In an effort to find the “right” employee, many dental practices have sought to utilize “assessment tests” in their hiring process, while others have tapped into the variety of these resources to help current and future team members discover their personality “type”. The purpose of this article serves to help you make sense of what is available, their strengths and weaknesses and hopefully serve as a guide should you choose to use one.
Assessments: A Brief History
As far back as Hippocrates, humans have sought to describe one another. In fact, Claudius Galenus, or “Galen” expounded upon Hippocrates’ postulation by giving name to the four temperaments Hippocrates identified: blood, mucus, yellow bile, black bile. His classification system would be used for over a millennia. 
Into the 18th and 19th Centuries as medicine evolved, the “original” four were discounted as they became synonymous with bodily functions but the overarching desire to categorize an individual’s demeanor remained. As Freud and others entered the scene, and into the early 20th Century, advancement in the field of psychology marched on.
In response to World War 1, the first modern personality test was created- the Woodworth Personal Data Sheet. Also during this time psychologist William Marston began to describe what he determined to be the DiSC characteristics.
In 1943, Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers published their initial version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) after almost two decades of “personality” watching, based on their readings of Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst best known for his work in analytical psychology and personality types. In the mid 1950’s industrial psychologist Walter Clarke constructed the DiSC assessment based on Marston’s theory. During this time and onward to present day, an avalanche of assessments have entered the arena.
Assessments: They’re Not Interchangeable
Intelligence Assessments
Intelligence tests can be given individually or to groups of people. The best-known individual intelligence tests are the Binet-Simon scale, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.
Wonderlic Personnel Test is widely used and has a clear purpose: to measure intelligence and assess aptitude and problem solving skills. Administered as 50 questions over 12 minutes, at which time the test is collected and scored, it provides hard data and while a wonderful tool, especially for administrative positions in a dental practice, offers little insight into how a person works with others and communicates. Wonderlic has several other tests available, including short versions of this one, a scholastic version, a personality and integrity test and a motivation potential assessment. For larger practices interested in utilizing all of the tools provided by Wonderlic, they have Wonscore which allows access for testing in each of these areas. One of the biggest drawbacks to Wonderlic, per the Kathy Wonderlic Kolbe, the daughter of its creator, is purported to be that it tests based upon what level of education an individual has received and that it can be “studied for”- much like any cognitive test.
https://www.wonderlic.com/employee-selection/cognitive-ability-
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition is based upon the work of pioneering cognitive psychologist David Wechsler and is administered through Pearson. It takes approximately 60-90 minutes to complete and can be administered via pencil and paper or computer. As the most widely used of its kind, the WAIS-IV measures intelligence and cognitive ability and is thought by many to be the most reliable. Pearson online also has a host of other tests available, including the MMPI (discussed below) and the Dellis-Kaplan Executive Function System.
Personality Inventories and Behavioral Assessments
Likely the biggest arena – and the cause of most confusion- are personality inventories and behavior assessments. Let’s start with the SINGLE MOST reason for concern, debunkery and misled opinions: these “assessments”, as a whole, are Ipsative. They are usually self- reporting, sometimes self-scoring, and-if given to someone who is adept at gaming the system-easy to “fake”. They will NOT clue you in to a person’s intelligence or analytical abilities, if that is what you seek. Many also fall under the moniker of “face validity”, meaning they are valid because someone said so and are often devoid of anything other than the creator’s interpretation and (often) prejudice.
These “indicators” were born, as stated above, from our need as a society to describe how people behave. We are a culture of labels, are we not? Many seek to place them as a way to explain away bad (or sometimes good) characteristics. Yet that is not the point of these types of tests. Word of caution: if utilizing any of them, avoid the free, online quick versions. It’s unlikely you will get an accurate reading, which if using for employee or company culture development, can backfire quickly and leave chaos in its wake. One thing many of these tests do show is a tendency towards a “style” in that similar responses to similar questions groups them there.
DiSC The DiSC was first compiled into an assessment tool in the late 1950’s. Long heralded by some as the quintessential indicator of personality and behavior styles, it does not measure aptitude, intelligence, mental health or values. DiSC places people into four categories: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. 
When scored, people have a primary type and a supportive type. DiSC indicates predictable ways people behave and react in different settings as well as how they interact with others. One of the biggest mistakes associated with DiSC is in classifying it as a personality assessment (since it is marketed that way), when, in fact, it is a behavioral assessment. It’s often used to describe people and their behavior beyond the scope in which it was intended. While certainly a valuable tool to indicate behavioral tendencies, it does little to assess and discuss things such as character, ethics, temperament, values and manner of communication. Utilized widely, mostly due to extensive marketing, DiSC falls under the “face validity” category with little, actual hard data to support it. https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/
Kolbe A Index Once again, here is another assessment that is NOT a personality “test”. Kolbe differs from the others in that it addresses conation– or how someone takes action. It measures four key areas: Fact Finder, Follow Through, Quick Start and Implementor. Created by Kathy Wonderlic Kolbe, she maintains that each individual will achieve their best and have a greater sense of accomplishment if allowed to operate in their own, unique way. To that end, Kolbe A has the intended outcome to let others know what someone does best and to support them in doing so. Like any other ipsative test, a major drawback if used as an initial screening tool is that a candidate for employment may choose to answer questions based on what they think the “right” answers for the job should be, thereby providing misleading data. http://www.kolbe.com
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) As referenced above, this is an assessment used to measure psychological preferences as they pertain to how people perceive the world and make decisions. Within it, there are 16 “types”. One common criticism of the tool is that it is too soft, thereby not truly relevant enough to be fully used in business and career settings. The MBTI, is best used personally as a tool for development. A major drawback is that as people’s wants, desires and interests evolve their “type” can change simply because they relate their current situation to the assessment. Keep in mind that even though they based they assessment on Jung’s teaching, there is very little hard research and data to support this assessment. https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/home.htm?bhcp=1
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) This particular inventory began its development back in the 1930’s and is, perhaps, the most widely used in English-speaking countries. It was originally designed to help classify psychiatric patients. MMPI is a lengthy assessment that has many built in controls, adding to its overall usefulness, and even takes into account face validity. The MMPI also appeals to those who demand firm experimental evidence that any personality assessment method can make valid discriminations among individuals. While extremely useful, the scope it provides and the need for a professional psychologist or psychiatrist to disseminate the information makes it impractical in traditional workplace settings. https://www.britannica.com/science/Minnesota-Multiphasic-Personality-Inventory
The Five Factor Model (FFM) or “The Big Five” This model came into popularity in the late 20th century based upon work done earlier that century. The FFM utilizes adjectives to distinguish people based on their personality dispositions or traits. It has shown to accurately predict patterns of behavior, however it cannot distinctly predict any one behavior. The 5 areas described are:
- Openness to Experience
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
There are several options utilizing this model available today including:
- Neo-Personality Inventory- Revised- describes normal adult personalities
- Hogan Personality Inventory- captures key behavioral tendencies and how someone will perform at work
As further developments of this model progress, more succinct information can be gleaned into a personality type. While The Five Factor Model truly is a personality- type inventory, the intricacies and usage of this model are vast. More information on the FFM can be found here.
