Let's Get Personal

  ProjectsAtWork  

Does your team have the right personality mix? A formal assessment might prevent a meltdown

Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team? Are you detail-oriented, or do you focus on the whole picture? And what about the people on your project team? What are their personalities and behavior styles? How your team gets along could mean the difference between a productive project and a breakdown.

The good news is there are formal assessments tailored to the workplace that can help you recognize variances in personalities as well as the strengths and weaknesses of your team. Project veterans say personality testing can be an invaluable tool in building and maintaining a well-rounded team.

"Personality testing results in better team collaboration, more productive members, and a greater ability to focus on issues and challenges," says Mark Mullaly, president of Interthink Consulting in  Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Administered correctly, personality testing can help your team members better understand not only themselves but also each other. Here are tips to help make team personality profiling pass the test.

Get Overall Support

Before you decide whether personality testing is right for your team, ask yourself, "Are all my team members on board with this idea?" …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.