Targeted professional development: maximizing individual strengths with psychometric assessments
Targeted professional development: maximizing individual strengths with psychometric assessments
Today’s professional development can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all model. Career paths are diverse, motivations are varied, and needs differ from one individual and one organization to another. For organizations wishing to capitalize on the full potential of their teams, the key often lies in a finer, more nuanced approach. This is where psychometric assessments come into their own.
In this blog post, Vincent Fulham-Léonard, an organizational consultant who supports organizations with their talent management challenges, presents and suggests some food for thought in this area. In his view, the use of psychometric tests to build individualized development plans is fundamental to modern talent management. Read on to find out more.
Better self-knowledge for better growth
One of the main benefits of psychometric assessments is that they provide an objective, structured and in-depth portrait of a person’s personality traits, skills and learning preferences. They promote better self-knowledge, an essential starting point for any development process.
For example, an employee might find that they are more motivated by a wide variety of tasks than by teamwork. That he evolves more effectively with many clear instructions communicated to him, or conversely with a great deal of autonomy in decision-making and choice of methods. Or that they learn better in an experiential workshop context than in online training. These data are not verdicts, but avenues to explore in order to optimize professional development.
The self-knowledge acquired in this way also helps us to better understand our motivations and development needs.
Plans rooted in reality
Too often, development plans are based on generic objectives and are less personalized to the individual’s reality. Psychometric tools make it possible to identify relevant needs and build development plans that are consistent with the individual’s profile, while taking into account the needs of the organization.
It is this coherence between personality traits, individual aspirations and organizational needs that gives the personalized development plan its value and generates commitment from both employee and employer. The development plan also provides a context in which to open a dialogue with the employee, enabling each to express his or her needs so as to better understand and align with each other for the future. Thanks to psychometric evaluations, it also becomes possible to reduce the subjectivity of the feedback provided, which can then allow more listening and openness to the comments made.
What’s more, this approach avoids wasting resources and energy: developing someone to meet a need that doesn’t fit their profile at all rarely proves effective or sustainable, either for the employee or the organization. To draw a graphic parallel, it can be time-consuming and complex to try and fit a triangle into an oval.
A concrete example
Let’s take the case of a company looking to move an employee into a management position. The assessment reveals a high level of analytical ability and interpersonal skills, but also an aversion to conflict. These elements enable us to build a development plan that targets, for example, the strengthening of conflict management skills, while enhancing her natural communication strengths.
Rather than proposing generic training, a development plan tailored to the employee’s profile can help identify the support with the most potential benefits for the individual: mentoring with an experienced manager to develop managerial courage, non-violent communication workshops, and concrete situations to practice.
This type of approach is more motivating for the employee, who feels that her specific needs are being taken into account, while at the same time meeting the requirements of the job.
A powerful tool for managers
By gaining a better understanding of their employees’ profiles, they can tailor their support, target their interventions and promote continuous progress.
A manager will know more clearly, for example, that one employee needs clear instructions and structure to perform, while another thrives when he or she is more autonomous in his or her decisions and choice of methods. What’s more, this fine-tuned understanding also facilitates conflict management, task allocation and the composition of balanced teams.
It also facilitates development discussions by anchoring them in a common vocabulary, supported by neutral data. As mentioned above, discussions become less subjective and more focused on concrete avenues for improvement. As a result, the quality of the dialogue is enhanced, and commitment and trust are strengthened.
Fostering a culture of individualized learning
When psychometric assessments are properly integrated into the HR approach, they become more than just a tool: they help to establish a culture of tailor-made continuous development. This approach not only fosters mobilization and retention, but also innovation, as it encourages individuals to explore and bring out their full potential. Beyond the individual benefits, an entire organizational ecosystem gains in agility and resilience, capable of adapting to changes and challenges.
A long-term vision
Thinking in terms of customized development based on psychometric assessments also means adopting a long-term strategic vision focused on employee retention. The assessment can shed light on different motivations and needs of the individual, enabling the development plan to reconcile both the organization’s needs and the employee’s development objectives.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to request a psychometric assessment to get a more objective picture of their profile. It is of course possible to build a development plan without a psychometric assessment, but the disadvantage is that the plan is built more on subjectivity and perceived performance. It then becomes more difficult to see the different angles of a perceived issue and to see the employee’s potential as a whole.
Psychometric assessment opens the door to evolving career plans, where individuals can adjust their objectives and aspirations over time, in line with their professional growth and the evolution of the company.
What if we really rethought talent development?
The psychometric assessments used to draw up a development plan are not an end in themselves. They are a starting point, a catalyst, a benevolent mirror that opens up a field of possibilities. Their strength lies in the way they are interpreted, shared, and above all, in the action that can flow from a discussion of the results, which help to highlight strengths, preferences and development needs according to the position.
And what levers do you activate in your organization to enable your talents to flourish and develop effectively?
Would you like to share your organization’s HR vision with one of our experts? Contact TalenTest today.