How Psychometric Testing Can Help Build More Effective Teams

The key elements of effective teamwork are well-known, but identifying them is challenging for managers. Psychometric testing can help reveal those qualities. There is a limit to how much relevant information one can gain from references and verbal questioning during a conventional interview, whether recruiting or trying to assemble an effective team to tackle some specific project. After all, If you ask someone if they’re a team player, it’s unlikely they will say no.

When being interviewed, most people are keen to impress and are, therefore, more inclined to provide answers they believe will do so. Also, as humans, we are generally inclined to make subjective judgements and can often be influenced by irrelevant observations like dressing smartly or having a nice smile. Although these may be admirable traits, in most cases, they will have little or no bearing on work performance.

The psychometric test procedure is designed to reveal those characteristic behavioural traits that only reveal themselves in specific circumstances that cannot be successfully duplicated in conversation. To better understand this concept, we need to begin by identifying the qualities that experience has shown to be essential for effective teamwork.

Essential Teamwork Traits Revealed by Psychometric Testing

While every team must have a leader, regardless of how effective that leader might be, it cannot work if each member cannot fulfil their assigned roles. Teams don’t underperform by choice or through bad luck but because one or more of its members lacks one or more essential qualities. For example:

• Leadership: Some people are born leaders; others must be trained. Either way, without strong leadership qualities, those who must follow will flounder. Many of those qualities apply equally well to team members.

• Communication skills: Ensuring team members are constantly informed of everything relevant to their performance is a given. However, that information must be conveyed clearly and concisely to avoid the risk of misinterpretation. Both leaders and members should be effective communicators.

• Collaboration: This is the very essence of teamwork. There is no “I” in “team”. The willingness to share information and support one another to overcome obstacles can be crucial elements in determining a team’s success.

• Goal-oriented behaviour: Team leaders need to ensure members are aware of and fully aligned with the company’s goals, but members must also be motivated to pursue them determinedly.

• Integrity: It only takes one person who habitually displays counterproductive behaviour to disrupt the efforts of an entire team. However, psychometric testing can discern such trends before they can create problems.

• Aptitude: In the past, Aptitude testing was mainly used to measure mechanical skills. However, today, a psychometric test can evaluate verbal and numerical reasoning and several other qualities essential for teams.

• Emotional intelligence: While this comprises some of the most essential characteristics of team players, it is frequently overlooked with severe consequences. Successful team members must be able to form and maintain interpersonal relationships, regulate their emotions and cooperate with others to overcome challenges.

Arrange Psychometric Testing to Boost Teamwork and Meet Business Goals

Orgro is a highly experienced and successful team of problem solvers whose focus is people and their performance. Why not contact us to arrange an appraisal? Let’s work as a team to discover how a psychometric test could boost your organisation’s performance.