Being in the talent solutions industry, we are constantly asked which assessments are “best.” Best is in the eye of the beholder; the real question to answer is what your specific needs are and which assessment (and assessment provider) will help you meet those needs?
Today we’ll compare and contrast TTI Success Insights’ Talent Insights® with Predictive Index’s Behavioral & Cognitive Assessments, two industry leaders for the talent solutions industry.
Talent Insights
Talent Insights is a dual-assessment that measures both behaviors and motivators, known as Driving Forces. This 2-in-1 assessment measures both the “How” and the “Why” a person behaves in the way that they do. It’s important to clarify that Talent Insights is not a personality report; it’s a study of behaviors and motivators.
The DISC portion of the assessment measures a person’s behavioral style which is made up of some combination of four factors: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance. This is the “how” portion of the assessment.
The Driving Forces portion measures a person’s motivators; the reason they get up every morning and do what they do. Based on six keywords (Knowledge, Utility, Surroundings, Others, Power and Methodologies), a person will fall on either side of a continuum. There is no “better” or “worse” on the Driving Forces continuum (or the DISC graph, for that matter). It’s simply a measure of the intensity of a person’s drivers, which can indicate a likelihood of certain behavior in particular situations, including the workplace.
However, there is no distinct connection between someone’s drivers and their behavioral style. For example, someone who scored high in the Dominance factor may be highly driven with little need for individual recognition while another person with the same Dominance score may be driven by status and recognition and control over personal freedom, a polar opposite driver.
Behavioral & Cognitive
Existing as separate assessments, Behavioral and Cognitive measures a person’s behaviors and measure their cognitive skills.
Created over 60 years ago by Arnold Daniels, the PI Behavioral Assessment™ (BA) provides four behavioral drives and provides interpretation guidance for four personality traits. These are: Dominance, Extraversion, Patience and Formality. While the titles may differ from DISC, the descriptions of each are very similar to their DISC counterparts.
The PI Cognitive Assessment™ measures an individual’s capacity to learn, adapt and grasp new concepts in the workplace. Assessment takers are tasked with completing as many correct answers as possible to a set of questions of varying difficulty that covers topic categories such as Numerical, Abstract and Verbal.
Origins
Both behavioral assessments derive information from some of the same sources. For example, both assessment companies base their theory from the original teachings of William Moulton Marston and his book Emotions of Normal People written in the early 20th century.
In either case, TTI Success Insights’ Talent Insight and Predictive Index’s Behavioral & Cognitive Assessments can be applied in self-understanding and understanding others. Both can help explain and predict workplace behavior and potential performance implications.
How the assessments compare
TTI SI’s Talent Insights assessment consists of two sets of assessments (behaviors and motivators) that each take about 15 minutes to complete. The PI Behavioral Assessment™ is a six minute, free-choice assessment. The PI Cognitive Assessment™ is a 12-minute timed assessment.
Talent Insights was designed to increase the understanding of an individual's talents. The report provides insight to three distinct areas: behaviors, Driving Forces, and the synergy created by blending these two. The report talks about the person’s value to an organization, provides communication tips and potential areas for improvement. Additionally, the report uncovers an individual’s potential strengths, conflicts, as well as their “ideal environment.”
PI’s behavioral report provides insights to influencing styles and management strategies. The PI Cognitive report reveals a person’s likelihood of being strong in specific cognitive abilities.
Each organization’s respective behavioral assessments speak to “highs” and “lows” with neither having a positive or negative connotation. Both reports show natural and adaptive behavioral styles.
Both companies behind the reports have been thought leaders in the industry for decades. Each are credible in the marketplace and heavily research-based. Both reports can be used as a basis for job benchmarking, although they approach it from different angles (behaviors and motivators vs. behaviors and cognitive skills).
TTI SI and PI both offer extensive training and documentation behind their products, so the user can feel assured that they have resources and the support behind the products when they go to market.
Both assessments have been translated in many different languages throughout the world.
Conclusion
TTI Success Insights and Predictive Index both make great products with successful track records. Both stand behind their products with support and resources. And both types of reports can apply specifically to the talent management industry when screening candidates.
Based on a 2014 study, it was concluded there is no evidence to suggest that any TTI SI assessments could have an adverse impact with regard to gender, race, disability or veteran status. All subgroups were EEOC compliant, well within the guideline of 80 percent, and well within the first standard deviation from the population mean. TTI Success Insights continues to research, validate and verify its assessments.
According to PI’s website, “The Predictive Index provides well-researched, valid and reliable assessments which can help support clients’ legal compliance with the EEOC and the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures. One of PI’s authorized provider also points out that “A common misconception is that the EEOC approves or disapproves assessment tools. They do not. The EEOC does require that if used for selection an instrument must meet EEOC guidelines for compliance. The Predictive Index is validated according to EEOC guidelines.
Each company’s assessment provides a unique perspective for use in the hiring process. Once you understand which aspect of the position you are trying to measure, you will be better prepared to choose the right candidate for the job.
