Workplace personality tests: what they are and what they measure
Many team problems are not skills problems. The right people with the right qualifications still clash, miscommunicate or end up in roles that drain them. Good workplace personality tests make those differences visible before they turn into staff turnover, missed handovers or a founder who has to referee every disagreement.
Workplace personality tests are structured questionnaires that describe how someone tends to think, communicate, make decisions and respond to pressure. They are used in two places: in recruitment and promotion, to judge fit for a role, and with existing teams, to improve communication, task allocation and development.
They do not measure ability, intelligence or technical competence. They describe preferences and tendencies. That distinction matters, because the most common misuse is treating a profile as a verdict on whether someone is good at their job.
Two families of test
- Type-based tests (such as MBTI and Keirsey) sort people into a set number of categories. They are easy to remember and discuss, which makes them popular for team workshops, but real people rarely fit neatly into one box.
- Trait-based tests (such as the Big Five, 16PF and SHL OPQ) score people on a scale for each characteristic. They are less memorable but better supported by research, and are the stronger choice where the results inform a hiring or promotion decision.
DISC sits between the two: it describes observable behaviour on four scales, and most people are reported as a blend with one or two dominant styles.
What makes a test worth using
Three properties separate a credible assessment from an online quiz:
- Reliability: the same person gets a similar result when they take it again.
- Validity: the test measures what it claims to, and its scores relate to real outcomes such as job performance.
- Standardisation: it is given, scored and interpreted the same way every time, against a stated comparison group.
A reputable provider will publish technical evidence for all three. If it cannot, the results should not be used to make decisions about people.
The main workplace personality tests compared
For hiring and promotion decisions, use a trait-based test with published validity evidence. For team workshops and communication, DISC or MBTI are simpler to work with.
| Test | Approach | What it reports | Best used for | Watch out for |
| Big Five (e.g. NEO-PI-R) | Trait | Scores on openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism | Selection and development where evidence matters | Less intuitive to explain; needs a trained interpreter |
| DISC | Behavioural styles | Blend of Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness | Team communication, sales and management styles | Many versions from different publishers, of varying quality |
| Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) | Type | One of 16 types across four pairs: E/I, S/N, T/F, J/P | Self-awareness and team workshops | Not designed for selection; people can get a different type on retest |
| 16PF | Trait | Scores on 16 personality factors, from Raymond Cattell’s model | Detailed profiles for senior roles and coaching | Long; results need expert interpretation |
| SHL OPQ32 | Trait | 32 work-related characteristics mapped to role requirements | Comparing shortlisted candidates against a role profile | Commercial licence and trained user required |
| Caliper Profile | Trait plus problem-solving | Motivations, interpersonal style and decision-making | Selection and promotion to leadership roles | Commercial, and best run by the provider |
| CliftonStrengths (Gallup) | Strengths | Top themes from 34 talent themes | Development and playing to strengths in a team | Describes strengths only, not risks or fit |
| Keirsey Temperament Sorter | Type | One of four temperaments: Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, Rational | Light-touch team discussion | Too broad for decisions about individuals |
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) sometimes appears on lists like this. It is a clinical instrument for assessing psychological health, not a workplace personality test, and should not be used in ordinary recruitment.
Emotional intelligence assessments, such as those built on Daniel Goleman’s four areas (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management), are often used alongside these. They are covered in more depth in 12 ways to improve your emotional intelligence.
| Check your business |
| Are you using a type-based test for decisions that need a trait-based one? |
| Could you explain to a candidate why you chose the test you use? |
| Is anyone in your business using a free online quiz to make decisions about people? |
How to use personality tests to improve team productivity
A profile only pays for itself when it changes a decision or a habit. These are the five places it most often does.
Hiring and promotion
Use an assessment alongside interviews, references and work samples, never instead of them. Decide in advance which characteristics the role needs, then check the profile against that list rather than looking for a “good” personality.
