The Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32r) from SHL

Do you employ square pegs for round holes?

Just how many people are unhappy in their work because they simply don’t suit their role? How frustrating to have to get up in the morning and go to work to carry out a job to which you know you aren’t suited! What a waste of energy on your part and what a waste of resource for the employer.

Understanding how personality affects behaviour and performance at work is critical to matching the right person to the right job, both in recruitment situations and for personal development. People perform more comfortably when they are able to operate naturally, rather than when they have to put on an act to fulfil the expected behaviour of a role.

So, how do you know how a person naturally prefers to behave?

The OPQ32 provides a clear framework for understanding the impact of personality on job performance. Over 90 independent validation studies have been conducted on the OPQ over 25 years, across 20 countries and 40 industries. There is concrete evidence that the OPQ32 helps employers to make better informed decisions regarding selection and development.

It measures how individuals prefer to behave against 32 dimensions. These are grouped into three main areas:

• Relationships with People
• Thinking Styles
• Feelings and Emotions.

What are the benefits of using the OPQ32r?

Organisations have reported the following:

• Improved selection of staff leading to higher performance
• Reduced staff turnover due to better person-job fit and person-team fit
• More effective sifting out of less suitable candidates earlier in the recruitment process, saving time and money
• Enhanced understanding of the strengths and development areas of individuals, enabling management to succession plan more efficiently.

What exactly is measured?

The behaviours at work measured are:

• Relationships with People
• Influence
• Persuasive, Controlling, Outspoken, Independent Minded
• Sociability
• Outgoing, Affiliative, Socially Confident
• Empathy
• Modest, Democratic, Caring
• Thinking Style
• Analysis
• Data Rational, Evaluative, Behavioural
• Creativity and Change
• Conventional, Conceptual, Innovative, Variety Seeking, Adaptable
• Structure
• Forward Thinking, Detail Conscious, Conscientious, Rule Following
• Feelings and Emotions
• Emotions
• Relaxed, Worrying, Tough Minded, Optimistic, Trusting, Emotionally Controlled
• Dynamism
• Vigorous, Competitive, Achieving, Decisive

Okay, so how do you use it in practice?

Usually the questionnaire is completed online in less than 30 minutes. A link to the questionnaire is sent to the candidate via e-mail. Candidates are asked to choose a response from sets of statements. It is available in over 30 languages.

What kind of output can be expected?

Users can select from a wide range of Reports. They provide clear summaries of performance against job competencies and highlight potential strengths and possible areas for development.

Standard Reports include:

• Manager Report – specifically designed for line managers, showing how the individual prefers to work, is likely to perform and to interact with colleagues
• Team Impact Report – assessing the individual’s style in a team setting
• Sales Report – assessing the individual’s behaviours and competencies specific to the sales cycle.

Ideally, a face-to-face or telephone verification session should always be carried out. This allows the candidate to give their reaction to the results of the questionnaire. Valuable anecdotal information can be included which can give great insight into the individual’s values and motivation.

If required, reports can be customised and written to suit an organisation’s own competency framework. Additionally, behavioural interview questions can be supplied to help the interviewer to explore what appear to be areas for development, thus creating greater value and engagement. For the employer – the OPQr reports – provide easy, early alerts for square or round pegs to meet their square or round holes!

By Shirley Huntington©

Psychometrics Manager