How personality and behavioural profiling can boost your business

Using personality and behavioural profiling to boost engagement and work ethic

Since the dawn of time, humans have tried to understand themselves, and each other, through patterns. From astrology to Hogwarts houses, we love classing and defining our characteristics within a group context. Who doesn’t enjoy personality profiling by filling out a personality test to get a glimpse into their real, inner self?

However, these can be more than fun little exercises — they can actually have a significant impact on your management style and “help build self-awareness” in business, according to the experts at management training specialist MTD Training. Be it DiSC or Myers Briggs, here are four reasons why you should consider implementing personality and behavioural profiling in your work.

1) Enhanced productivity

Why do we do the things we do? This may seem like a philosophical question that has no place in business. However, your and your employees’ motivations for doing your jobs in the first place can have a tangible influence on overall levels of productivity.

Personality tests provide insight into parts of our character that we aren’t necessarily conscious of. This includes decision-making processes, but also what kind of assurance and appreciation we need to feel rewarded, as well as the type of feedback that will help us improve. What’s more, it will encourage an understanding of what working methods are best-suited for you as a person — are you a brainstormer, or do you benefit from having more private time to mull things over? All of this will help you reassess the way you work, and increase productivity.

2) Improved communication

Personality tests don’t only help us understand ourselves better, but also how we cooperate with our colleagues. What these tests can do is reveal the distinct communication styles according to personality type. Consequently, when one of your team members wants to convey a certain idea to another, they will be able to do this more fluently than before, as they will have the know-how to anticipate the way the recipient will comprehend what they are trying to get across. In other words, this understanding of personality categories breeds a new, common language among peers, enabling them to discover their differences and consciously address them in a constructive manner.

For example, one person might be more receptive to cold, logical information, and another may appreciate a focus on praise or emotional language. Once they realise that different people interpret meaning in distinct ways, your employees will feel emboldened to adapt their behaviour and communication styles to suit whoever they are talking to. Overall, this will nurture a more open environment with effective communication, and, considering that this factor is what can make or break a business, it cannot be understated.

3) Increased engagement

Even though 71% of managers feel that employee engagement is one of the most vital factors in overall company success, only 33% of employees report that they feel engaged at work. This is a huge gap that has to be closed if your business is to reap the benefits of a highly engaged workforce, from reduced employee turnover to higher productivity.

Personality tests allow your employees to feel seen, recognised and valued — important aspects of feeling engaged. This means that not only will your organisation be more cohesive, but your staff will also get a sense of belonging and believe that their managers — that’s you — truly care about their personal success.

4) A more balanced environment

As a manager, you know that creating a suitable working environment is not just about the team getting on — but also about finding the right balance between different skills and personalities. While you don’t want your entire team to be composed of the same exact personalities and skills (this might also amplify similar weaknesses), you should also try to avoid clashes between character types.

It’s an art, but one that requires hard data to complete appropriately, and what could be better than knowing the personalities of your staff through a test structured for this purpose specifically? This will allow you to take a methodical approach towards your employees, balancing your project’s goals with the personalities that make up your team.