The Dark Side of Assessments

Shadow of Reductive Labels

We humans love shortcuts. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the world of personality assessments. The assessments themselves are not an issue, they have the potential to provide insight if used appropriately and most importantly along with other data. The dark side of assessments creeps in with the use of the data.

Initially implemented with good intention (to improve communication and transparency) having employees broadcast their personality or other designation is an ill-fated use of an otherwise valuable tool.

Encouraging or worse mandating your employees post their designations on their desks, walls, office doors, in their email signatures, even on t-shirts – fuels the dark side. How many of us have seen “my top five strengths” or “my MBTI” or “My HBDI” profiles shared broadly in an organization, and in that situation how many times have you seen that information used to typecast someone or to justify criticism?

The fall-out to having your profile broadcast includes the influence on your behavior and your organization’s behavior.

-Those shortcuts we love as humans have now reduced your complexity to a four letter label.-

Placing too much attention on one label encourages bad behavior. On the shadow side of this emphasis comes permission to be more like your profile. The aggressive or directive leader continues their negative behavior and simply says ‘it’s my personality, deal with it.’ Surely this is not the intent of sharing our profiles.

On the other side of the label, consciously or not, decisions are made based on the assumptions we have about that particular label. ‘An introvert wouldn’t be good at leading this project.’ ‘An extrovert wouldn’t do well with this team.’ ‘We only hire risk takers in our organization.’ Whether it’s the four letter, two letter, color, animal, or other label – it’s a reduction of our complex personality and capabilities within the organization.

Coaching Adapts

Everything has elements of light and shadow, assessments are no exception. From their selection through the interpretation and lingering effects in organizations, assessments have a dark side. Reminding ourselves of this dark side and doing what we can to stay ahead of it is critical to bringing the coaching profession into the future.