Promotion is where this matters most. People are often promoted into management because they are the best technician or the longest-serving person, not because they suit leading others. DDI’s Frontline Leader research found that 57% of employees had left a job because of their manager (DDI via PR Newswire, 2019). Gallup estimates that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores across business units (Gallup). A behavioural assessment adds evidence to a decision that is otherwise made on gut feel.
Tailored communication
Some people want the headline and the decision; others want the detail and time to think. A shared language such as DISC lets a manager adjust how they brief, delegate and give feedback, instead of expecting everyone to respond as they would. More on this in the importance of workplace communication skills in improving operational efficiency.
| Free download: DISC team pack |
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| A light-hearted, printable introduction to DISC for your next team meeting. Page one is a five-minute self-assessment each person fills in about themselves. Page two is a team map with four questions to talk through, plus a guide to running a 30-minute session. |
| Download the DISC team pack (PDF) |
Team design
Look at the team’s profiles together, not just one by one. A team made up entirely of people-focused, steady profiles may work well together but struggle to push decisions through. Adding a more direct, results-driven profile can fix that. The reverse also applies: a team of strong drivers often needs someone who checks the detail.
In team sessions with clients, DISC is usually the more practical starting point: four styles are easier for a team to remember and use day to day than sixteen types.
Task allocation and development
Profiles help match work to natural strengths: detailed, methodical people to quality and compliance tasks; outgoing people to client-facing work. They also give each person a starting point for their own development plan, which is more useful than a generic training course.
Engagement and motivation
People are motivated by different things. Some respond to recognition and visible wins, others to clear objectives and structure, others to variety or to mastering a craft. Adjusting feedback and goal-setting to fit makes the same management effort go further.
| Check your business |
| Is each person in your team in a role that suits how they naturally work? |
| When did a promotion last go wrong, and was it a skills problem or a fit problem? |
| Do your managers brief people in the way each person works best, or in the way the manager prefers? |
Personality tests in an owner-managed business
In a founder-led business, the most important hire is usually the one that takes work off the owner’s desk. That might be an operations manager, a contracts manager or a first finance lead. Getting that appointment wrong is expensive, because the owner quietly takes the work back.
Personality assessments help here in three ways:
- Filling the gaps around the owner. Founders often hire people who think like them. A profile of the owner alongside the leadership team shows where the team is missing a style, for example someone who enjoys process and follow-through when the owner prefers ideas and pace.
- Promoting from within with more confidence. Many businesses in the £1M–£50M range grow their managers from their best technical people. An assessment highlights who is likely to enjoy leading others, and where they will need support.
- Building a team that works without the founder in the room. Clear roles, matched to how people naturally work, reduce the number of decisions that bounce back to the owner.
That last point matters when the business is being prepared for investment or sale. Buyers and investors look closely at whether the management team can run the business without its founder. A leadership team that is well matched to its roles, with clear responsibilities, is part of what makes a business deal-ready. See the deal-ready operating model for how that fits together.
A personality profile will not fix a structure problem on its own. If roles, decision rights and the operating rhythm are unclear, even a well-matched team will default to asking the owner. That structure is what a fractional COO puts in place through the GRAX programme.
| Check your business |
| Which decisions still come back to you, and why? |
| Does your leadership team fill your gaps, or mirror your strengths? |
| Could the business run for 30 days without you in the room? |
Running personality tests properly in a UK business
Most of the harm from personality testing comes from how it is run, not the test itself. These are the basics to get right.
Before the test
- Set a clear purpose. Decide whether the results are for selection, development or team working, and do not reuse them for something else without telling people.
- Choose a validated test that suits that purpose, and check that whoever interprets it is qualified. The British Psychological Society runs recognised test user qualifications.
- Tell people what happens to their results: who sees them, how long they are kept, and how they feed into any decision.
Data protection and fairness
- UK GDPR applies. Personality profiles are personal data, so they need a lawful basis, a privacy notice, secure storage and a retention period. Consent is rarely a reliable basis between employer and employee, so most businesses rely on legitimate interests and document why.
