Personality Testing: The power of a local perspective
Author: Henrik Klausen
With our diverse cultural landscape and unique societal values, New Zealand presents a rich tapestry of norms that significantly influence workplace dynamics and interactions. Harnessing the power of local norms when conducting personality testing is essential for ensuring the effectiveness and relevance of assessments.
In New Zealand, we have our own special way of doing things. When companies use personality tests that take their unique culture into account, they can learn a lot about whether someone is right for their job or organisation. For example, if someone shows they're good at whanaungatanga (building relationships), manaakitanga (hospitality), and kaitiakitanga (stewardship), it can really help a team work well together and reach their goals. Other important traits like being adaptable and coming up with new ideas can be assessed more accurately when using locally contextualised assessment tools.
As organisations strive for success in an ever-evolving landscape, understanding the unique cultural nuances and societal norms of the Kiwi workplace environment is essential for making informed decisions about talent selection and development. By acknowledging and valuing the diverse backgrounds and experiences of candidates, organisations can create more inclusive and equitable workplaces. This commitment to diversity not only fosters a sense of belonging among employees but also enhances creativity, innovation, and decision-making. By aligning assessment criteria with culturally relevant traits and behaviours, organisations can reduce the risk of inadvertently favouring candidates from specific backgrounds or demographics.
Personality testing has become an integral part of leadership selection and development for many organisations in New Zealand. Winsborough’s reports offer valuable insights into candidates' traits, behaviours, and role and organisational fit. In other words, a view into ‘backstage’ of what to expect when hiring or where to focus, to add the most value when coaching. However, the effectiveness of personality testing can vary depending on cultural nuances and local norms. In New Zealand, leveraging local norms in personality testing can ensure a better match between candidates and organisational needs.
New Zealand is renowned for its unique cultural values and societal norms. Kiwis value traits such as humility, integrity, and adaptability, which are reflected in their workplace behaviours and interactions. Understanding and using this national difference is crucial when using personality testing. When hiring, we need to know how a candidate will act compared to other Kiwis and not how they will behave compared with an Australian or American. Our New Zealand norms is developed by and for Kiwi’s and reflects our unique traits based on sound research. This research takes into account New Zealand’s unique demographic and cultural makeup.
Another benefit of using local norms and best practices in personality testing is the potential to mitigate bias and ensure fairness in the selection or development process. By aligning assessment criteria with culturally relevant traits and behaviours, organisations can reduce the risk of inadvertently favouring candidates from specific backgrounds or demographics. This promotes greater diversity and inclusivity in hiring decisions, ultimately leading to a more equitable and representative workforce.
Context defines what norm to use. If the candidate works in New Zealand, then it doesn’t matter if they originate from Samoa, Europe or China. What matters is how they will show up at work compared to other Kiwis. When working in New Zealand a New Zealand norm is best practice but, if the candidate is employed in New Zealand but the organisation mainly works in an international context, then a global norm may be the best choice.
In conclusion, the value of leveraging local norms in personality testing cannot be overstated. By understanding and incorporating culturally relevant traits and behaviours into assessment criteria, organisations can enhance the accuracy of candidate evaluations, improve cultural fit assessment, mitigate bias, and ensure fairness in the hiring process. Ultimately, embracing local norms in personality testing enables organisations to make more informed decisions that lead to better outcomes for both candidates and employers alike.
Need more information? Contact the Winsborough Team:
winsborough.co.nz | 0800 222 061 | support@winsborough.co.nz