Hogan Assessments Identifies A Strong Link Between Personality and Behaviours Supporting Diversity and Inclusion
Valid personality assessment promotes fairness in selection and can be used to identify leaders who promote diversity and inclusion in their decision-making
By Scott Gregory, CEO, Hogan Assessments
Personality assessment is key to advancing diversity and inclusion (D&I) goals for organisations and can be used to select better leaders who promote D&I in their decision-making. This is according to recent findings from Hogan Assessments which identify a strong positive correlation between specific components of personality and leadership behaviours supporting diversity and inclusion.
Numerous studies show that organisations with higher levels of gender diversity outperform organisations that lack female representation. However, according to data from The Pipeline’s Women Count report, just 5% of the UK’s largest PLCs are led by a female CEO, with a severe lack of representation across other managerial positions. Diversity recognises the various ways in which people differ from one another, for example, race, ethnicity, and/ or gender. Inclusion involves creating a company culture where these differences are viewed positively, and people of all backgrounds are welcomed and treated equally. This is reflected in company culture and decision-making, such as equal pay, inclusive leadership, and equal opportunity.
How can personality assessment improve D&I?
According to Hogan, incorporating valid personality assessment into the recruitment process promotes fairness in selection which drives greater organizational diversity. Personality assessment is a robust predictor of job performance and does not produce meaningful subgroup differences, meaning companies can identify the best talent without discriminating against any group or gender. Hogan offers a range of assessment options which can be used to achieve D&I goals, such as the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), the Hogan Development Survey (HDS) and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI).
While personality assessments are instrumental in increasing diversity and inclusion from the bottom-up via non-biased recruitment, recent findings from Hogan show that they can also be used to advance D&I goals at the highest level of an organisation when selecting leaders. By analysing personality data and components of Hogan’s personality inventories from more than 5,000 individuals, researchers at Hogan discovered that leaders with high scores on Adjustment, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Prudence, and Altruism had positive relationships with behaviours supporting diversity and inclusion. These leaders receive high supervisor ratings for behaviours like discouraging discrimination and prejudice, recognising the unique potential of each person, respecting views different from one’s own and treating others with respect regardless of race, gender, appearance, religion, and beliefs.
The benefits of D&I
Companies that support D&I and demonstrate inclusive leadership experience many benefits. McKinsey’s Diversity Wins report found that in 2019, organisations where more than 30 percent of executives were female were more likely to outperform companies with less gender diversity, and companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were more profitable than those in the fourth quartile. In addition, a recent survey from Intel found that over half of those aged 18-24 and 25-35 would be hesitant to join a company which lacked diversity and representation in its leadership.
Kimberly Nei, Ph.D., Director of Talent Analytics at Hogan Assessments adds: “It is important that companies prioritize diversity and inclusion, not only for justness and financial performance, but also to attract, nurture and retain the best talent. In today’s business environment, paying lip service to D&I with diversity policies, awards and training is no longer enough. Companies must go beyond the ‘box-ticking’ approach to D&I and leverage tools like valid personality assessment to select better, more inclusive senior leaders. Furthermore, Hogan’s assessments, such as the HPI, HDS and MVPI, can be used to provide critical feedback and enhance leaders’ sensitivity and awareness of biases they may have that could hinder their D&I efforts.”