‘Synergize’ your organization with team fit assessment: PsychTests.com introduces new Team Roles Test

by Anonymous

MONTREAL, CANADA -- 10/1/02

PsychTests.com, a leader in web-based psychological testing, has added the Team Roles Test (http://www.psychtests.com/tests/career/team_roles_access.html) to its extensive collection of 90 career, personality, IQ, health and relationship tests. The Team Roles test assesses the test-taker’s preference for several typical parts that people play in a team. The test helps to identify one’s natural tendencies and pinpoints what makes one tick (or what ticks one off) in the workplace. “Employers generally look to hire strong leaders, but you don’t want to end up with four leaders in the same group struggling for power … and nobody to follow them,” suggests Dr. Ilona Jerabek, head of the research team that developed the assessment. “The key to success is balance. It takes all kinds … and the Team Roles test can be a real eye-opener.” The test has a wide range of applications. HR departments can use the test in the employee selection process to identify strengths and limitations of candidates, and to match the right people with the right teams. It can also be used as a team building exercise with existing workgroups or in career development seminars.

It takes all kinds

Teamwork has quickly become the ‘mode vivendi’ for many companies. This is because teams create synergy between the members and elicit effective and creative problem solving. Teamwork can increase employees’ participation in decision-making and improve their motivation and involvement. However, like any good approach, it is not a risk-free cure-all. Pairing the wrong personalities together in a team can be counter-productive. A poorly built team is draining in terms of time, energy and morale – on corporate and individual levels.

On the other hand, creating a team of completely compatible people may not be the ideal solution either. Studies have found that while homogeneous groups may be quick out of the gate, heterogeneous groups perform better in the long run. Diversity in background, varied opinions and points of view, as well as complementary skills are the spice of any project, provided that team members get along and respect each other. The key is to create positive synergy and to explore everybody’s potential to the fullest.

Dr. Jerabek explains that, “while most people can assume several team roles, there are often one or two that are most prominent. And there is no ‘perfect’ role; each person has a mixture of styles that come in handy depending on the specific requirements of the job.” The personality balancing act calls for a thorough knowledge of the different roles. The Team Roles Test results provide management with the valuable information they need for effective team assignment and better HR planning.

Compatible people + Complementary skills = Effective and efficient teams

The Team Roles Test is comprised of 40 questions, where the test-takers identify their preferences in realistic work-related situational questions. The report offers a detailed personalized interpretation, showing the test-taker’s most prominent tendencies, their pros and cons and practical advice on effective interaction. Along with an overall interpretation, the assessment breaks down where each individual sits on the Coordinator, Go Getter, Cheerleader, Questioner, Team Worker, Verifier, Networker, Peacemaker, Thinker, and Brainstormer scales. An extensive advice section discusses the key elements of efficient use of teams and provides tips on turning an individual into a team player.

The Team Roles Test was developed based on extensive research of various theories about team functioning, synthesizing the works of Belbin, Margerison-McCann, and Myers’ Management Team Roles Indicator. From the HR manager’s perspective, the test provides information that is difficult to glean from a regular interview, and that is invaluable in making informed HR decisions. On a personal side, employees can use the interpretation to discover where their team competencies lie. At the same time, they can learn how to overcome their concerns and limitations in order to make them stronger, more adaptable team players. Determining personal team role preferences is essential for career planning and personal development.

The Team Roles Test is only one of many tools for employee testing available on PsychTests.com. Other tests cover factors such as leadership potential, readiness for promotion, risk for burnout and stress-related problems, success likelihood, sales personality, conflict and anger management, communication skills and power issues, just to name a few. The site also hosts a vast collection of intelligence, personality, health and relationship tests that can be used to supplement employee assistance and training programs. A team of psychologists, statisticians, and experts on research methods and artificial intelligence collaborated to develop PsychTests’ impressive battery of assessment tools. Each test undergoes large-scale studies that yield a plethora of normative, validity and reliability data.

PsychTests.com not only provides the tests, but also offers ARCH Profile, a sophisticated database system, to manage the results. ARCH Profile Manager allows HR departments, psychologists and researchers to save and view their clients’ results, in an individual or aggregated form, on PsychTests.com’s assessments. They can track progress, display graphs and organize client/employee information. Essentially, the system serves as a flexible, easy-to-use online testing center – one that can be customized to satisfy the requirements of any organization.

To see the complete list of tests available, visit http://www.psychtests.com/tests/alltests.html. For description of various packages and more information about ARCH Profile and its applications, you can consult an online info kit at http://www.psychtests.com/professionals/hr/kit_intro.html.

About PsychTests.com

PsychTests.com (http://www.PsychTests.com/) is a subsidiary of Plumeus Inc., a privately owned high-tech company that also runs the #1 mental health site Queendom.com. PsychTests’s most recognized and appreciated feature is its extensive battery of 200 accurate in-depth psychological tests. But PsychTests is much more that the largest online psychological testing center. The psychologists, statisticians, and artificial intelligence specialists that make up the PsychTests.com team all have years of experience in the online testing field. Their mission is to provide mental health professionals, HR managers, and anyone interested in self-growth with assessment tools of the highest quality.

Facts about PsychTests.com

·    A leader and authority in psychological testing, with over six years of experience online

·    Developed ARCH Profile, a sophisticated database system with an interactive interface that allows HR specialists to manage employee testing with unprecedented ease

·    To ensure accuracy, PsychTests uses rigorous scientific methods, and tests are subjected to large-scale validation and reliability studies using tens of thousands of participants

·    A valuable research tool for more than 5000 academics, marketers and HR managers worldwide

·    Used as a resource on HR, government and educational sites

·    One of the most linked-to websites in the world

·    Average of 1.5 million unique visits per month to PsychTests and Queendom.com


For more information, contact PsychTests or visit our media room at: www.PsychTests.com/about/media/index.html.