5 Helpful Assessments For Individuals & Organizations

How well do you know yourself? What about your coworkers?

It’s easy to assume you know what you need to when it comes to understanding yourself and others. But the truth is that we all have blind spots. And that’s where assessments can help.

Through data-proven methods, assessments provide powerful insights into strengths, weaknesses and interpersonal relationships.

Which is one of the reasons we at Samaritan Consulting Group encourage the use of assessments in our work with clients and individuals

Here are the 5 development and hiring assessments that we commonly use in our work as consultants and coaches.

1. The Activity Vector Analysis (AVA)
2. DiSC Profile
3. 16 Personality Factor (16pf)
4. 360-Degree Feedback
5. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

1. The Activity Vector Analysis (AVA)

The Activity Vector Analysis, also known as the AVA, is a free-response assessment that identifies an individual’s natural tendencies and predicts how they’ll act within the workplace.

Specifically it measures four personality factors, or vectors, and a fifth developmental vector.

The vectors are defined as:

• Aggressiveness/Assertiveness: The tendency to move toward, engage in or approach situations perceived as unfavorable, antagonistic and challenging.
• Sociability: The tendency to move toward and engage in people situations perceived as favorable, allied and comfortable.
• Calmness: The degree of calm and patient acceptance of a situation perceived as positive. This needs to be in a stable, unchanging environment.
• Conformity: The tendency to confirm or submit to pressures in order to avoid criticism. The need to avoid situations perceived as unfavorable.
• Self-discipline/maturity: The tendency to use self-disciplined, carefully considered, socially responsible, mature, and objective behavior based on well-established standards and a firm self-concept.

In our work, the AVA is most often used during the hiring process to see if candidates are a good fit.

It helps reveal a candidate’s ideal working environment, his or her natural tendencies as an employee, and how a manager can best coach the candidate.

Outside of hiring, however, the AVA can also be used to provide helpful development tips for supervisors, such as how to get an employee’s attention, what to avoid in interactions, and what to expect from exchanges with the employee.

The AVA assessment makes the hiring process easier by revealing a person who naturally fits well into the position and culture. Additionally, it helps supervisors better understand how to work with and develop current employees.

2. DiSC Profile

The DiSC is an assessment that determines your personality type based on four types of human behavior:

• Dominance: Shown as directness, being strong-willed or forceful.
• Influence: Seen as sociability, talkativeness and liveliness.
• Steadiness: Manifests as gentleness, or being accommodating and soft-hearted.
• Conscientiousness: Shown as being a private, analytical and logical individual.

An in-depth review of an individual’s DiSC can be used personally to improve work productivity, leadership, sales and communication.

Additionally, sharing the results within a team can help coworkers better understand each other. This often improves interpersonal relationships, teamwork and efficiency.

Not sure you have a handle on the four types different human behavior detailed in the DiSC? Here’s a humorous look at the different types when they’re taken to the extreme.

3. 16 Personality Factor (16pf)

The 16 Personality Factor assessment, or 16pf, is primarily a hiring assessment, although it can be used at times for coaching and leadership development.

Based on 65 years of research, the purpose of the 16pf is to measure five global factors and 16 primary factors, which include:

• Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practical
• Apprehension: Worried versus confident
• Dominance: Forceful versus submissive
• Emotional stability: Calm versus high-strung
• Liveliness: Spontaneous versus restrained
• Openness to change: Flexible versus attached to the familiar
• Perfectionism: Controlled versus undisciplined
• Privateness: Discreet versus open
• Reasoning: Abstract versus concrete
• Rule-consciousness: Conforming versus non-conforming
• Self-reliance: Self-sufficient versus dependent
• Sensitivity: Tender-hearted versus tough-minded
• Social boldness: Uninhibited versus shy
• Tension: Inpatient versus relaxed
• Vigilance: Suspicious versus trusting
• Warmth: Outgoing versus reserved

Taken together, these factors can predict how a person is likely to behave and interact with others, how well-suited they are to a position’s behavioral requirements, and how they will fit into the existing team.

Additionally, the 16 Personality Factor assessment includes prompts to guide interviews.

This assessment helps managers feel confident and prepared in the hiring and selection process, while also helping the individual better understand how he or she would fit into the team.

4. 360-Degree Feedback

The 360-Degree Feedback report is for current employees. In particular, it’s for leaders or potential leadership candidates within an organization.

The report is generated using data from a survey that is administered to different groups within an organization – peers, supervisors, direct reports and yourself.

The survey asks questions that fall under the categories of leadership, character and personal attributes, team skills and management skills. It culminates in a number of open-ended questions at the end.

While responses are shown together to provide an average from each group, all feedback is anonymous. A total average across all groups is also measured, and the report is presented in a way that highlights the high-scoring and lower-scoring categories.

This report can be tremendously helpful for leaders looking to assess their performance, or for potential leadership candidates being considered for a promotion.

When done correctly, it leads to the creation of a growth plan in weaker areas, and a plan to capitalize on the strengths of the individual. It can also reveal gaps in possible training needs for current leaders.

At Samaritan Consulting Group, we’ve frequently used this tool with managers and supervisors to help them improve their work and relationships within the organization, as well as increasing their self-awareness.

5. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers Brigg Type Indicator, or MBTI, is one of the most well-known personality assessments.

This test reveals how you perceive the world and then make decisions based on where you fall between eight different personality types:

• Introverted or Extraverted
• Sensing or Intuition
• Feeling or Thinking
• Perceiving or Judging

In the workplace, the MBTI can assist in team building, as well as facilitating communication and serving as a leadership development tool.

It can also help to diagnose organizational issues, quality systems, strategic thinking, performance appraisal, leadership and more.

Additionally, this assessment has a separate career report that shows individuals how their personality can affect their career exploration and discusses jobs that may be a good fit.

For a brief overview of each letter of the Myers-Briggs, watch this video below.

Are assessments worth it?

It can be easy to assume that with time, you’ll learn all you need to know about yourself and your coworkers.

However, the challenges you encounter on this journey to knowledge can make the learning process more difficult and time-consuming than it needs to be.

Using assessments both personally and within an organization helps you get ahead of the curve by providing valuable information and data that can be implemented in practical ways every day.

Interested in pursuing assessments for yourself or your organization? Contact us here.