Personality Tests in the Workplace, pt. 3
Welcome back! We have now determined that personality tests are a good thing in the workplace if used properly, and we have explored the different types of tests, and which could work best for your company. Now, I want to dive into implementing the results you have found, so they do not go to waste. If you haven’t already, please read Part One and Two of “Personality Tests in the Workplace.”
As mentioned in the original blog, personality tests are a waste of time if taken, no changes are made, and they are not continually implemented within the company. Now that you have chosen what personality test(s) will work best for your company, you need to decide how you will display and implement the results from the tests.
It should start with a conversation going over the results and seeing how a teammate feels the results line up with who they truly are and how they function within the workplace. As previously mentioned, these tests do not prove to be 100% accurate so we cannot assume that all traits are true of the person just because a test says they are. Determine what is true and what does not apply.
So, why even take the test… right? These tests can bring to light traits we don’t recognize are true about ourselves but once brought to our attention with a detailed description that these tests provide, we can see how they do or do not align. Once you have determined what shows to be true for each teammate, and what truly describes them, determine how it is most effective for you to store or display this information, so that it is not just learned and forgotten.
Ways to store and display:
In construction new projects and new teams are put together rather frequently. In remembering the teams’ different strengths and traits will help you put together the best team possible making sure that each person is being used to their fullest potential. Determine what traits are most useful for you to know when putting a team together. Extrovert vs introvert, dominant vs passive, big picture vs detail oriented, multi-taker vs tunnel vision… the list goes on.
1. You can create a database that stores everyone’s information, their results, their traits, and details that you find helpful when putting a team together. This database can be referenced each time you are putting new teams together. (Just make sure it’s not out-of-sight, out-of-mind).
2. Put each person’s results on their name plaque. If your office uses signs or name plates outside each office or on their desk include the personality test results there. Example: John Smith ENFP or John Smith Type 7. Depending what test you use will determine what to add to their name. This will keep the results in the forefront of their minds when putting a team together.
3. Have a physical board posted in the office, list out each personality type from the test that you chose to use and group teammates together according to what their results were. You can use just their names or use their photos to make it more fun. This gives you a visual in a central location of who falls under each type.
These are just a few ideas on how to store and use the information that you have collected from the personality tests. So that all the efforts of distributing and taking the tests do not go to waste but continue to be useful for years to come. Get together with your team and see what will work best for your company. Have any other creative ways to store and implement this information? Share your ideas!