As organizations and their leaders, including HR leaders, consider what assessments to leverage to help maximize their team member’s potential – individually and collectively – numerous factors should be considered. These include the assessment’s purpose, required time investment, and financial costs.
Remember that not all assessments are created equal, or have similar purposes. StrengthsFinder and the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator are examples of personality inventories aimed at individual development. Clinical diagnosis is the primary objective of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). The DRiV and the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) are assessments created with both objectives.
Also, what level of user experience, training, and time is required? This also varies widely across assessments. The CPI and Hogan provide insights only through specially trained facilitators, while assessments like MBTI and StrengthsFinder are more “off the shelf” bookstore-type resources, intuitive for almost anyone to interpret. Others like the DRiV provide broad insights that are easily understood, while also offering further depth that can be unlocked through additional training and coaching.
To determine the most appropriate assessment, also evaluate what you want to assess: specific skills, broad personality constructs, mental capacity/general intelligence, interests, motivations, values, etc. Each single assessment can measure only a certain facet of personality; no assessment measures everything. So how can you achieve a more holistic picture and a more accurate result?
One answer is using a combination of assessments, sometimes called a multi-trait or multi-method approach. The rationale behind this? Getting the best information requires measuring multiple traits in varied ways. A classic hiring example is pairing an in-person interview with a personality assessment. While common, an in-person interview is broadly known as the weakest component of the hiring process. A much stronger approach combines it with a personality assessment and behavioral example (e.g., presentation, simulation, role-playing, etc.).
When evaluating available assessment tools, keep the DRiV top of mind. It is rooted in reputable science of human behavior, integrating research from motivation, leadership, social psychology, neuroscience and behavioral economics. It was developed using best-in-class processes and psychometric practices, under the supervision of industrial/organizational psychologist Chris Coultas, PhD. The development process leveraged partnerships with leading universities and a rich data pool from individuals representing various industries, organizational sizes and leadership levels.
Reviewed and approved by the Mental Measurements Yearbook in 2022, the DRiV has already been widely used for leadership development, team alignment, culture alignment, and selection by many different companies and organizations. The DRiV report is extremely user-friendly and intuitive, providing insight into the motives, values, and behaviors that together create personality. If you are looking for a best-in-class, multi-method assessment and would like to learn how the DRiV can be helpful, visit drivinsights.com. You can read more about its benefits for individuals and teams, test it for yourself, download a sample report, or request technical resources.
