Psychometric Testing - Hogan's Dark Side
A Walk On The Dark Side
Over the past few years there has been an increased focus within organisations on making informed decisions about how to find and then hold on to talented people. This 'war for talent' is one that now dominates the thinking of HR professionals.
Activities around selection; team building; coaching and leadership development often make use of a range of psychometric instruments to gain insights into how behaviours and attitudes can be identified. One such measure is the Hogan Development Survey (HDS) which examines the 'dark side' of personality – what is going on behind the social mask. It is one of a range of tools published by Hogan.
The good news for HR professionals is that the HDS can offer fresh perspectives on a number of key areas and is now recognised as a tool of choice and a valuable option in:
- influencing individuals to work on counter productive and possibly career limiting behaviours
- dealing with issues contributing to improved talent management and improved team effectiveness
- Contributing towards better selection decisions by identifying potential dysfunctional behaviours
- Enhancing performance coaching and leadership development activities by identifying behavioural issues that may not have been properly identified or which may surface in the future at a more senior level
It is generally recognised that managers play a crucial role in employee well-being and engagement. When these elements are not present there can be significant consequences in terms of retention, productivity and the bottom line. It would not be a surprise to suggest that many employees are not engaged with their work. In essence, they have 'checked out', and are sleep-walking through their day, putting time but little energy or passion into their work. Even worse are those who may be actively disengaged. These people are not only unhappy in their jobs, they are busy acting out their unhappiness, possibly destructively through gossip, slowing down, or even sabotaging plans in a way that would be difficult to detect.
So why are leaders not always succeeding in motivating their teams, holding onto their talented people or realising their own career dreams? They may be recognised as technically competent, ambitious and bright, but people around them may also see other less attractive characteristics. This could be that on a bad day they may be seen as insensitive, untrustworthy, over cautious, inflexible, self focused or impulsive. We can all identify with these behaviours at times but when they are overplayed they can be destructive in terms of achievement of goals or promotion opportunities.
These interpersonal leadership behaviours in reaction to challenging work situations might result in managers becoming dysfunctional or 'derailed' in terms of their achievements or career. Management derailment and the effect it can have on organisations is now much better understood and acknowledged and leads us to recognise that managers are more likely to fail because of their style than their technical managerial competence.
Success means having the positives without some of the derailing negatives. However, at a senior level in particular, managers often don't receive feedback that would help them understand the impact of their thinking and emotional style. These dysfunctional flaws are hard to detect using conventional assessment centres or many of the psychometric tools available to recruitment and development specialists, especially as the issues tend to come out on the job – especially in demanding or stressful situations.
The Hogan Development Survey identifies 11 styles of extreme behaviour and is therefore well placed to highlight 'dark side' or extreme behaviour responses. It would be used in conjunction with other existing company approaches and would be a powerful addition to gaining insights into the selection, coaching and development of effective leaders for the benefit of both themselves and their organisations.
These dysfunctional flaws are hard to detect using conventional assessment centres or many of the psychometric tools available to recruitment and development specialists, especially as the issues tend to come out on the job – especially in demanding or stressful situations.
We believe that often the so called 'interesting' behaviours come out when people are under pressure. This is all too common as we work pressures make high demands on all. This is an interesting new tool. We believe that any tool that helps managers to be more self aware is a good thing. Contact for further examples or indeed let us show you your dark side – if you dare!!! Please contact us for further information on how this tool can help you.
