Workplace personality
by Bernard McGrath, Inspection Validation Centre

80% of us are in the wrong job. That was the result of a recent survey which was reported on the radio news. The trouble was I was not listening very carefully when it was broadcast. So eventually, I got around to googling it and found information regarding a BUPA survey which was reported in the press at the end of March.

The survey asked people to state which colours and shapes they identified most with. The answers reflect the personality of the respondents and when these were compared to the occupations of the people, there were many contradictions: warm and people-oriented accountants, secretaries with leadership skills and people in creative jobs who didn't class themselves as expressive and eccentric. So what colour and shape are you? I know what shape I am because I have many family and friends who are totally uninhibited by any potential offence they may give and tell me regularly. And what colours and shapes do you think are best suited to applying NDT?

The mismatch between peoples' personalities and their jobs doesn't mean to say that the people are unable to do the jobs they are in. I dare say a lot of them will do them very well. It does mean that they are not playing to their strengths and they are likely to find their incompatible jobs more stressful than if they had one more compatible with their personalities. The trouble is, as the survey went on to report, more than half the people surveyed held an incorrect view of their own personalities. Our view of our personality can be skewed by what we want to be like or alternatively by what other people have told us we are like.

I have taken a number of personality tests over the years, mainly during job recruitment. The first time I got feedback from such a test, I felt pleased. I thought I sounded like a well-balanced individual. Unfortunately, the company either wanted an imbalanced individual or the psychologist didn't want to see a grown man cry. And that wasn't the only time that pride came before the fall. Another test, and another result which pleased me. Until I found out who else had got a similar result. Surely my personality wasn't as odd as their's?

Personality tests identify traits and preferences. A common one is based on the Myers Briggs model of personality. The model is based on four preferences: extravert or introvert; sensing or intuition; thinking or feeling; judging or perceiving. The combination of preferences gives 16 descriptions of personality types. Obviously each type will be suited to particular situations and roles. Another common test identifies the particular way in which people would tend to behave, contribute and interrelate with others. Dr Meredith Belbin classified nine team-roles which have names such as Plant, Shaper, Monitor Evaluator, Co-ordinator, Completer Finisher, Implementor, Specialist, Teamworker and Resource Investigator. Any individual is likely to have three or four natural roles and any team requires someone to perform each role.

This latter point is often overlooked. We tend to put more store on particular personalities rather than others and we consider particular roles to carry more status and to be more important than others. Yet there are no wrong or right personalities: Belbin defined both a contribution and an allowable weakness for each role. And can you imagine working in a team made up only of co-ordinators? Nothing would ever be achieved.

The value of personality tests is that they help us to understand our preferred behaviours. Through individual and team self-knowledge we can make the necessary adjustments to better deal with particular external situations. By coincidence, after starting this article, the radio news again had an item on personality. This time it was the call by a charity that a personality test should be part of the driving test. This would be used to show to people their preference for behaviours which would make them a risk to themselves and other road users. Training can then be applied to help them modify and control these behaviours.

The PANI 3 project has investigated the correlation between personality traits and ultrasonic operator performance. Hopefully, the NDT profession can use the results to improve future performance through better self-knowledge.

Please note that the views expressed in this column are the author's own personal ramblings for the purpose of encouraging discussion within the NDT Newspaper. They do not represent the views of the IVC, Serco Assurance or the HSE who funded the PANI projects.

Letters can be mailed to The Editor, NDT News, 1 Spencer Parade, Northampton NN1 5AA. Fax: 01604 231489; E-mail: ndtnews@bindt.org or e-mail Bernard McGrath direct at Bernard.McGrath@sercoassurance.com