There's probably not a month that goes by where at least one person doesn't say to me, "Oh yeah, Predictive Index… I've heard of that; it's just like Myers-Briggs."
For the record, comparing Myers-Briggs to The Predictive Index® (PI) is like comparing a Subaru to a Ferrari. Both are assessments, and both are automobiles – the similarities pretty much stop there.
According to an email from Myers-Briggs, CPP, there are many people who misunderstand and misuse the MBTI. The first and probably largest fallacy is that the evaluation can tell you whether a person is a good fit for a particular role. "MBTI tool can't tell you who to hire, but it can help you work with your team so that everyone gives his or her best performance."
MBTI argues that their assessment is a tool that helps you "work with your team," so you get their best performance. While self-awareness is powerful, especially in the workplace, the validity of their science frequently comes into question by I/O psychologists. A National Academy of Sciences committee reviewed data from MBTI research and noted a “troublesome discrepancy between research results (a lack of proven worth) and popularity."
If you're one of the many companies or institutions using MBTI as a hiring tool – stop. Even Myers-Briggs says that it isn't a hiring tool, and you should NOT base a hiring decision on their assessment.
I immediately think of two words after reading this – Lawsuit and EEOC. Hiring is hard enough. Why complicate it with legal issues?
For a scientifically validated pre-hiring assessment that complies with the EEOC guidelines, the hiring tools from the Predictive Index are hands down, the best tools for assessing job fit. These tools have been designed and validated to be used in the workplace.
Behavioral Assessment
The Predictive Index offers a Behavioral Assessment that is an EFPA-certified instrument and takes about 6 minutes to complete. It measures a person's motivating drives and needs. Thousands of businesses around the globe use it to hire and manage with clarity. PI uses a free-choice format rather than a forced-choice; the PI behavioral assessment captures the nuances of strategy and personality because the world isn't as simple as Yes or No.
Job Assessment
Myers-Briggs does not provide a job assessment product.
The Predictive Index offers a Job Assessment. This Job Assessment allows multiple stakeholders within an organization to contribute to defining the ideal behavioral pattern necessary to thrive in a given role considering the most common tasks performed in that role and the team and workplace culture. Job Pattern, which is the output of the Job Assessment, can be used to match up against the PI Behavioral Patterns of candidates and employees. Like the PI Behavioral Assessment, the Job Assessment is delivered in an untimed, free-choice format.
Cognitive Ability Assessment
Myers-Briggs does not provide a Cognitive Ability Assessment.
The Predictive Index offers a cognitive ability assessment called the PI Learning Indicator. The Learning Indicator is also scientifically validated from hire to retire and provides a measurement of 'g' or general cognitive ability. The PI Learning Indicator is delivered in a timed, multiple-choice, forced-choice format. Assessment takers are given 12 minutes to complete numerical, verbal, and abstract reasoning questions of varying difficulty. The result is a score that is calculated by counting how many correct responses are selected within the 12-minute period.
Great people build great organizations. If you want to attract and hire the perfect fit for any role, we'll give you the tools and education, so you can become a true Talent Optimizer. If you want to inspire and engage your people, we'll prepare you to engage your people and bring out their absolute best in them. When you need to design and build high performing teams, yep… we've got that covered too. We'll show you how you can intentionally design effective teams that are high performing – gone are the days of lackluster performance, miscommunication, and inconsistent decision making.
Here’s the truth: business problems boil down to people issues. Are you ready to help your organization today? Contact us to learn how you can remove bias from your hiring process and start hiring amazing talent fast.
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