- Avoid decisions made by the test alone. UK GDPR restricts decisions with significant effects that are made solely by automated means. A person should always review the result in context.
- The Equality Act 2010 applies too. Offer reasonable adjustments to disabled candidates, for example extra time or an alternative format, and check that the test does not disadvantage any protected group.
Employment law advice is worth taking before using assessments in selection or redundancy decisions.
Interpreting and feeding back
- Read each result against the role and the team, not against an ideal profile.
- Treat a profile as a snapshot. Stress, a new role or a difficult year can all shift how someone responds.
- Give everyone their own results, with a conversation rather than a PDF. Focus on strengths and one or two areas to work on.
- Look at the team’s combined results to spot gaps and likely friction, then agree what the team will do differently.
| Check your business |
| Have you told people how their results will be used and how long they will be kept? |
| Is a person, not the test, making the final decision in your business? |
| Do you offer candidates reasonable adjustments as standard? |
The limits of personality testing
Personality tests in the workplace are useful evidence, not answers. Keep their limits in view:
- Quality varies widely. Many free online tests have no published evidence for reliability or validity.
- Results describe tendencies, not behaviour. People adapt to their role, their manager and the situation.
- Type-based tests oversimplify. Placing someone in one of four or sixteen boxes hides the range within each type.
- People can present themselves favourably, especially when a job is at stake. Better tests include checks for this.
- Nothing changes unless the insight is used. A workshop that ends with everyone knowing their four letters, and no change in how the team works, has cost time for little return.
Conclusion
Used well, workplace personality tests help put people in the right roles, reduce friction and make promotion decisions less of a gamble. Used badly, they label people and create a false sense of certainty.
The businesses that get value from them follow the same pattern: a validated test, a clear purpose, a qualified interpreter, honest feedback, and a follow-up that changes how the team actually works.
Frequently asked questions
Also called an employee personality test, a corporate personality test or a workplace personality assessment, it is a structured questionnaire that describes how someone tends to think, communicate, make decisions and handle pressure at work. Employers use them in recruitment and promotion, and with existing teams to improve communication and development. They measure preferences, not ability or intelligence.
It depends on the purpose. For hiring and promotion decisions, a trait-based test with published validity evidence, such as a Big Five measure, 16PF or SHL OPQ32, is the stronger choice. For team workshops and everyday communication, DISC is usually the most practical, with MBTI a common alternative.
DISC describes observable behaviour on four scales (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness) and focuses on how someone acts and communicates. MBTI sorts people into one of 16 types based on how they prefer to take in information and make decisions. DISC is simpler to apply day to day; MBTI goes further into self-awareness. Neither is designed as a standalone selection tool.
The better tests are reliable and have evidence linking their scores to job outcomes, but no test predicts exactly how someone will behave. Results describe tendencies, can shift with circumstances, and can be influenced by people presenting themselves favourably. Treat them as one source of evidence alongside interviews, references and track record.
Yes, provided the test is relevant to the role, applied consistently and handled in line with UK GDPR and the Equality Act 2010. Candidates should be told how results will be used and stored, disabled candidates should be offered reasonable adjustments, and a person, not the test alone, should make the decision. Take employment law advice if in doubt.
For development and team-building, assessments work best when they are voluntary and people know who will see their results. Pressuring people to take part undermines the honesty the results depend on. Explain the purpose, share each person’s results with them, and use the insight to change how the team works.
They can add useful evidence, particularly when promoting a strong technical performer into a management role. Use them alongside performance history and a structured interview, and check the profile against what the role actually needs rather than an ideal type.
Sources
- DDI, The Frontline Leader Project, reported 9 December 2019: New DDI research: 57 percent of employees quit because of their boss
- Gallup, Beck and Harter: Why Great Managers Are So Rare
- Further reading: Why and how to use a personality test to recruit (TalentLens) · Big Five personality theory (PositivePsychology.com)
