May 8, 2014

Skills learned at camp create successful career grownups

Peace-makers At Work: PsychTests.com’s Research Reveals The Benefits Of Social Values In The Workplace

PsychTests.com’s latest study indicates that proponents of social values perform better at work.

Montreal, Canada – April 08, 2014. Many companies seek employees whose values match those of the organizational culture, but how does a person’s individual values affect their work performance? Using data collected from their Values Profile, researchers at PsychTests sought to uncover what top performers in a company value, and how it can impact their success.

Analyzing a sample of 2,100 people, the following employee types emerged from PsychTests’ study:

The Peace-makers
Distribution: 56% of top performers, 37% of poor performers

What they value
· Altruism
· Family & Friends
· Acceptance & Belonging
· Community
· Work/Life balance

Strengths/Advantages
· Easy to get along with
· Outgoing nature and caring personality could make them an inspiring and affable leader
· Team players
· Enjoy helping others
· Care about their customers
· Consider integrity a priority
· Don’t mind being put to work, as long as it doesn’t result in long hours
· Strive to set a good example for others
· Motivated by sense of accomplishment and verbal praise
· Good at developing a rapport with others
· Good at maintaining relationships with clients

Challenges
· Given their preference for work/life balance, may not want to work overtime or travel very often
· Less likely to thrive in positions in which they have little contact with others
· Their easy-going nature could be taken advantage of
· May struggle to adapt to a dynamic, fast-paced work environment

The Pragmatists
Distribution: 16% of top performers, 26% of poor performers

What they value
· Practicality and simplicity
· Stability
· Financial security
· Hard work

Strengths/Advantages
· Enjoy being put to work – want to be productive
· Hard-working, especially on lucrative projects
· Steadfast workers who won’t stop until a job is done
· Model employees who would set a good example for others
· Methodical and efficient work approach
· Likely to be handy and/or good with tools
· Dedicated to projects that they are passionate about

Challenges
· Need job security
· Need structure and routine
· Need to be recognized for their hard work with rewards of monetary value
· Much more practically-minded than creative or intellectual
· Not likely to be people-oriented and may prefer to work alone

The Scientists
Distribution: 15% of top performers, 22% of poor performers

What they value
· Knowledge
· Innovation
· Scientific Exploration
· Intellectualism

Strengths/Advantages
· Enjoy the challenge of complex projects
· Good problem-solvers
· Strong analytical reasoning skills
· Enjoy learning new things – and can be quick learners
· Innovative thinkers
· Methodical work approach
· Thrive on verbal praise more than any other form of reward
· Will work particularly hard on projects that appeal to their intellect

Challenges
· Need to be challenged intellectually or will become bored
· Can be impatient with people who are not as intellectually advanced as they are
· Not particularly good with people – likely to need emotional intelligence training

The Idealists
Distribution: 7% of top performers, 4% of poor performers

What they value
· Creativity
· Beauty
· Art

Strengths/Advantages
· Brainstorming
· Creative expression
· Projects that require a unique and original approach
· Have a knack for channeling their emotions into creative endeavors
· Are not easily swayed from their beliefs or principles
· Love to learn and discover new things
· Challenges Their go-with-flow attitude and approach could result in disorganization – missed deadlines, lack of efficiency, etc.
· Unless a project fits their interests, they are unlikely to be very motivated or productive
· May prefer to work on their own, especially when it comes to creative endeavors
· Do not adapt well to highly-structured work environments

The Ladder-Climbers
Distribution: 6% of top performers, 11% of poor performers

What they value
· Recognition
· Power
· Career
· Pride
· Competition

Strengths/Advantages
· Love to be challenged with complex tasks and projects
· Want to be put to work and like to be kept busy
· They aim high – and the greater and more lucrative the project, the harder they’ll work
· Independent and confident – don’t need their hand held by management
· Will strive to reach their fullest potential
· Challenges Need to be recognized and rewarded for their work
· Their competitive nature could rub others the wrong way
· Their assertive and direct demeanour could intimidate others
· Would prefer to lead than follow, and may not take direction well
· Can be impatient with people who don’t work at their pace
· Can be egotistical and self-absorbed
· More concerned about their own success

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