Into the World of Positive Psychology and Assessments
The research and development into positive psychology created a need for assessments embracing these concepts. Their approach is different in that they seek to find people’s strengths and when used for employee-assessment, utilize and develop them with the goal of better performance and satisfaction. Rather than problem-focused, they are strength-identifying. In this category, there are two standouts:
CliftonStrengthsfinder 2.0 This assessment is wholly owned by the Gallup Corporation and is based upon the work of American psychologist Donald Clifton. It is used extensively in workplace leader and employee development as it measures talent and skill preferences, however it is definitely a for-profit tool, and is not only NOT peer-reviewed, it is trade-secret protected so that only those psychologists employed by Gallup can study it. Usage, however, is still high and as long as the coach or consultant deploying it is comfortable speaking to it, can be extremely helpful. To access more than someone’s Top 5 strengths requires using a Gallup-certified coach to obtain the information at a substantial cost. https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/home/en-us/strengthsfinder
Via Survey The second in this category is from the Via Institute. Unlike Strenthsfinder, Via is a not-for-profit institute and the full survey is available to anyone. It was developed by the father of positive psychology, Martin Seligmann PhD along with Christopher Peterson PhD. Via Survey measures core character strengths that are universal across all platforms: home, work, social, religious, etc. It offers a full, free online version, is peer-reviewed, and anyone can access the psychometrics that drive it. https://www.viacharacter.org/www/About-Institute/FAQs?QuestionID=73&AFMID=592
Here is an info graphic that compares the two:
Assessments Strictly for Communication
While many of the aforementioned assessments and inventories have subsets for communication or purport to be useful for communication techniques, a few have been designed specifically for that purpose. As others, they speak in lingo, but are designed to be easier to understand for anyone using them. Two popular are:
The PeopleMapSystem™️ Developed by Michael Lillibridge PhD and Andrew Mathis PhD in 1989, PeopleMap is based in positive psychology, strengths-focused and data-supported. The “people-side” of development, PeopleMap sets out to build better relationships at work and help people become peak performers. It can be used for team, leadership, family and student development and helps people learn to work with others to reach goals and manage conflict and has a 95% accuracy rate. The overall ease of implementation across a company or organization makes it extremely appealing. A drawback to the system is it’s scarcity of trainers, who must go through extensive training and then certification. While a PeopleMap survey can be completed online, it’s best used in a group setting with a facilitator who can then teach them how to use the system to maximize its overall effectiveness. http://www.peoplemapsystems.com
Personality Lingo was developed by Mary Miscisin, MS a corporate fitness expert. Personality Lingo states that it is based in cognitive psychology, personality theory and her personal experience. The 5-question online test provides immediate results, akin to a short-form Myers-Briggs.
While unable to find any hard data supporting this communication training, one can purchase and download a kit to start training others without a need for certification. https://personalitylingo.com/personalitytrainingcertificationkit/
A LOT of Information: Choose Wisely
If you’ve made it through this long article, you definitely hold an interest towards helping yourself and your team function at a higher level! Employing any assessment, inventory or training can be overwhelming. Even this piece does little justice in addressing the volumes available, but if you can have one take-away, perhaps it should be this: choose what you feel makes the most sense for the intended results. Don’t assume any one of them to be a panacea. Make certain that after you’ve researched your options you have someone in place who can help you maximize your ROI and be fully committed to implementation. As with any superior leadership skill, transparency is important: Get your entire team “on the bus” by explaining your reasons to implement one of these tools, then ignite and incite them with your desire to choose positive change.
(I purposely decided to omit the Emotional Intelligence test as it doesn’t fit into the above categories, however, you can read about the pros and cons of it here.)
Ascendant Dental Development LLC is built on the solid foundation of positive communication, both in the workplace and personal space. As a certified coaching resource with over 30 years in the dental field, we bring a new twist to dental practices and staff, focus primarily on leadership, team-building, communication skills, and case presentation techniques. We offer in-office workshops, individual coaching and also provide lectures to larger groups. We are proud members of many organizations including the Institute of Coaching, the Via Institute and others. We are currently filling our schedule for 2019-20 and encourage you to call us Toll Free to learn more @ 833-876-TEAM ( 833-876-8326 )