o In a recent DDI (Development Dimensions International, Inc.) study, 44 percent of managers said their most significant hiring surprise was that a candidate’s personality in the interview differed from what they are actually like on the job.
o Study of 3,800 employees in different industries and roles, DDI identified six personal characteristics – adaptability, passion for work, emotional maturity, positive disposition, self-efficacy, and achievement orientation – that when combined help predict a candidate’s probability of being an “engaged contributor” in the organization.
o Candidates which show a blend of these traits – which can be measured in pre-employment tests – are 14 times more likely to become highly engaged employees.
When I think of “Personality” I think of from
Myers-Briggs. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an instrument for measuring a person’s preference using fours factors. Each factor is set up as opposing elements:
Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
The individual is then tested for their preferences. The various combination of these preferences results in 16 distinct personality types, expressed as the combination of the 4 preferences – such as ENTP or INTJ.The six personal characteristics mentioned in HR blog – adaptability, passion for work, emotional maturity, positive disposition, self-efficacy, and achievement orientation fit better under the umbrella of Competencies. The U.S. Office of Personal Management defines competency as: an observable, measurable pattern of skills, knowledge, abilities and behaviors that an individual needs to perform work roles or occupational functions successfully. Richard Boyatzis, a professor of organizational behavior, defines job competency as: An underlying characteristic of an employee which results in effective and/or superior performance. David D. Dubois, an author specializing in competency-based human resource practices, defines competencies as: characteristics that individuals have and use in appropriate, consistent ways in order to achieve desired performance.
Based on extensive competencies research and associated interviewing and hiring practices, I have developed a list of 24 competencies, which represents a majority (80 to 98%) of captured job behaviors.The six noted traits above line up well with the one or more of the competencies:
1) ADAPTIBILITY – One of the 24 competencies is Flexibility. Two of the supporting behaviors of Flexibility are Adapts behavior to best suit the situation and Adapts to change without anxiety.
2) PASSION FOR WORK – One of the 24 competencies is Organizational Commitment. One of the supporting behaviors of Organizational Commitment is Align daily activities to meet business objectives. Another is Values cooperation to achieve company objectives. A scond related competency is Initiative.3) EMOTIONAL MATURITY – Self-Confidence, Diversity, and Self Control are three competencies that embrace emotional maturity.
4) POSITIVE DISPOSITION – Integrity and Self Control are two close competencies.
5) SELF-EFFICAY – Integrity and Diversity are two related competencies.
6) ACHIEVEMENT ORIENTATION – There is a perfect match, Achievement Orientation.
Let’s examine the closely associated competencies, some of which are used more than once: Flexibility, Organizational Commitment, Initiative, Self-Confidence, Diversity, Self Control, Integrity, Achievement Orientation.These eight competencies, when bundled together, create a competency model – the characteristics that individuals have and use in appropriate, consistent ways in order to achieve desired performance. In fact, this competency model indicates the person will be 14 times more likely to become highly engaged employees. That is impressive. That is the power of understanding and screening (through assessment and/or interviews) for competencies.
It could be argued that most (if not all) of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types could mirror this competency model. For this reason, I think it is important to clarify the difference between personality and competency. Both are important, however their difference is as distinct as Mars and Venus.
