability)

• When I work on a committee I like to take charge of things. (Ambition)

• I often lose my temper. (Likeability; R) • Sometimes I rather enjoy going against the rules and doing things I'm not supposed to. (Prudence; R) • I am embarrassed with people I do not know well. (Adjustment; R)

• I read at least ten books a year. (Intellectance)

• I always see to it that my work is carefully planned and organized. (Ego- control)

Sample California Psychological Inventory Sample Items

If I am promoted ________

Wearing a necktie _______

Yacht racing _______

Dictating lectures _______

Presenting a report at a staff meeting _______

Miner Sentence Completion Scale[Assesses “Motivation to Manage”] Sample Items

Seven Subscales:

• Authority Figures• Competitive Games• Competitive Situations• Masculine Roles• Imposing Wishes• Standing Out From the Group• Routine Administration

Significant correlations between MSCS and managerial progress (e.g., promotion, pay rate)

MSCS scores are not related to scores on measures of intelligence

TAT --- 31 pictures that depict a variety of social and interpersonal situations. Participants are requested to write or tell a story about each picture to the examiner (e.g., what happened, what Ten pictures are gender-specific; the others can be used with either sex.

Use: To uncover internal conflicts, dominant drives, interests, and motives. Specific motives include the need for achievement, need for power, the need for intimacy, and problem-solving abilities.

Thematic Apperception Test

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Ten cards which bilateral and symmetrical inkblots

Scoring ---

Location: the part of the blot used (e.g., use of the whole blot, common or unusual detail)

Determinants: form, color, shading, and movement)

Content (human figures, animal figures, anatomical diagrams, inanimate objects

Legality of the MMPI

Karraker v. Rent-A-Center, Inc. 411 F, 3rd 831 (7th Cir. 2005)

The Seventh Circuit reversed the district court and ruled that the MMPI fit the definition of a “medical examination.” A medical exam is a “procedure or test that seeks information about an individual’s physical or mental impairments or health.” So, the court had to decide if the MMPI was designed to reveal an impairment of physical or mental health. They held that the test was so designed to do so. In other words, it excluded employees from being promoted who had disorders, even though a psychologist was not used to interpret the test results.

In this regard, given that the test was originally designed to measure mental disorders may violate the ADA.

ADA

Medical examinations & inquiries about disabilities An employer may not ask or require a job applicant to take a

medical examination before making a job offer

• An employer may condition a job offer on the satisfactory result of a post-offer medical examination or medical inquiry if this is required of all entering employees in the same job category

• If an individual is not hired because a post-offer medical examination or inquiry reveals a disability, the reason(s) for not hiring must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. The employer also must show that no reasonable accommodation was available that would enable the individual to perform the essential job functions, or that accommodation would impose an undue hardship